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Human Rights Council
Review of the HRC work and functioning
Consultations of the President on the draft programme of work for the 1st session of the IGWG on the HRC review
Statement by Idriss Jazaïry, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UNOG
Geneva, 6 September 2010
Mr President,
Allow me first to express our appreciation for the holding of this meeting and our sincere compliments for the remarkable way in which you are conducting your consultations. We have already achieve a first key consensus on expressing gratitude to you for your remarkable performance. We thank you particularly for providing us with a draft Programme of work for the 1st session of the IGWG on the HRC review and we would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to you for having consulted all regional Groups and to try to find a middle ground on the basis of which all delegations could work.
I understand we will be adopting this tentative Programme of Work while modalities of the review that you presented to us was a Chair’s text not submitted to approval. Therefore, there is no reason to amend the proposed PoW to be adopted in light of the Chair’s text.
In this regard, while aligning itself with the comments made on behalf of the African Group, the OIC and the NAM, my delegation would like to make the additional following comments:
- The draft programme of work contains the required elements for a structured discussion during the 1st session of the IGWG on the HRC review. The draft reflects your attempt, Sir, to take into account all the views expressed during last week’s consultation. However, we would have preferred that discussions under agenda item 5 follow the same structure as those under item 4 but we are ready to adopt the text as it is.
- However, the time allocated for the discussion of concrete proposals might be increased. It could start in the morning session of the 28th of October 2010, as it will be the main focus of the discussions during the 2nd session of the IGWG on the HRC review. In addition, this would allow you, Sir, to identify areas where there would be a need for the appointment of facilitators.
- In order to allow for meaningful discussions on concrete proposals under agenda item 5, delegations should be encouraged to make their proposals available before the IGWG session. These should not reopen but fine-tune the implementation of the IB package. No reopening of the IB package should be discussed unless there is a consensus decision to do so. Some delegations have suggested a reopening of the IB package on the basis of an alleged inconsistency between the latter and res. 60/251. I think we are not entitled to claim that the GA was inconsistent in its adoption of both texts. It is not the internal legal inconsistency of these texts that we have been asked to address but the shortcomings brought out by our short experience of implementation of three years. After such a short time we can only fine-tune and not overhaul the system. To proceed otherwise would trigger a cascade of reactions opening Pandora’s box. It would also set a dangerous precedent that HRC could be overhauled every three years which could make the IB package to be completely disfigured.
And by the way, the so-called inconsistencies between GA res. 60/251 and the IB package were not inconsistencies but hard-negotiated compromises where a very fragile balance was finally achieved.
- As we have stated before, the Council will have to conduct the review mainly under op 16 of GA resolution 60/251. However, it may spend limited time expressing its views and recommendations to the GA on the review under op 1 of the said resolution, i.e on its status. Therefore, there should be a limited time slot, either during the 1st session of the IGWG on the HRC review or during its 2nd session, dedicated to the discussion of HRC’s recommendations to the GA on status related issues.
Finally, Mr President, I would like to assure you once again of the constructive engagement of the Algerian delegation and to express our support to your efforts in moving this important process forward.
I thank you
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