Human Rights Council to hold a Special Session on Darfur
Press release 514/2006
6 December, 2006
The Human Rights Council will hold a special session on 12 December on the situation of human rights in Darfur. The session is being convened at the request of Finland as the Presidency of the European Union, on behalf of a group of 33 Council Member States. Also some African states have signed the request.
The special session is expected to draw attention to the grave and deteriorating human rights situation in Darfur. In their messages to the Human Rights Council at the opening of the third regular session on 29 November, the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour, stated that the case of Darfur would merit a special session. The EU hopes that, according to its mandate, the Council would be able to address crisis situations in a balanced manner. The three previous special sessions of the Council have concentrated on the Middle East.
The EU has consistently stressed that concrete action is needed to monitor the human rights situation in Darfur. For this reason, the draft resolution to be proposed at the special session includes a strong operational follow-up, including a proposal that the Council decide to send an Assessment Mission to Darfur.
It is also hoped that the resolution will touch upon the issue of impunity, addressing which is crucial in order to ensure redress to victims and allow for a lasting peace process. The Government of Sudan has the responsibility to guarantee an independent and impartial judicial process to the victims of human rights violations.
To the EU's disappointment, the resolution adopted at the resumed second session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 28 November failed to include some of the foregoing elements, which in the EU's view are essential. Prior to the third session the EU was engaged in intensive negotiations with other members of the Council in the hope of finding agreement on a resolution, which would accurately address the crisis situation. At the end, the resolution did not meet all the concerns of the EU.
The large number of countries supporting the convening of the Special Session on Darfur is considered by the EU to be a sign that an increasing number of countries share the EU's concerns on the human rights situation in Darfur.
Further information: Johanna Suurpää, Director, Unit for Human Rights Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, tel. +358 40 724 0287; and Katri Silfverberg, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in Geneva, tel. +41 79 644 3708