Contribution of parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review

OHCHR | June 23, 2014

Human Rights Council

Twenty-sixth session

Agenda item 5

Human rights bodies and mechanisms

Angola,* Australia,* Austria, Bolivia (Plurinational State of),* Bosnia and Herzegovina,* Botswana, Bulgaria,* Colombia,* Denmark,* Ecuador,* El Salvador,* France, Georgia,* Germany, Greece,* Guatemala,* Honduras,* Hungary,* Ireland, Israel,* Italy, Lebanon,* Lithuania,* Luxembourg,* Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Paraguay,* Republic of Moldova,* Romania, Slovakia,* Spain,* Sudan,* Tunisia,* Turkey,* United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution

26/…  Contribution of parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and all relevant human rights instruments,

Recalling successive resolutions adopted by the General Assembly since 2010, in particular its resolutions 65/123 of 13 December 2010 and 66/261 of 29 May 2012, in which the Assembly recognized the importance of the provision of continued parliamentary support for the work of the Human Rights Council, in particular its universal periodic review,

Recalling also General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006 and Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 of 18 June 2007,

Recalling further Human Rights Council resolution 22/15 of 21 March 2013 on the contribution of parliaments to the work of the Council and its universal periodic review, and taking note with appreciation of the summary report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of the panel discussion on the theme, “Contribution of parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and its universal periodic review”, held on 29 May 2013,[1]

Welcoming the efforts of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to contribute to the work of the United Nations and, in particular, its contribution to the work of the Human Rights Council and United Nations human rights treaty bodies,

Considering that the Human Rights Council and parliaments stand to gain considerably from exploring possible synergies to ensure that the universal periodic review has the greatest impact at the national level,

Acknowledging the crucial role that parliaments play in, inter alia, translating international commitments into national policies and laws, and hence in contributing to the fulfilment by each State Member of the United Nations of its human rights obligations and commitments and to the strengthening of the rule of law,

Acknowledging also the leading role that parliaments could play in ensuring the implementation of recommendations made at the sessions of the universal periodic review and by other human rights mechanisms at the national level,

1. Encourages States, in accordance with their national legislation, to promote the involvement of parliaments in all stages of the universal periodic review reporting process, in particular through the inclusion of the national parliament as a relevant stakeholder in the consultation process of the national report and in the implementation of recommendations, and to report on such involvement in their national report and voluntary mid-term reports or during the interactive dialogue session of the universal periodic review;
2. Welcomes the growing practice by States under review of including parliamentarians in their national delegations to the universal periodic review, and encourages States, as appropriate, to continue this practice;
3. Also welcomes the recent efforts by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the parliamentary and other authorities of Member States to organize, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, regional seminars aimed at raising awareness of the work of the Human Rights Council, in particular its universal periodic review, and to build capacities of parliaments to contribute to its work;
4. Further welcomes in that regard the recent regional seminar held in Romania for parliaments of Central and Eastern Europe, and invites States, with the support of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Office of the High Commissioner, to continue to contribute to such activities;
5. Invites the High Commissioner to provide the Human Rights Council with regular updates on the activities of the Inter-Parliamentary Union on parliamentary capacity-building, as well as on its activities with regard to the work of the Council and its universal periodic review;
6. Encourages all relevant stakeholders to promote and enhance cooperation between their national parliaments and national human rights institutions and civil society in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
7. Decides to continue consideration of the issue under the same agenda item.

                                *    Non-member State of the Human Rights Council.

                     [1]   Available from www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session26/Pages/ListReports.aspx.