European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the negotiations on the Human Rights Council and on the 62nd session of the UNCHR
Date: 2006-03-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: UN technical commission, UNO, human rights, international negotiations

30.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 291 E/409

Thursday, 16 March 2006

62.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the parliaments and
governments of the Member States, the parliaments and governments of Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugo-
slav Republic of Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia
the
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo and the United Nations Mission to Kosovo.

and Herzegovina,

and Montenegro,

Serbia

P6_TA(2006)0097

62nd session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR,
Geneva)

European Parliament resolution on the outcome of the negotiations on the Human Rights Council
and on the 62nd session of the UNCHR

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the UN Commission on Human Rights since 1996, as well
as those of 29 January 2004 on the relations between the European Union and the United Nations (1),
of 9 June 2005 on the reform of the United Nations (2), and of 29 September 2005 on the outcome of
the United Nations World Summit of 14-16 September 2005 (3),

— having regard to the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), which was

planned to take place from 13 March to 21 April 2006,

— having regard to the report entitled ‘A more secure world: our shared responsibility’ by the UN Secre-

tary-General's High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change of 1 December 2004,

— having regard to the report entitled ‘In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights

for all’ by the UN Secretary-General of 21 March 2005,

— having regard to the Outcome Document of the 2005 UN World Summit adopted in New York on
16 September 2005, where it was resolved to create a Human Rights Council which would replace the
Commission on Human Rights and to entrust the President of the UN General Assembly with the task
of conducting negotiations, to be completed as soon as possible during the 60th session, in order to
define its mandate and composition,

— having regard to the draft resolution on the Human Rights Council presented on 23 February 2006 by

the President of the UN General Assembly,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas respect for, and the promotion and safeguarding of, the universality of human rights is part of
the European Union's ethical and legal acquis and one of the cornerstones of European unity and
integrity,

B. whereas the United Nations potentially constitutes, now as in the past, one of the most appropriate orga-

nisations to deal comprehensively with human rights issues and challenges facing mankind today,

C. whereas the draft resolution on the Human Rights Council (HRC) was the outcome of many months of

efforts to reach consensus;

D. whereas, while not addressing some of the major concerns that have been voiced, the HRC could
provide an effective platform for strengthening human rights protection and promotion within the UN
framework, which unfortunately has not always achieved the desired effectiveness in terms of results,

(1) OJ C 96 E, 21.4.2004, p. 79.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0237.
(3) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0362.

C 291 E/410

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.11.2006

Thursday, 16 March 2006

E. whereas the 62nd session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) will be its last session

prior to the actual establishment of the HRC,

F. whereas an ad hoc European Parliament delegation has been established for this year's annual session of

the UNCHR, as has been the case for the past seven years,

Human Rights Council

1. Welcomes the adoption of the resolution creating the HRC; takes note in this respect of the EU's
contribution towards the outcome of the negotiations;

2. Welcomes the establishment of a smaller, permanent UN body, directly elected by the General
Assembly, as a first step in meeting the 2005 World Summit's commitment to strengthen the United
Nations human rights machinery;

3. Welcomes, in particular, the fact that the HRC will be able to meet regularly in the course of the year,
holding not fewer than three sessions per year, and to convene special sessions outside its regular meetings
in order to address rapidly developing human rights crises;

4. Welcomes the retention of the UNCHR's system of independent ‘special procedures’; notes that these
special procedures will be subject to review within one year and calls on the EU to remain vigilant so as to
ensure that they are maintained;

5. Welcomes the retention of the practice of the participation of human rights NGOs in the debates and
hopes that this participation is improved and strengthened in the future; reiterates its call for a reform of the
UN Committee on NGOs, so as to ensure the effective participation of independent NGOs;

6. Welcomes the establishment of a universal periodic review mechanism, ‘the peer review’, as a means of
reinforcing the universality of coverage and equal treatment of Member States with regard to the monitoring
of human rights throughout the world; takes note of the specification that this mechanism should not dupli-
cate the work of UN treaty bodies; calls on the HRC to ensure, in establishing the modalities of this review,
that the session dedicated thereto is additional to the minimum three sessions and ten weeks provided for in
the resolution;

Regrets that the proposal for the election of members of the HRC by a strengthened, two-thirds
7.
majority has not been retained; considers, nevertheless, that the procedure whereby members are elected
directly and individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of the General Assembly, and governments
are required to consider candidates' human rights records and commitments, could prevent gross human
rights violators from sitting on the HRC; welcomes the setting-up of a mechanism for the suspension, by a
two-thirds majority vote of the General Assembly, of the membership rights in the HRC of a member that
commits gross and systematic violations of human rights;

8.
Calls on all UN Member States to endeavour to elect the candidate countries with the highest human
rights standards, which have ratified core human rights treaties, complied with their reporting obligations,
issued open invitations to the UN special procedures and endeavoured to implement their recommendations;
calls on the EU to insist that nominations be presented at least thirty days prior to election, to allow for
public scrutiny of their human rights records and pledges;

Reaffirms its view that the HRC's ability to protect human rights will depend on all the parties' political

9.
willingness to make it a strong and effective body;

10.
Calls, therefore, on all UN Member States to fulfil the mandate which they have defined and to imple-
ment the mechanisms developed so as to ensure the ability of the HRC to meaningfully protect and
promote human rights;

11.
Urges the EU to play a pioneering role in the HRC and to set an example for working towards a
strengthened UN human rights body, capable of addressing and reacting to human rights situations all over
the world;

30.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 291 E/411

Thursday, 16 March 2006

Reaffirms the need for strengthened consultation, cooperation and coordination between the EU and

12.
the UN, in particular the new HRC;

13.
Reaffirms the need for a coordinated, concerted and well prepared approach on the part of the EU
prior to, during and after the HRC sessions so as to ensure an efficient and effective contribution to its
proceedings;

Considers it appropriate, following Parliament's practice of participating in the annual sessions of the

14.
UNCHR, to continue sending a delegation to attend relevant sessions of the HRC;

62nd session of the UNCHR

Takes note of the decision to make the 62nd session of the UNCHR a transitional, procedural,

15.
shortened session;

16.
Considers, nevertheless, that these modalities should not prevent the UNCHR from carrying out its
protection mandate and that all activities of the UNCHR in standard- setting should be duly adopted or
otherwise followed-up;

17.
Calls, therefore, on members of the Commission on Human Rights to ensure that the work of special
procedures mandated at the last session, such as the report of the Secretary-General on cooperation with
representatives of United Nations human rights bodies, is presented, acknowledged and fully debated, and
that those mandates that come to an end, such as the mandate of the UN Secretary-General's Special Repre-
sentative on Human Rights Defenders, are renewed; stresses that the ability of human rights defenders to
address the Commission and take part in the debates must be maintained;

*

*

*

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the governments
18.
and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the President of
the 60th General Assembly and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

P6_TA(2006)0098

Preparations for the COP-MOP meetings on biological diversity and biosafety
(Curitiba, Brazil)

European Parliament resolution on preparations for the COP-MOP meetings on biological diversity
and biosafety in Curitiba, Brazil

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

(CBD) to be held from 20 to 31 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil,

— having regard to the 3rd Meeting of Parties (MOP3) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BSP) being

held from 13 to 17 March 2006 in Curitiba, Brazil,

— having regard to the conclusions of the Göteborg European Council of 15 and 16 June 2001,

— having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,