UN Human Rights Council

Special Sessions
The ability to convene special sessions to address urgent situations is a key feature of the Human Rights Council and one that was absent from its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights.

SIXTH SPECIAL SESSION
6th Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (23-24 January 2008): the Council met to call an end the restriction on aid and essential spupplies in Gaza, following the Israeli military incursion in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke in her opening statement of the escalating violence only adding to the already critical situaiton in Gaza; a region where there is a severe shortage of essential drugs and access to basic services such as water and power. She strongely urged Israel to lift all restrictions on aid and supplies. She spoke of the international community's responsibility to protect when the concened authorities are "unable or unwilling to do so". In the general debate there were statements deploring the terrile humanitarian situation in Gaza and expressing concern over Israel's disproportionate use of force.

The Council will resume this session on 24 January, when the debate will continue and action will be taken on a draft resolution before the end of the session.

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FIFTH SPECIAL SESSION
5th Special Session on Myanmar (2 October 2007): the Council unanimously adopted a resolution – its strongest to date – on the human rights situation in Myanmar, deploring ‘the continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrators’. In her opening statement, Louise Arbour, the UN High Commission for Human Rights, had stressed the need for the Council to use ‘means commensurate to the occasion to impress upon the Government of Myanmar the urgent need to implement its international human rights obligations’.

The resolution urged the Government of Myanmar to release without delay those arrested and detained, as well as political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The authorities were also urged to lift all restraint on peaceful political activity by guaranteeing freedom of peaceful assembly, opinion and expression for all persons as well as the media.The resolution welcomed the Government of Myanmar’s decision to accept a visit by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to the country, Ibrahim Gambari, and called for full cooperation with humanitarian organisations and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Council asked the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, to assess and monitor the implementation of the resolution and to report back to the Council in December, during the second part of its sixth session.

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FOURTH SPECIAL SESSION
4th Special Session on Darfur (12-13 December 2006): The Human Rights Council adopted, without a vote, a resolution to dispatch a High-Level Mission to assess the human rights situation in consultation with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan . In his message to the Council during its 3 rd session (see below), Kofi Annan had expressed hope that the Council would not allow the Middle East conflict to monopolise its attention at the expense of other equally grave or even graver violations. Despite criticism from Amnesty International, among others, that the decision is not strong enough - the Council merely expresses general concern at the human rights situation – the decision offers a glimmer of hope to those who feared Council was hurtling down the same road as its discredited predecessor. Furthermore, the pushing through of the decision without objection by the Islamic Conference, members of which have been sympathetic to Khartoum in the past, highlights the strength that the moral imperative of the responsibility to protect is gaining. Sadly, representatives from Sudan speaking at the session, claimed the special session was not aimed at protecting human rights but at undermining the sovereignty of weak states.

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THIRD SPECIAL SESSION
3rd Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (15 November 2006): The third special session of the Human Rights Council concluded with the adoption of a resolution expressing the Council’s shock at the Israeli killing of Palestinian civilians in Beit Hanoun and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The Council expressed its alarm at the systematic violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people by Israel, and called for an immediate end to these violations. It also decided to urgently dispatch a high-level fact-finding mission to Beit Hanoun. The resolution, adopted by a roll call vote of 32 in favour, eight against and six abstentions, called for the immediate protection of Palestinian civilians in compliance with humanitarian and human rights law. It also urged all parties concerned to respect international humanitarian law and to refrain from violence against civilian populations.

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SECOND SPECIAL SESSION
2nd Special Sessionon on Lebanon (11 August 2006): The second special session of the Human Rights Council was opened by Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, explaining the need for the Council’s intervention in the dire humanitarian situation in Lebanon. Arbour told the Council of the need to instil in all parties to the conflict their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law. A resolution adopted by a vote of 27 in favour, 11 against and eight abstentions strongly condemned Israeli violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law in Lebanon. It also decided to urgently establish and dispatch a high-level inquiry commission to the region comprising experts of human rights law and international humanitarian law. The commission was mandated to investigate the targeted killings of civilians by Israel and assess the extent and deadly impact of Israeli attacks on human life, property, infrastructure and environment.

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FIRST SPECIALSESSION
1st Special Session (5-6 July 2006): The first special session of the Human Rights Council opened on Wednesday, 5 July, and was headed by John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on the situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and concluded with the adoption of a resolution on the human rights situation in the territories. The resolution, adopted by a vote of 29 in favour, 11 against and five abstentions, demanded that Israel end its military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory and expressed grave concern at the detrimental impact of the current Israeli military operation on the already deteriorating humanitarian conditions of the Palestinian people. In addition, the resolution called for the dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission to the area to be headed up by the Special Rapporteur. An amendment proposed by Switzerland was also approved by a vote of 28 to none, with 17 abstentions. The amendment urged all parties concerned to respect international humanitarian law, refrain from violence against the civilian population and treat all detained combatants and civilians in accordance with the Geneva Convention.