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A diverse group of NGOs wrote a letter to the U.N. ambassadors of those governments that submitted human rights pledges and commitments along with a statement of their candidacy for the Human Rights Council. The NGOs thank these governments for the pledges they have already made, but also ask them to review their pledges in light of the suggestions made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Most pledges and commitments were written before the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published Suggested Elements for voluntary pledges and commitments by candidates for election to the Human Rights Council. The OHCHR document contains a comprehensive list of issues to be covered regarding candidate countries’ international and national contributions, pledges, and commitments. A copy of the document is attached.

We respectfully recommend that your government review its pledges and commitments and consider supplementing it with additional information on all the elements suggested in the High Commissioner’s document. In addressing the elements on international and national contributions listed therein, your government may also wish to state its position on ratifying and implementing the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. All pledges and commitments must be specific, credible, and measurable. The U.N. Secretariat has informed Member States that all pledges of up to five pages will be translated into all official U.N. languages by the Secretariat prior to the May 9 election, if submitted by May 1, 2006.

Our organizations look forward to elections that will result in members serving on the Council that are seriously committed to making the new body strong and effective in promoting and protecting all human rights.

Yours sincerely,

Kenneth Roth, Executive Director
Human Rights Watch

Yvonne Terlingen, Representative at the United Nations
Amnesty International

Eric Maouignon, Delegue General
ACEES Action Conseil entraide economique et sociale (Benin)

David Ould, Director
Anti-Slavery International

Yuri Dzhibladze, President
Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights (Russia)

Yav K. Joseph, Executive Director and Founder
C.E.R.D.H (Centre d’Etudes et de Recherche en Droits de l’Homme, Démocratie et Justice Transitionnelle / Centre for Human Rights, Democracy & Transitional Justice Studies) (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Don Kraus, Executive Vice President
Citizens for Global Solutions

Ted Piccone, Executive Director
Democracy Coalition Project

Philippe LeBlanc, Director
Dominicans for Justice and Peace

Sylvie De Pontual, President
Fédération Internationale de l’Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture (FIACAT)

Livingstone Sewanyana, Executive Director
Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (Uganda)

Alessandra Aula, International Advocacy Coordinator
Franciscans International

Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director
Freedom House

Tolekan Ismailova
Human Rights Center “Citizens against Corruption” (Kyrgyzstan)

Maureen Byrnes, Executive Director
Human Rights First

Nicholas Howen, Secretary-General
International Commission of Jurists

Chris Sidoti, Director
International Service for Human Rights

Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Director
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR)

Morton H. Halperin, Director of U.S. Advocacy
Open Society Institute

Abdinasir Nur, Director
Somali Youth for Peace and Democracy (SYPD)

Mathews Philip, Executive Director
South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM)

Rebecca Chiao, International Relations Officer
The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights

Noel Kututwa, Executive Director
The Human Rights Trust of Southern Africa (SAHRIT)

Sliman Bouchuiguir, Ph.D., Secretary General
The Libyan League for Human Rights

Matteo Mecacci, U.N. Representative
Transnational Radical Party

Michael Davis, Executive Director
Universal Human Rights Network

Eric Sottas, Director
World Organisation against Torture (OMCT)

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

SUGGESTED ELEMENTS FOR
VOLUNTARY PLEDGES AND COMMITMENTS BY CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO
THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

In accordance with General Assembly resolution A/RES/60/251, when electing members of the Human Rights Council, Member States shall take into account (1) the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and (2) their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto. Additionally, members elected to the Council shall (1) uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights; (2) fully cooperate with the Council and (3) be reviewed under the universal period review mechanism during their term.

Beyond these provisions, the General Assembly provided no further guidance and established no particular framework for the form and content of electoral pledges, commitments and statements. However, extensive discussions since the adoption of the resolution have yielded useful suggestions for appropriate elements to be included. Drawing from these discussions, the guidance offered herein provides a framework within which Member States can provide relevant information when presenting candidatures. Member States which have already presented candidatures may consider supplementing the information provided in accordance with elements provided herein. These suggestions are not intended to be exhaustive and, in compiling information on the elements below, member States might also wish to provide additional information and make additional pledges and commitments as appropriate. To the extent possible, States are encouraged to include specific, measurable and verifiable commitments in their submissions.

Member States are encouraged to share information on their voluntary pledges and commitments both with the public in their respective countries and with all other Member States. They are further invited to provide that information to the Secretariat for posting on the websites of the United Nations General Assembly and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

1. International contribution, pledges and commitments

  • List of international human rights instruments to which the State is already party and indications of intent to ratify further instruments and to withdraw reservations
  • Co-operation with special procedures, accepting requests for visits, extending standing invitations, and responding positively to communications and follow-up on recommendations
  • Cooperation with treaty monitoring bodies, timely submission of reports and implementation of concluding observations and contribution to the global reform of the treaty body system
  • Contribution to international initiatives for the promotion and protection of human rights through the provision of human, technical and financial resources
  • Cooperation with OHCHR and support for its activities
  • Contribution to the deliberation of international human rights fora.
  • Commitment to fully support and engage constructively in the deliberations of the Human Rights Council, its subsidiary bodies and mechanisms including the special procedures
  • Commitment to open and constructive engagement in a robust universal review procedure including reporting on measures taken to follow-up on its recommendations
  • Commitment to the meaningful engagement of NGOs with the Council.

2. National contribution, pledges and commitments

  • Description of national human rights policy, including information on national human rights planning, the existence of independent national human rights institutions, guarantees of effective remedies to redress human rights abuses, etc.
  • Identification of principal human rights challenges as well as indication of steps to be taken to meet those challenges
  • ndication of approach to the contribution of civil society, including in the formulation and implementation of domestic human rights policy and programmes
  • Commitment to protect against and prevent discrimination in all its forms, in both law and in practice.
  • Pledge to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights;

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