Newsletter
Human Rights Nexus Wire
Week 28 August - 8 September, 2010
Check out our selection of human rights news from the past week!
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first initiated in 1998 by UNESCO. It is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. The date is of particular importance: In the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, an uprising began in today's Haiti that played a crucial role in the abolition of transatlantic slave trade. Every year, cultural activities are organized around the globe to remember this event. UNESCO's "Slave Route" project helps to understand the history of slave trade and therewith fills the silence of the past.
HR Treaty Bodies Newsletter
Check out the latest Human Rights Treaty Bodies Newsletter!
The Newsletter features analysis, interviews, reports from the field and ways to engage with the Human Rights Treaty division of OHCHR.
| Human Rights Council Special Session on Haiti |
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 The 13th Special Session of the
Human Rights Council, which took place from 27-28
January 2010, addressed The Support of the Human Rights Council to the Recovery
Process in Haiti after the Earthquake of January 12, 2010: a Human Rights
Approach. The request
for the session was initiated by Brazil and co-signed by 37 Member States of
the HRC, twice the 1/3 of Member States required, with a large number of
Observer States also supporting the move. The Special Session heard statements from the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights (on behalf of the High Commissioner), from Haiti (as the concerned country), the Brazilian Foreign Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh before considering the comments of the Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Haiti, the Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UNICEF. A large number of Member States then gave statements in regards to the topic of the session, with all expressing their sincere condolences for and solidarity with the Haitian people and their families, as well their regret for the loss of UN staff in the devastating earthquake of 12 January 2010. At the end of the session, the Human Rights Council adopted the resolution authored by Brazil outlines concern over the medium and long-term consequences of the disaster and invites collaboration with the Haitian government and the OHCHR to integrate a human-rights approach in the combined efforts of recovery and reconstruction of the nation. Particular attention ought to be paid to the vulnerable situation of children, women, internally displaced persons, the elderly, persons with disabilities and wounded. The resolution also allows for the postponement of relevant deadlines in regards to Haiti's Universal Periodic Review commitments to no later than December 2011. For more detailed information on the Special Session and the statements by Members and Observers, feel free to check out the OHCHR's Media page. For more information about the joint OHCHR-UNHCR protection team see the OHCHR website.
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