The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its twenty-eighth session from 8 to 12 August 2022 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber (Room XX) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. This will be the first fully in-person session since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the course of the one-week session, the Committee’s 14 independent experts* – who serve as the Council’s think tank – will work on its two current mandates:
- the impact of new technologies for climate protection on the enjoyment of human rights (HRC resolution 48/14)
- the advancement of racial justice and equality (HRC resolution 48/18)
The Committee will hold discussions on these topics and continue its work on the two reports to be submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-fourth session in September-October 2023.
During the week-long session, the Committee will also hold discussions on its methods of work and continue to discuss research proposals that could be submitted to the Human Rights Council, as well as on reflection papers.
Additionally, the Committee is scheduled to appoint new members of the Working Group on Communications to replace those whose terms will expire on 30 September 2022 and to fill the unforeseen vacancies.
The Committee’s plenary meetings are open to the media and will conclude with a round-up press release.
Background
Documentation relating to the twenty-eighth session, including the agenda and programme of work, is available on the Advisory Committee’s session webpage.
The Advisory Committee is a body of 18 independent experts serving as a “think tank” to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It was established in 2008, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, to provide studies and research-based advice, as requested by the Council, and meets twice a year. The Committee’s work is implementation-oriented and follows thematic issues linked to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights. It interacts with States, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society representatives.
* The current composition of the Advisory Committee and the term of membership of each expert are as follows: Nurah Alamro (Saudi Arabia, 2024); Buhm-Suk Baek (Republic of Korea, 2023); Nadia Amal Bernoussi (Morocco, 2023); Lazhari Bouzid (Algeria, 2022); Milena Costas Trascasas (Spain, 2022); Xinsheng Liu (China, 2022); Ajai Malhotra (India, 2023); Itsuko Nakai (Japan, 2022); Javier Palummo (Uruguay, 2022); Patrycja Sasnal (Poland, 2023); Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius, 2023); Vassilis Tzevelekos (Greece, 2024); Catherine Van de Heyning (Belgium, 2023); and Frans Jacobus Viljoen (South Africa, 2024). [NOTE: Four seats are currently vacant. Elections to fill all vacant seats will be held at the fifty-first session of the Human Rights Council (12 September – 7 October 2022); see here for upcoming Advisory Committee elections]