Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms - Brookings

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International Mechanisms | UN Bodies
You can also cite the resolutions of, and reports to, the Council and its predecessor, the Commission
on Human Rights, on issues of relevance to IDPs in your advocacy at the national level. The Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has prepared a thematic compilation of Commission
on Human Rights resolutions and reports concerning IDPs and refugees over the period of 1994-
2004, which may serve as a beginning point of reference (U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/2005/80/Add.1,
available at www.ohchr.org).
evaluation As the highest level international forum on human rights, the Council will serve as an
important vehicle for drawing attention to IDP issues. This was the case with its predecessor, the
Commission. In 1992, thanks in large part to the lobbying of a handful of NGOs, the Commission
passed a resolution calling upon the Secretary-General to appoint a representative on IDPs (RSG)
(page 60), who reported to the Commission annually. In 1998, the RSG presented the Guiding
Principles on Internal Displacement (see Annex 1) to the Commission, and its resolutions since
that time noted and encouraged their growing use. Since 1991, the Commission passed a resolution
on IDPs by consensus every year and made increasing reference to IDP issues in other resolutions.
As with the Commission, membership in the Human Rights Council is limited to states. NGOs who
wish to formally address the Council will likely be limited to brief statements. At the Commission,
it was often the contacts in the corridors and side events where NGOs had the greatest impact.
competence The Council can consider human rights issues in any UN member state. It is not
bound by any particular human rights instrument as its authority is based on the Charter of the
United Nations and General Assembly Resolution 60/251 (discussed above).
Procedure To participate in the Council, an NGO must have consultative status. The granting of
such status, up to the present, has been handled by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Applications received by ECOSOC by June 1 of a particular year are decided upon in the fall of the
following year. (Thus, an application sent in April 2006 would be decided in fall 2007.) Once consultative
status is granted, individual representatives of the NGO are required to seek “accreditation” from the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at least one month before the session to be
attended.
send applications to:
To apply for consultative status, send a letter of intent on the organization’s letterhead and signed
by its secretary-general or president to:
DESA NGO Section
One UN Plaza. Room DC1-1480
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1 212 963 8652
Fax: +1 212 963 9248
Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms
for Internally Displaced Persons and their Advocates
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