The UN Human Rights Council last week concluded what was another busy session. Traditionally, the June Council session has been viewed as a quieter period compared to the March session. Despite this, a total of 28 resolutions were adopted, which covered a wide range of issues.
Once again, Syria dominated proceedings, with an urgent debate scheduled for the first week. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay decried the "flagrant disregard of international law" by all sides of the conflict and welcomed efforts to establish an international conference to find a political solution. The Council passed its tenth resolution on Syria (voted by 37 yes, one no, nine abstentions), which called for the Assad regime to grant UN agencies humanitarian access.
Also on this session's agenda were a number of panel discussions, including on democracy and the rule of law, business and human rights and the contribution of Parliaments to the work of the Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Panelists and member states agreed on the vital role of Parliament in the domestic implementation of human rights. Focussing on the UPR in particular, participants debated and promoted areas of best practice to improve parliamentary involvement in the process. Last year UNA-UK wrote to the Joint Committee for Human Rights - the UK parliamentary committee which considers human rights issues in the UK - and called for increased engagement with the UPR process.
Looking ahead to emerging challenges, the Council held its first debate on lethal autonomous robotics or "killer robots". Discussing a report from Christoph Heyns, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Council considered the human rights implications of machines being developed that do not require a human to make decisions with lethal consequences. Mr Heyns called for states to declare a moratorium on the production of this technology. UNA-UK is a member of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which welcomed the report.
Photo: Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution on Deteriorating Syria Situation, UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
