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This is a Special Issue of the e-newsletter Human Rights Update brought out by the Human Rights Unit of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The Update is intended to share information on activities and events throughout the Commonwealth dealing with the promotion of human rights awareness and capacity-building. It will be produced monthly, beginning with a first issue (end of March) that follows this Special Issue (end of February).

This Update, previously a hard copy publication, is intended to feature news of some of the projects, advice and activities carried out and offered by the Human Rights Unit in fulfilment of its mandate to assist member governments to promote and protect human rights. It is also intended to continue to provide some of the information service previously provided by the Commonwealth Human Rights e-Newsletter produced for Commonwealth National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) by the British Council, following the end of that important project in December 2006. The Update will continue to disseminate information of interest to Commonwealth NHRIs and to support networking between them. It will continue to comprise news of projects, publications and important training and other events in the field of human rights, collated from NHRIs and other sources in the Commonwealth. HRU welcomes information and contributions from NHRIs and others that might be of interest to recipients of this newsletter.

COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, LONDON, 26-28 FEBRUARY 2007

In an historic outcome, the Conference members agreed among themselves to establish a Forum of Commonwealth NHRIs. Underpinning the Conference had been the fact that whilst individual Commonwealth NHRIs meet and share information on an ad hoc basis, no distinct forum presently exists for their interaction, as a collective, with Commonwealth Heads of Government. Since the end of the British Council project for Commonwealth NHRIs, there is no systematic mechanism for institutional advocacy, information exchange and for cooperation on matters of joint interest and concern. The idea behind the Forum is to ensure that shared values, information and experiences are reflected and channelled into a single formal mechanism which will in turn increase interactions between institutions and governments and raise standards of human rights protection. The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation conference was assisted with a contribution from the Rights and Democracy group of Canada. Over 40 commissioners and senior officials from the participating institutions attended the conference. Other organisations including the UN, Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions, ECOWAS and the British Council were also represented. It is the first major gathering of Commonwealth NHRIs since the last meeting held in 2000.

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In March the HRU will be involved in the following events, among other activities:

• Don McKinnon will be the first Commonwealth Secretary General to address the Human Rights Council at its High Level Segment in Geneva on 14 March.
• HRU will be conducting human rights training for police trainers from all Commonwealth Pacific countries in Port Vila, Vanuatu, 20-25 March 2007 (in cooperation with the Pacific Regional Policing Initiative and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police).
• HRU will be partnering with the Forum in conducting a meeting of senior officials of Pacific member countries in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, from 28 to 30 March 2007, on ratification of human rights instruments under the item 12.5 of the 2005 Pacific Plan. This will be followed by a consultation with PNG officials in relation to the process of establishing a national human rights commission.

The Commonwealth is strongly encouraging 4 Caribbean States which are yet to ratify the primary human rights Covenants (ICCPR and ICESCR) to do so.”

The UN began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March 1975. Member States are encouraged to celebrate women’s rights on a day most appropriate to their national cultural traditions. The Human Rights Unit supports the work of the Commonwealth in relation to Gender Equality and non-discrimination against women.

UPDATE ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

GENERAL

The future publications of the e-newsletter Human Rights Update of the Human Rights Unit (HRU) of the Commonwealth Secretariat will include reports on activities of the HRU, conference and workshop announcements and reports, human rights developments on an international, regional and national basis (with a particular focus on the human rights developments of Commonwealth nations). In order to make the e-newsletter Update a useful and valuable information forum, we would strongly invite contributions from national and international human rights institutions, human rights NGOs, experts and readers. Ideally, contributions would be most welcomed in the form of short articles on human rights.

Please note that this is not an invitation for the submission of communications that deal with particular human rights situations.

Please send your comments and contributions to the HRU at:

Human Rights Unit,
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX

Fax +44(0)2077476418
Email:hru@commonwealth.int