Looking for a Rotarian Action Group for Peace representative to the OPEN ENDED WORKING GROUP OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Re: HUMAN RIGHT TO PEACE – Meeting June 20 – July 2 in Geneva.

***For information contact Ann Frisch, Senior Adviser to Nonviolent Peaceforce, [email protected]

Here is some basic info – Please contact Ann Frisch directly for more specifics!

  • The Open Ended Working Group is made of representatives of UN member states who are on the Human Rights Council. 
  • Per some members, there won’t be a Declaration on the Human Right to Peace at this meeting due to the position of the USA and EU (plus probably some others) making it impossible for a consensus to be reached. Yet, the Chairman of the working group says he is not settling
  • for anything less. The Chair appears to be (unilaterally) changing his mandate and will come up with something like a draft declaration on the right to live in peace etc. (title is the last item to be formulated) and he hopes that this will be carried by consensus.
  • He regards this as a building block towards a Declaration on the HR2P, and he did not want to water down what had already been produced by the Advisory Group and in subsequent negotiations. Right now that draft declaration looks like not more than a page or two, devoid of most of the concrete substance that earlier drafts had.
  • How to participate: UN accredited organizations (including Rotary) could collectively make a statement, to be read out later this month in Geneva through one of its members (close by or specially flown in). Alternatively, individual members (close-by) could come and canvass individual reps of member states.

**Please let Ann know if you are able to be in Geneva during this time period!