During 8-10 December 2010, Thailand will host the Ambassadorial Retreat on the Review of the Human Rights Council at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok.
The purpose of the Ambassadorial Retreat is to review the work and functioning of the Human Rights Council (HRC) as stipulated in the UNGA Resolution 60/251, which provided for a review process of the HRC to begin five years following its establishment. In this connection, the HRC has established the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group to carry out the task, with two meetings of the Working Group to be convened --- the first meeting was in October 2010 while the second meeting will be held in Geneva in January 2011.
As the current President of the HRC, it is the responsibility of Thailand to ensure the success of the review process. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva and President of the HRC, has, therefore, initiated the Ambassadorial Retreat in Bangkok so that UN member countries will have the opportunity, before the start of the second Working Group meeting, to informally discuss various issues in order to facilitate an early outcome to the HRC review process.
The 152 participants to the Ambassadorial Retreat include representatives from 80 permanent missions in Geneva, NGOs, national human rights institutions, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva, will chair the meeting.
At the Ambassadorial Retreat, among the issues to be discussed is promoting the work of the HRC to enhance its effectiveness in human rights protection on the ground as well as to ensure that the HRC has the capacity to respond to urgent human rights situations in a prompt and efficient manner.
Apart from enhancing the role of Thailand as a member of the HRC and the current HRC President in the review process, so as to enable the HRC to work more effectively on human rights protection around the world, the Ambassadorial Retreat has, for the first time, exposed the HRC to the human rights environment in Asia as well as increased human rights awareness in Thailand. This will make a contribution towards building a cooperative approach and greater awareness of the importance of human rights protection in the Thai society.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th