Annual Meeting

Annual meetings of special rapporteurs/representatives, independent experts and chairs of working groups of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council have been organized since 1994. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights underlined the importance of preserving and strengthening the system of special procedures and specified that the procedures and mechanisms should be enabled to harmonize and rationalize their work through periodic meetings (Part II, para. 95). The Office of the High Commissioner was requested to organize periodic meetings among the special procedures by the Commission and Council (most recently by CHR resolution 2004/76, as extended by HRC decision 2/102).

The annual meeting is also an opportunity for mandate holders to meet and exchange views with States, the Bureau of the Council, civil society/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), and representatives from OHCHR and UN entities on issues such as follow-up to their country visits and recommendations. Participants also hold a joint meeting with Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies meeting in Geneva during the same period.

The 19th Annual Meeting of special procedures of the Human Rights Council will take place in Geneva from 11 - 15 June 2012

At the 17th Annual Meeting of special procedures, Ms. Najat Maalla M’jid, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, was elected Chair of the Annual Meeting and Chair of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures until June 2011. Mr. Shamsul Bari, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Somalia was elected Rapporteur and member of the Committee.Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Mr. Githu Muigai, Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Ms. Mirjana Najcevska, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent , and Ms. Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, were also endorsed as members of the Committee.

Annual Meetings:

- 19th annual meeting, from 11 to 15 June 2012

- 18th annual meeting, from 27 June to 1 July 2011

- 17th annual meeting, from 28 June to 2 July 2010

- 16th annual meeting, from 29 June to 3 July 2009

- 15th annual meeting, from 23 to 27 June 2008

- 14th annual meeting, from 18 to 22 June 2007

- 13th annual meeting, from 19 to 23 June 2006

- 12th annual meeting, from 21- 25 of June 2005

- 11th annual meeting, from 21- 25 of June 2004

- 10th annual meeting, from 23 - 27 June 2003