Courtesy of Bernadette Atuahene, Assistant Professor, Chicago-Kent School of Law

Courtesy of Bernadette Atuahene, Assistant Professor, Chicago-Kent School of Law

This month the ICRC Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada brings you news from Libya, Japan and about the International Review of the Red Cross, the academic journal published by the ICRC and Cambridge University Press.

As events continue to unfold in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere, the ICRC remains focused on the plights of civilians while adapting its operational responses. In Afghanistan, we are witnessing a security situation for ordinary Afghans that has dramatically deteriorated. The Middle East and North Africa have become increasingly volatile, with significant humanitarian consequences. Below, we highlight the work of the ICRC in Libya.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is also responding to the disasters that have befallen Japan. A section of this newsletter explains how we are working to reconnect families in that country.

In this issue, we highlight the International Review of the Red Cross. The IRRC, as it is known, is a scholarly journal whose most recent edition focuses on the environment. Within this section we present two interviews. The first is with Claude Voillat, Economic Advisor to the ICRC, who for four years has worked on environment issues for the organization. The interview touches on our approach to environmental issues as well as his involvement in this edition of the Review. The second interview is with the new Editor of the Review, Vincent Bernard. Vincent shares his thoughts on the current edition of the IRRC, humanitarian issues he intends to highlight; and future directions for the Review.

For the complete newsletter, please see: ICRC March News and Notes

Courtesy of Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

The UN Human Rights Council appoints a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

March 24, 2011

The UN Human Rights Council appoints a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Read the full resolution.

Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

Albania*, Australia*, Austria*, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Bulgaria*, Canada* , Chile, Colombia*, Costa Rica*, Croatia*, Cyprus*, Czech Republic*, Denmark*,Estonia*, Finland*, France, Georgia*, Germany*, Greece*, Honduras*, Hungary, Iceland*, Ireland*, Italy*, Latvia*, Liberia*, Liechtenstein*, Lithuania*, Luxembourg* ,Maldives, Malta*, Monaco*, Montenegro*, Netherlands*, New Zealand*, Norway, Panama*, Peru*, Poland, Portugal*, Republic of Moldova, Slovakia, Slovenia*, Spain, Sweden*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland, United States of America, Zambia: draft resolution

16/…  Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international human rights instruments,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 65/226 of 21 December 2010, and regretting  the lack of cooperation on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the requests of the Assembly made in that resolution,

Welcoming the interim report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran¹ submitted to the Human Rights Council, and expressing serious concern at the developments noted in that report,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1, on the institution-building of the Council, and 5/2, on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that mandate holders are to discharge their duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

1.  Decides to appoint a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to report to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, to present an interim report to the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session and to submit a  report to the Council for its consideration at its nineteenth session;

2.  Calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur and to permit  access to visit the country as well as all  necessary information to enable the fulfilment of the mandate;

3.  Requests the Secretary-General to provide  the Special Rapporteur with the resources necessary to fulfil the mandate, within existing resources