UN Human Rights Council for better or worse?

The need for a success story

After a year in existence, there is room for assessment of the Council. What proposals and discussions are important in this process, and what observations can be made at this stage?
Norway has presented its candidature to the Human Rights Council for the period 2009-2012. The elections are to be held in 2009. What are the main challenges ahead, and can Norway make any difference?
We have asked a distinguished international expert to present his views on these matters, and The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights invites to a public seminar on The Human Rights Council, introducing

Speaker: Professor Walter Kälin

Walter Kälin is a Swiss citizen. He has served as an advisor to the Swiss government on several occasions specialising on UN matters in general and The Human Rights Council in particular.
Kälin is a full professor of constitutional and international law at the faculty of law of the University of Bern.
His main areas of research are: Refugee law, human rights law, judicial review, legal aspects of decentralization.

Walter Kälin has long and varied experience from the UN: Since 2004 he has acted as Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons.
Since 2003 he has been a Member of the UN Human Rights Committee.
In 1991 /92 he served as Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on the Situation of Human Rights in Kuwait under Iraqi Occupation.
On several occasions Professor Kãlin has served as expert for the Swiss Parliament and the Swiss Federal Administration on questions of refugee law, human rights and foreign policy including development related topics.

Time: Thursday, November 8, 13:00 - 15:00

Venue: The seminar room, Norwegian Centre for Human rights, Universitetsgaten 22- 24, 3rd floor

 

All are welcome.