A/HRC/10/44
page 5
Pending requests
7.
Between September and November 2008, the Special Rapporteur renewed requests for
invitations from the following States: Algeria (request first made in 1997); Afghanistan (2005);
Belarus (2005); Bolivia (2005); Côte d’Ivoire (2005); Egypt (1996); Eritrea (2005); Ethiopia
(2005); Fiji (2006); Gambia (2006); India (1993); Iran (Islamic Republic of) (2005); Israel
(2002); Liberia (2006); Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2005); Papua New Guinea (2006);
Saudi Arabia (2005); Syrian Arab Republic (2005); Turkmenistan (2003); Uzbekistan (2006);
and Yemen (2005). He regrets that some of these requests are long-standing. Other outstanding
requests are with Iraq (2005), Tunisia (1998) and Zimbabwe (2005). New requests have been
sent to Jamaica, Kazakhstan (which has responded favourably), Trinidad and Tobago and
Uruguay.
C. Highlights of key presentations and consultations
8.
On 28 and 29 August 2008, at the International Expert Conference “15 Years Vienna
World Conference on Human Rights”, the Special Rapporteur served as Chairperson of the
Working Group on Challenges to the National Implementation of International Human Rights
Standards and made a presentation on results and achievements since the Vienna Conference.
9.
At a side meeting organized by Human Rights Watch/International Harm Reduction
Association on 16 September 2008 on the theme “Ensuring human rights in drug policy: a panel
and discussion on human rights and public health challenges in policies relating to drug control”
in the Human Rights Council, he made a presentation entitled “A human rights-based approach
to international narcotic drug policy: a Topic for the Human Rights Council?”.
10. On 18 September 2008, the Special Rapporteur participated in an expert meeting to discuss
the forthcoming Handbook of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
on international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Geneva.
11. On the occasion of the second Academic Penal Regime Days, held at Vienna University
on 23 September 2008, he made a presentation on the theme “Human rights monitoring of
detention centres through external visiting mechanisms”.
12. On 3 October 2008, the Special Rapporteur met with the new United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
13. On 20 October 2008, the Special Rapporteur held a meeting with the Executive Director of
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in Vienna, to discuss possible areas of
cooperation.
14. On 22 October 2008, the Special Rapporteur participated in a meeting on international
aviation law on the theme “Engaging with international bodies to promote legal safeguards and
protect human rights in the counter-terrorism context”, organized by the Working Group on
Protecting Human Rights While Countering Terrorism of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation
Task Force. On the same day, he gave a lecture on the theme “Combating torture” at Columbia
Law School in New York.