Commenting on the Secretary-General's package of reform proposals included in his report, "In Larger Freedom" and also on the report of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, many of the speakers supported the proposals, especially concerning the reform of the Commission on Human Rights. There was agreement that there was a need for a more effective and more efficient body to deal with human rights which included Experts on human rights situations, non-governmental organizations as well as States.

Delegates said political selectivity had become one of the main problems of the Commission and it had to be ensured that the proposed Human Rights Council would not suffer from the same problem. However, many questions were raised on the composition, size and mandate of this Council.

There were calls to increase the budget of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights from the regular budget of the United Nations.

Speakers said it was necessary to integrate human rights effectively in all the work of the United Nations, adding that there was also a need for a greater presence in the field by the United Nations both to provide technical assistance to countries which wanted to make progress on human rights and to monitor and protect in situations that called for it.

The discussion also included disagreements with and criticism of the Secretary-General's reforms. One speaker said that the proposed methods to choose the members of the Human Rights Council sought to exclude those who denounced the hypocrisy and double standards of the powerful and would lead to even more politicisation of the body. What must change was the attitudes and behaviour of the rich, developed world, which were responsible for the current state of affairs. Another speaker said it was inappropriate to present a plan to reform an official inter-governmental body without seeking first the opinion of that body and that to which it reported, the Economic and Social Council. Both these bodies should be allowed to discuss the plan formally and in depth before it was presented to a world summit.

A number of speakers underlined that the reform of the United Nations human rights machinery must not be considered in isolation, but in the context of a comprehensive review of the United Nations itself. They also said that the mechanisms in the Commission which worked effectively today, such as the Special Rapporteurs, should be retained and strengthened, and the important role played by non-governmental organizations should be strengthened in any new structure.

At the end of the informal session, Makarim Wibisono, the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, said that the discussion had been favourable and of extreme interest for all. The assessment was shared that the challenge was to make the necessary improvements to ensure that the work lived up to expectations. There had been many constructive proposals regarding living up to this challenge, and it was hoped that the meeting would be helpful for the future.

Also providing statements were the non-governmental organizations International Service for Human Rights (in a joint statement with several NGOs1), Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations - CONGO (in a joint statement with several NGOs2) and South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre.

The Commission today is holding three back-to-back meetings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. When it concludes its informal session at noon, the Commission will immediately start a formal plenary at noon to take action on draft resolutions on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination, and on the right to development. The Commission will then continue its consideration of the situation of specific groups and individuals.