Informal Meeting on the Treaty Bodies Harmonization Mechanism

Event

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The Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Directorate of International Law of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, are organizing a two day meeting to give an opportunity to Treaty Body Chairpersons and focal points on Working Methods and harmonization to identify possible ways forward to improve the harmonization of procedures via the new advisory mechanism for harmonization detailed in the conclusions of the 2024 Chairperson meeting.

The meeting will start with an open segment, in the morning of 9 December, allowing for exchanges with states and civil society on the current state of the strengthening process and the 2024 resolution recently passed at the General Assembly. After this segment, the meeting will continue in a private setting, only open to Treaty Body Members.

Program

09:00 - 09:30 Arrival at Venue / Welcome Coffee

09:30 - 10:00 Welcome and Opening

• Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, OHCHR
• H.E. Sandra Lendenmann, Vice Director, Directorate of International Law, Swiss.Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
• Suzanne Jabbour, Chairperson of SPT and of the 2024 Chairperson meeting
• Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the GHRP

10.00 - 12.30 Exchange with Member States and Civil Society with coffee break

• Current Status of the Treaty Body Strengthening Process
• Recent GA resolution on Treaty Bodies
• Advisory mechanism for harmonization
• Regular and predictable reporting calendar
• Digitalization and hybrid settings
• AOB

12:30 End of Open Segment of the Meeting