We had a heavy rainstorm last evening, but a sunny day today. The Sub-Commission met in the morning in plenary, to discuss possible reform of its agenda and proceedings. In the afternoon the TNC Working Group met and adopted by consensus the business norms of responsibility.
The adoption of the business norms by the working group culminates three years of hard work and marks a potentially very significant event. Next the working group will meet in private Monday morning to consider some last minute minor revisions to the text that were suggested by one organization, and then submit the final text to the Sub-commission as a whole for possible adoption later this session.
In the morning session the Sub-Commission members discussed possible ways of changing its agenda to make the discussion of country situations (item 2 of the agenda) more meaningful. Again the statement of the Minnesota Advocates on this subject received frequent mention. Some country delegations and a few experts expressed negative reactions to any such reform initiatives, including China and Saudi Arabia and the Sub-Commission experts from China, Cuba and Nigeria. Attached are our informal notes of the debate on this subject.
Every year there are different presentations and exhibits pertaining to human rights posted in the public areas of the UN building. This year there is an exhibit on the sad plight and continuing isolation of the victims of leprosy all around the world. We've included a few photos of the exhibit below. A discussion program will be hosted Monday afternoon to present additional information.
Tomorrow, Friday, is an off day for the UN. The Sub-Commission's next meeting will be Monday morning, when item 6 of the agenda will continue. Item 3, under which the Minnesota Advocates will be speaking, looks like it won't begin until late Tuesday or early Wednesday next week.