16th January 2014 Washington DC, USA
Ever drive onto the Beltway outside Washington DC, or the equivalent in your home town, during rush-hour and wish there were a couple more lanes available? The residents of Nay Pyi Taw, Burma, probably don’t share your concerns. The tiny handful of in-bound motorists has TEN lanes to choose from – as do their out-bound […]
17th June 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
As the three-week session came to a close on Friday evening, delegates looked each other in the eye with weary emotion and asked how was it for you? The general mood seemed to be that it had been a good session but that the earth didn’t move. Getting through Council sessions is as much a […]
10th June 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Week two of the June session is never much fun. The end is just a bit too far from sight, there’s a huge amount of fiddly sorting out still to do and almost everyone is in a ratty mood from having spent too much time together. Tempers tend to reach optimal fraying point at about […]
27th May 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
There was a time not so long ago when the Geneva sun shone happily throughout spring time, when kinder colleagues used to mistake me for an intern and the June Human Rights Council session actually began in June. This year we’ve still not managed to put our winter clothes away, a worrying number of colleagues […]
25th March 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
The session is over, the resolutions are all adopted and UN blue smoke has finally risen through the holes in the Council ceiling. After weeks of lock down without food, daylight or other things that make us happy, the Council delegates can start to think about a return to normality. But for those afflicted by […]
25th February 2013 Geneva, Switzerland
Anyone who has been through a March session of the Human Rights Council knows that you never come out it of quite the same person as you go in. While the rest of the year’s meetings are important, seasoned Council goers will tell you that March is special. It’s the main event; the Saturday night […]
25th April 2012 London, UK
On Monday EU Foreign Ministers decided to suspend all EU sanctions against Burma, apart from the arms embargo. This extraordinary decision is very welcome. The British Government has worked tirelessly to build a solid and coherent EU foreign policy towards Burma. We believe that when a nation, like Burma, reacts to international pressure and begins […]
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26th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
For every Council delegate there is one resolution, above all others, whose success or failure takes over their life. It dominates their working hours and prays on their subconscious mind even during the little sleep it’s possible to squeeze in. For me, it was Sri Lanka. There was a huge amount riding on the United […]
12th March 2012 Geneva, Switzerland
Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older but this feels like a particularly tiring Council session. And judging by the number of weary diplomatic faces around this week, I’m not the only one whose been feeling the strain. The Council is set to adopt more resolutions than at any other previous session, and with a […]
13th October 2011
There was encouraging news yesterday, with 200 political prisoners released in Burma. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “I welcome the news that a number of political prisoners have been released. … We look forward to the hopes for genuine change coming to fruition, and to seeing news of further releases and progress on other […]