UN Rights Council Delays BDS Blacklist of Companies Doing Business with Israel: Pogrom Paused Temporarily

1st Meeting, Organizational Meeting, UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, February 13, 2017

Unofficial Transcript of Human Rights Voices

Speaker: President, Human Rights Council, Joaquín Alexander Maza Martelli (El Salvador)

"I'd like to draw your attention to the report of the High Commissioner which was requested in Council resolution 31/36 entitled "Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem and in the occupied Syrian Golan." This resolution requests the High Commissioner in close consultation with the Working Group on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises, in follow-up to the report of the independent fact-finding mission to investigate the implications of the Israeli settlements on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem, to produce a database of all business enterprises involved in the activities detailed in paragraph 96 of the aforementioned report, to be updated annually, and to transmit the data therein in the form of a report to the Council at its 34th session.

In a letter addressed to myself personally on the 25th of January the High Commissioner recommended the deferral of this report for one time only to allow for the submission of the report as soon as possible but no later than the end of December this year, in other words, 2017. This request was based on the need for more time to carefully consider the inputs submitted in relation to the open call for submissions, and to ensure due process with regard to the concerned stakeholders is fully respected prior to the compilation and transmission of the aforementioned database in a report to the Council.

The Bureau in its meeting of 31st January 2017 acknowledged the importance of the High Commissioner and his Office being given additional time in order to deploy every possible effort to complete the report. While noting that the submission of the report should be no later than the end of December 2017, [the Bureau] and agreed to bring the matter before the Council at this organizational meeting with the purpose of taking a decision on the High Commissioner's request.

Having considered the recommendation from the High Commissioner the Bureau would like to suggest to the Council that it supports the High Commissioner's request. [pause - no comments] Can I therefore take it that the Council endorses the High Commissioner's recommendation that the Council defers just for one time only its consideration of this report under paragraph 17 of resolution 31/36 to allow for the submission of the report as soon as possible but no later than the end of December 2017? There seem to be no objections. It is so decided."