The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee will hold its thirtieth session from 7 to 11 August 2023 in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber (Room XX) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Over the course of the one-week session, the Committee’s 18 independent experts – who serve as the Council’s think tank – will work on its two current mandates:
- Impact, opportunities and challenges of neurotechnology with regard to the promotion and protection of human rights (HRC resolution 51/3)
- Human rights implications of new and emerging technologies in the military domain (HRC resolution 51/22)
The Committee will hold discussions on these topics and continue its work on the two reports to be submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-seventh and sixtieth session, respectively.
The Committee will also hear presentations of the final reports that have already been submitted to the Human Rights Council for consideration at its fifty-fourth session in September 2023, pertaining to the following mandates:
- Impact of new technologies for climate protection on the enjoyment of human rights (A/HRC/54/47)
- Advancing racial justice and equality(A/HRC/54/70)
During the week-long session, the Committee will also hold discussions on its methods of work and will continue to discuss research proposals that could be submitted to the Human Rights Council, as well as reflection papers.
Additionally, the Committee is scheduled to appoint new members for the Working Group on Communications to replace those whose second terms as members of the Advisory Committee will expire on 30 September 2023.
The Committee’s plenary meetings are open to the media and will conclude with a round-up press release.
Background
The Advisory Committee is a body of 18 independent experts serving as a “think tank” to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It was established in 2008, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, to provide studies and research-based advice, as requested by the Council, and meets twice a year. The Committee’s work is implementation-oriented and follows thematic issues linked to the mandate of the Council, namely, the promotion and protection of all human rights. It interacts with states, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations and other civil society representatives.
The current composition of the Advisory Committee and the term of membership of each expert are as follows: Nurah Alamro (Saudi Arabia, 2024); Noor Al Malki Al-Jehani (Qatar, 2025); Buhm-Suk Baek (Republic of Korea, 2023); Nadia Amal Bernoussi (Morocco, 2023); Rabah Boudache (Algeria, 2025); Aldo de Campos Costa (Brazil, 2024); Milena Costas Trascasas (Spain, 2025*); Sebastião Da Silva Isata (Angola, 2025); Jewell Major (Bahamas, 2023); Ajai Malhotra (India, 2023*); Javier Palummo (Uruguay, 2025*); Vasilka Sancin (Slovenia, 2025); Patrycja Sasnal (Poland, 2023); Dheerujlall Seetulsingh (Mauritius, 2023*); Vassilis Tzevelekos (Greece, 2024); Catherine Van de Heyning (Belgium, 2023); Frans Viljoen (South Africa, 2024); and Yue Zhang (China, 2025).
*Member serving their second term
Documentation relating to the thirtieth session, including the agenda and programme of work, is available on the Advisory Committee’s session webpage.
