A/49/677
English
Page 27
and interested in human rights problems and having experience of them, also
bilingual, with excellent French and good English; as well as a bilingual
secretary. These requirements, and the resources needed to carry out his
missions in the field, were very clearly indicated in the financial implications
prepared for the programme budget when the Commission adopted the abovementioned resolution and when it was subsequently approved by the Economic and
Social Council.
132. The secretariat assisting the Special Rapporteur in implementing resolution
1993/20 will have to discharge the following duties: centralization of data and
analysis thereof; study of communications; regular contacts with the permanent
missions, the specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations, individuals
and all other sources of information, and preparation of seminars and missions.
133. At the time of drafting this interim report, working conditions are clearly
quite inadequate and highly precarious. No amount of good will on the part of
the programme manager can offset the lack of human and financial resources;
without at least a permanent secretary and some support staff, it is impossible
to manage the general programme for the Decade and three thematic mandates. The
Special Rapporteur has had to devote virtually all his time to his mandate, at
the risk of neglecting his public and academic duties.
134. These matters, which in fact generally affect all special rapporteurs, were
among those examined at the meeting of special rapporteurs, representatives,
experts and chairpersons of working groups of the special procedures of the
Commission on Human Rights and of the advisory services programme which was held
at Geneva from 30 May to 1 June 1994:
"... It was noted that the number of such procedures, which was 4 in 1980,
13 in 1990 and now stands at 26, has not been followed by a commensurate
increase in human and other resources. Moreover, the workload within such
mandates has also been growing rapidly ... Consequently, participants were
unanimous in their view that the human and material resources available to
them for the fulfilment of their mandates are wholly inadequate owing to
the simple paucity of budgetary allocations to the Centre for Human Rights
in general and in particular for their specific mandates. In the light of
chronic under-funding, participants voiced their concern that the integrity
of the procedures could be in jeopardy with negative consequences for the
system as a whole and especially for individual victims." (E/CN.4/1995/5,
para. 22)
135. There have been commitments to improving and strengthening all aspects of
the rapporteurs’ work, but these promises have so far failed to yield concrete
results.
136. The Special Rapporteur would like to insist that substantial human and
financial resources be made available for a mandate which has aroused much
interest and high hopes, failing which the fulfilment of the mandate seems very
much in jeopardy. He would therefore like to suggest that consideration be
given to (a) a scheme of the associate expert type and (b) the establishment of
a funds-in-trust arrangement as part of the Trust Fund for the Programme for the
Decade, but with voluntary contributions earmarked specially for the mandate on
/...