The Foreign Service Journal, December 2010

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 27 lence in Conflict, Margot Wallstrom, who stopped in Geneva en route to the DRC. This session was an im- portant opportunity for the council to address an urgent human rights situ- ation in real time. Negotiating rounds on resolutions take place throughout the session. Often several meetings are necessary before a resolution can be adopted by consensus or, in the case of those resolutions on which delegations cannot agree, a delegation may call for a vote. Such resolutions must pass by a simple majority to be adopted. The delegations that sponsor resolutions host open ne- gotiations during which all interested delegations, and often civil society representatives, are able to offer their views on the elements of a resolution text in an open forum. The sponsor delegations must then balance all contribu- tors’ comments in order to achieve a resolution text that hopefully can be adopted by consensus by all member- states. Negotiations also take place bilaterally and in smaller groups of re- gional or like-minded partners. The session draws civil society representatives from around the world and is an opportunity for us to meet with people working on the ground on the issues and causes that we promote in the council. After nearly three weeks, the session concludes with the adoption of resolutions. This year, two new special mechanisms — on freedom of association and assembly, and on discrimination against women — were both adopted by consensus. The resolution on the human rights situation in Sudan was passed, renewing the inde- pendent expert’s mandate for 12 months. These results demonstrate the HRC’s ability to act as the lead entity within the United Nations to promote and protect human rights throughout the world through a va- riety of mechanisms. ■ F O C U S Much of the nuts-and-bolts work of the council takes place informally, over coffee throughout the day.