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(Geneva, March 30, 2007) – The UN Human Rights Council closed its fourth regular session today having failed to take action to address many of the world’s most urgent human rights situations, Human Rights Watch said today. The council adoption of a compromise text regarding the crisis in Darfur, however, was a welcome if small step forward. The council again chose talk over action on worsening human rights situations in countries such as Burma, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan,” said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “The council’s resolution on Darfur is a relatively bright light in an otherwise disappointing session.” The council adopted the Darfur text put forward by Germany, as amended, by consensus, after extended negotiations involving a competing Algerian draft. The resolution establishes a group composed of six currently-serving independent experts on a range of abuses – including violence against women, extrajudicial executions and torture – and led by the council-appointed expert on Sudan. The expert group is charged with working to ensure follow-up and implementation of existing recommendations by the council and its experts, by the council’s predecessor, the UN Commission on Human Rights, and by other UN human rights institutions. The group is also charged with reporting back to the council in June. The text does not, however, criticize the Sudanese government directly for its role in orchestrating and perpetrating massive violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Darfur. Several African states played a critical role in breaking the council’s silence on Darfur. Six states – Cameroon, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia – called for council action in response to a report on Darfur from a high-level mission established by the council in December. These and other states, including Uganda and Mauritania, engaged constructively in discussions over the German text. A key test for the council will be whether these and other swing states such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and South Africa will engage similarly to address abuses in other locations in the future. The council continued its practice of hearing detailed reporting from its independent experts on human rights violations who focus both on “thematic” issues, such as torture or violence against women, and on particular country situations. This segment of the council’s agenda shines a spotlight on violations in many countries, an act which could itself help to protect human rights in some cases. For the full article go to http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/03/30/global15608.htm