Universal Participation in the UN Human Rights Council: Challenges and Opportunities for LDCs and SIDS

Fatou Camara Houel
Co-ordinator of LDCs/SIDS Trust Fund- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Discussant: Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu
Professor of Law- University of Saskatchewan

Ms. Fatou Camara Houel is a graduate of the Science Po Paris. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Université Lumière in France, as well as a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Human Rights from the Université Catholique. Over the past twenty years, Ms. Houel has been working for the United Nations in the fields of human rights (Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights), political affairs (Department of Political Affairs), peacekeeping (Department of Peacekeeping Operations) and humanitarian affairs (High Commissioner for Refugees). Ms. Houel is currently the Secretary of the United Nations Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, an 18-expert body mandated to conduct thematic studies. Ms. Houel is also the Coordinator of the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the work of the Human Rights Council. Under her leadership, the LDCs/SIDS Trust Fund has achieved significant progress, in particular ensuring the holding of the first universal session of the Human Rights Council on the occasion of its tenth anniversary in June.