HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	232
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

SUPPORTING THE REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE 2010 UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

     WHEREAS, on November 5, 2010, the United States of America underwent the first-ever Universal Periodic Review of its human rights record before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva; and

     WHEREAS, the review process provided an opportunity for the United States to identify human rights violations, develop real solutions, and bring policies in line with international human rights standards; and

WHEREAS, the review featured an unprecedented level of consultation and engagement with civil society across the United States--voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society; and

     WHEREAS, the 228 recommendations from the Universal Periodic Review provided insight into the major human rights issues in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, a majority of the recommendations were taken directly from civil society stakeholder reports and subsequent study sheets that United Nations members used in the review process; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature supports the review and consideration of the recommendations from the 2010 Universal Periodic Review of the United States of America by the United Nations Human Rights Council, where applicable to the State of Hawaii; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature supports the promotion of a culture of human rights based on the principles established in the Charter of the United Nations; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature encourages the participation of the State of Hawaii in the United States' next Universal Periodic Review in 2014; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of State, United States Secretary of Education, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, Attorney General of the State of Hawaii, United Nations Secretary-General, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Report Title: 

Human Rights; United Nations Universal Periodic Review