Below is an article is written and published by UNPO:

The Advisory Committee, a think-tank to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, held it’s first session in early August 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland. After considerable debate in the UN Human Rights Council, the decision to create this Committee was finally taken, after painstakingly assessing the modalities of this new body.

The Advisory Committee replaces the former Sub-Committee on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, which the UN Human Rights Council assumed from its predecessor. In the process of reforming the human rights instruments within the United Nations, the former Sub-committee was dropped and the Advisory Committee was installed to take over most of its tasks.

The Advisory Committee exists of 18 expert members. It meets twice a year, for a maximum of ten working days and its output is aimed at giving implementation-oriented advice on thematic issues relating to the mandate of the UN Human Rights Council. As such, the Advisory Committee does not adopt resolutions, but rather proposes a course of action and will conduct research on proposals within its mandate.

The Advisory Committee will meet again from 26 to 30 January 2009.

For more information on the Advisory Committee to the UN Human Rights Council, please see the website of the Advisory Committee.