REPORTING TO THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY BODIES TRAINING GUIDE: Part II — Notes for Facilitators III. Opening and Introducing the Training Course 1. OPENING SESSION Note for the facilitator Usually Treaty Body reporting training courses are formally opened by a representative of the host government or organization followed by two or three other speakers. A formal opening by a highlevel representative allows the host government to express its commitment to engage with the Treaty Bodies and to demonstrate its support to the government officials in charge of treaty reporting. Therefore facilitators are advised to include as the very first item of their training agenda an opening session of no more than 60 minutes. This session should be structured following the formalities of the country or region where the training is taking place; speakers should be confirmed in advance and briefed on the agenda and on the participants. It is suggested to indicate to speakers that their remarks should not exceed 10 minutes in duration. The session can be structured as follows: 1. welcome remarks by a high-level or senior representative of the host government or organization; 2. remarks by a senior resource person participating in the training (e.g., a Treaty Body expert); and 3. closing remarks by a senior representative of the facilitator’s organization (e.g., OHCHR). If the event is a regional training course, it is suggested that a United Nations or OHCHR regional representative be invited to speak at the opening session. xii