Within weeks, the United Nations General Assembly will hold elections to choose a country to replace Russia, whose membership in the Human Rights Council was suspended on April 7, 2022, due to its war on Ukraine.
The Human Rights Council is responsible for promoting human rights, and its mission is to regularly review the status of these rights in UN member states.
The council can take up any urgent matter in extraordinary meetings, as was the case with Ukraine, despite Moscow's opposition.
Human Rights Council.. Establishment and foundation
March 15, 2006: The Council was established by the United Nations General Assembly by Resolution 60/251, and its first session was held from June 19-30, 2006.
The establishment of the Council came within the framework of the UN reforms proposed by the Secretary-General at the time, Kofi Annan (1997-2007), to succeed the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which Annan believed had failed to adequately deal with human rights issues, although for six decades it remained the main structure concerned with human rights.
When the Council was established, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the work and performance of the Council after 5 years of its establishment should be reviewed at the level of the General Assembly.
The headquarters of the Council is located in the Swiss city of Geneva.
- Since 1992: the Commission has provided support to committees and missions and has published nearly 50 committees and missions.
For years, the Human Rights Council has had missions in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, Burundi, Belarus, South Sudan and Myanmar.
2006: When it was established, the George W. Bush administration decided to boycott the council in protest of what it called "the membership of some repressive states in the council."
June 6, 2008: The United States announced its complete withdrawal from the Human Rights Council, including observer status.
2009: The United States returned to the Council under President Barack Obama.
June 2018: After Israel's unprecedented boycott of a session of the Universal Periodic Review, arguing that criticism of Tel Aviv is unfair, the United States officially announces its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to what it says is "anti-Israel bias."
April 1, 2020: China joined the council.
February 2021: The United States announced the return to participate in the work of the Human Rights Council.
Objectives of the Human Rights Council
The Council aims to protect human rights and to address the violations that affect them in various parts of the world by making recommendations in this regard.
- He keeps the confidentiality of the communications he receives, and requires documentation and evidence for acceptance and follow-up with the concerned countries and bodies.
The Council, through its mechanisms, undertakes the task of examining, monitoring, providing advice and reporting on the human rights situation in specific countries or territories, and major phenomena of human rights violations in the world.
The Human Rights Council also works with the United Nations special procedures established by the previous Commission on Human Rights and which the Council is now in charge of.
These special procedures are composed of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and working groups. These rapporteurs, representatives and experts monitor, research, advise and publicly report on thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries.
- Upon receiving this information, the taxpayers shall send urgent appeals or letters of allegation to the governments concerned for the purpose of clarification.
Those charged with the task can also make visits to the countries concerned to verify the human rights situation in coordination with the governments of the countries concerned, after which a report containing the results of the research and recommendations for this is submitted.
Structure and Mechanisms
The Human Rights Council is composed of 47 Member States elected by a majority of the members of the United Nations General Assembly by direct and secret ballot.
- The General Assembly shall take into account the contribution of the candidate countries to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary commitments and commitments in this regard.
Board membership is based on a special geographical distribution.
Seats are distributed as follows:
African countries: 13 seats.
Asian countries: 13 seats.
Latin America and the Caribbean: 8 seats
Western European and Other Countries: 7 seats
Eastern European countries: 6 seats
The term of office of members of the Council is 3 years, and they may not be re-elected immediately after serving two consecutive terms.
The office of the council consists of 5 people - a president and 4 deputies - who represent the five regional groups, and they hold their positions for a period of one year, according to the annual session of the council.
The council has an advisory committee that works to provide the expertise, studies and research it requests.
The committee is composed of 18 independent experts nominated by governments and elected by the council. Elections are usually held during the council’s session in September, when members perform their duties for a period of 3 years and can be re-elected once.
June 18, 2007: The Council adopts a new complaints procedure to address serious violations, based on reliable evidence.
The complaints procedure shall be kept confidential, in order to enhance cooperation with the countries concerned.
- Two independent working groups were established, the first concerned with communications, and the second with regard to case follow-up.
The two parties shall jointly be responsible for alerting the Council to the consistent patterns of grave violations.
All complaints that are not accompanied by reliable evidence, as well as communications of a political nature, are excluded.
The Human Rights Council holds at least 3 regular sessions per year, for periods totaling at least 10 weeks, in March (4 weeks), June (3 weeks) and September (3 weeks).
The Human Rights Council can, if requested by one third of the Member States, decide at any time to convene a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies.
As of January 1, 2019: 114 UN member states served as members of the Human Rights Council, reflecting the diversity of the UN and giving the council the necessary legitimacy when it addresses human rights violations in all countries of the world.
subsidiary bodies of the Human Rights Council
June 18, 2007: A year after its first meeting, the Human Rights Council adopted its "institution-building package" (resolution 5/1), detailing the procedures, mechanisms and structures that form the basis of its work. Among these mechanisms:
The universal periodic review team
Advisory Committee
- Complaints
The Council also established the subsidiary expert mechanism, to provide the Council with expertise and thematic forums that provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation.
These bodies focus primarily on studies or advice based on research or best practices.
They meet and submit annual reports to the Board.
Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Forum on Minority Issues
Social Forum
Forum on business and human rights
Forum on human rights, democracy and the rule of law
working teams
The Council also established the following open-ended intergovernmental working groups to develop and/or negotiate and finalize draft new legal instruments or make recommendations on effective implementation of existing instruments:
The Right to Development Group
Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action
Group on the elaboration of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Ad Hoc Committee on Supplementary Standards Establishment
Group on the draft United Nations declaration on human rights education and training
The group concerned with the regulatory framework for the activities of private military and security companies
Group on the draft United Nations declaration on the right to peace
Group on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other Rural Workers
Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises
The Council also creates special procedures mandates, appoints their respective mandate holders, and submits an annual report to the Council from a thematic or country perspective.