Its new session starting on Monday is the longest ever, working till April, and guarantees a packed agenda, with ongoing wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, the state of affairs of human rights defenders worldwide and greater than 50 nationwide human rights information below scrutiny.
However, what does the Human Rights Council do and why does its work matter?
Whereas the 47-member physique has been the topic of controversy since its creation in 2006 – together with the non permanent withdrawal of the United States in 2018 – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has highlighted the essential function the Council performs within the UN’s human rights structure, which is “the bedrock of peace”.
What does the Human Rights Council really do?
In a nutshell, the Geneva-based Council is a multilateral discussion board for the worldwide group to debate something regarding human rights points world wide.
Along with launching fact-finding missions and establishing commissions of inquiry into particular conditions of concern, it meets 3 times a yr on the Palais des Nations in Switzerland to debate a variety of political, civil, financial, social and cultural rights with UN officers, impartial specialists and investigators, Member States and civil society organizations.
This video explains all of it:
How does it work?
Probably the most modern function of the Human Rights Council is the universal periodic review. This distinctive mechanism entails inspecting the human rights information of all 193 UN Member States as soon as each 4 years. It’s like a nationwide human rights report card.
The overview is a cooperative, State-driven course of below the auspices of the Council, which supplies the chance for every nation to current measures taken and challenges to be met to enhance the human rights state of affairs at residence and to satisfy their worldwide obligations.
The Council additionally types investigative panels to probe violations in particular nations and thematic areas, for example, the professional mechanism to advance racial justice and equality in legislation enforcement.
To look at and monitor violations, the Council appoints independent experts together with Particular Rapporteurs, who act of their particular person capability and don’t get any remuneration from the UN for his or her work. They’re generally referred to as “the eyes and ears” of the Council.
© UNICEF/Ahmed Haleem
The Common Declaration of Human Rights says everybody has a proper to schooling.
How does the HRC make a distinction for human rights worldwide?
Though human rights have at all times been a really delicate matter for Member States, the Human Rights Council stays a necessary a part of the UN’s human rights structure.
The Council has the facility to undertake resolutions, launch fact-finding missions and investigations and set up commissions of inquiry. Particularly, the Council can appoint impartial specialists on particular points. As an illustration, in 2023, the Council appointed the first ever Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Russia and in 2021, it acknowledged for the primary time the fitting to a clear and protected setting as a human proper.
All these mechanisms permit for grave violations to be highlighted and introduced on the worldwide stage for examination, dialogue and, every time possible, motion. Such motion can change the course of occasions.
UN Picture/Manuel Elías
A delegate casts her nation’s poll throughout elections within the Normal Meeting Corridor for brand new members of the UN Human Rights Council. (file)
Who will get to serve on the Human Rights Council?
Elections to the Council happen yearly by secret poll. International locations serve for 3 years on a rotational foundation, as among the seats expire on 31 December yearly. There are 47 seats, equitably distributed in line with 5 regional divisions.
As it’s understood that the Council can solely be as efficient as its Member States, its election course of was positioned immediately within the fingers of the Normal Meeting, the one UN organ the place each one of many 193 nations has equal voting weight.
The geographical group divisions and seat allocations are supposed to forestall disproportionate give attention to only a handful of areas and nations and make sure that each nation is pretty assessed.
It’s as much as Member States themselves to decide on the nations which serve, by way of election, versus consideration of any particular person State’s personal human rights document.
Who serves now?
By secret poll on 10 October 2023, the UN Normal Meeting elected Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi and the Netherlands.
As of 1 January, 15 newly-elected States started serving three-year phrases.
UN Picture/Jean-Marc Ferré
Michelle Bachelet, the UN Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, speaks on the Human Rights Council in 2018. (file)
Right here’s what’s taking place on the Human Rights Council now
The HRC’s 55th session opens on Monday and runs by way of 5 April. Steered by president Omar Zniber, it will likely be attended by the UN Secretary-Normal, Normal Meeting president Dennis Francis and Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk alongside prime officers from Member States throughout its high-level section.
Right here’s what you have to know:
- On 4 March, the Excessive Commissioner will ship his world replace, specializing in the human rights state of affairs in varied nations, with explicit consideration to crucial areas.
- All through the session, delegates will talk about quite a few thematic and nation reviews.
- Subjects of discussions will tackle the state of affairs in Ukraine and violations attributable to Russia’s navy invasion.
- Additionally below the highlight are Venezuela, Iran, Colombia, and the state of affairs within the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
With the session promising sturdy discussions and actions geared toward addressing urgent human rights issues globally, observe UN Information protection of the Human Rights Council’s deliberations here.
