Human Rights Council News

Human Rights Council to hold 15th session

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:57:59 GMT

A number of important resolutions will be negotiated and adopted at the Human Rights Council's 15th session, which will take place from 13 September to 1 October. These include renewing the special procedures mandates on the rights of indigenous peoples, counter-terrorism, arbitrary detention, the right to health, the right to housing, contemporary forms of slavery, and the human rights situations in Cambodia and Somalia. The mandate on the Sudan will also need to be renewed but there has been no announcement yet by the African Group, the main sponsor, of any intention to do so.

The organisational meeting for the 15th session took place on Monday 30 August and the programme of work for the session was endorsed. The High Commissioner will present an update on the first day of the session, which is expected to focus, among other things, on the review of the Council.

Eleven of the Council's special procedures will present their annual reports. Belgium (on behalf of the European Union) argued that the traditional clustering of interactive dialogues with special procedures should be limited to where there is a clear connection between the issues to be discussed. This request is unlikely to be taken up at this stage but may be an issue that will be discussed further during the review of the Council.

Human Rights Council begins 5th year: election of new President

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:11:59 GMT

On Monday 21 June the Human Rights Council (the Council) held an organisational session for its 5th cycle. The session saw the election of a new President and four Vice-Presidents that will constitute the Bureau. Iran, on behalf of the Asian Group, nominated Ambassador Sihasak Phuangketkeow of Thailand for the presidency of the Council. He was elected by acclamation. In an encouraging and promising introductory statement, the new President explained that he would be guided by three principles during his term: building a common agenda for the Council; enhancing the Council's credibility; and 'reaching out, hearing out and respecting the views of all'. He reminded the Council of the need to build on its past success while not shying away from tackling difficult issues. He also encouraged the Council to make more creative use of the tools at its disposal to respond to human rights issues. Finally, he stated his commitment to forging real and meaningful partnerships with all stakeholders.

Background information

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The Human Rights Council (the Council) was established on 19 June 2006 to replace the Commission on Human Rights (the Commission) by General Assembly Resolution 60/251. The establishment of the Council was accompanied by high rhetoric that promised, or at least looked to, a new era in the United Nation's (UN) human rights work. There was much talk of new beginnings, new starts, new chances. The truth, however, was that no one believed it was going to be easy to effect real change. The Council was conceived in the context of the destruction of its predecessor and politically charged debates in the General Assembly between those States wanting a Council with no real teeth and those that argued for a body that was more effective than the Commission.

The Council is the main body of the United Nations dealing with human rights, and is mandated, among other things, to:

Promote universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind
Address situations of violations of human rights, including gross and systematic violations, and make recommendations thereon
Undertake a universal periodic review (UPR), based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States

Resolution 60/251 also mandated the Council to review the mechanisms and mandates it has inherited from the former Commission. This process of review, the so-called 'institution-building' has come to a an end with the adoption of Human Right Council Resolution 5/1 (also called 'the institution-building package') on 18 June 2008. For more information on the Council's mechanisms, please use the menu on the left.

After a year and a half, an initial assessment can be made: the Council is neither as good as it needs to be nor as bad as it could be. Indeed it is proving to be significantly better than many defenders and activists had feared, though it still has a long way to go before it can be said to be an effective protector and promoter of human rights.