U.N. Human Rights Council

Recently, India abstained from voting on a resolution on Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Key Points:

About

Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system.

It was created by the UNGA in 2006 after replacing the former UN Commission on Human Rights.

It is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.

It also addresses and makes recommendations on situations of human rights violations.

It meets at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland

Membership of the Council

It is made up of 47 UN Member States who are elected by majority vote through a direct and secret ballot at the UNGA.

The membership of the Council is based on equitable geographical distribution.

African and Asia-Pacific states have 13 seats each
Latin American and Caribbean states have 8 seats
Western European and other states have 7 seats
Eastern European states have 6 seats

The members serve for three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

The leadership of the Council

The Council has a five-person Bureau, consisting of a President and four Vice-Presidents, each representing one of the five regional groups.

They serve for a year each, in accordance with the Council’s annual cycle.

Issues involved in the functioning of the UN Human Rights Council:

Contentious Membership: Critics have pointed out that the composition of UNHRC is such that it has accorded membership to countries such as China, Pakistan, Cuba, Eritrea, and Russia all of which have been accused of human rights abuses.

Perceived Biases: UNHRC has been criticized for focusing too much on Israel while ignoring other regions of the world where there have been alleged instances of human rights violations.