The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was to vote on Thursday (April 7) on a draft resolution to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council as part of a global response to alleged war crimes. busha city outside of Kyiv, where more 300 bodies of civilians found After the withdrawal of the Russian army.
human rights council
The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system, responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. It also addresses situations of human rights violations and makes recommendations, and can discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations.
work of the council
The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights. It was created by the UNGA on 15 March 2006, and the body met in its first session from 19–30 June 2006.
In 2007, the Council adopted an “institution-building package” to establish its processes and mechanisms. These include a system of universal periodic reviews to assess human rights situations in all UN member states, an advisory committee that acts as the Council’s think tank and provides expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues, and a The complaint process is involved. , which allows individuals and organizations to bring human rights violations to the attention of the Council.
The Council also works with UN Special Procedures established by the former Human Rights Commission, including Special Reporters, Special Representatives, independent experts and functions to monitor, investigate, advise and support thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries. groups are included. report it. ,
council membership
The Council, which meets at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, is made up of 47 member states of the United Nations, which are elected by majority vote through direct and secret ballot in the United Nations General Assembly. According to the Council’s website, UNGA takes into account the contribution of candidate states to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
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, and Eastern European states have 6 seats.
Members serve for three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
“With membership in the Council comes a responsibility to maintain high human rights standards. This is a criterion that the states themselves emphasized when they adopted Resolution 60/251 to create the Human Rights Council in March 2006,” the council says. Is.
It is the responsibility that Russia has been accused of deliberately violating in Ukraine. Russia’s three-year term as a member of the Council began on January 1, 2021.
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 one year according to the annual cycle of the council.
The President of the Human Rights Council of the 16th Round (2022) is Federico Villegas, Argentina’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva. He was elected President of the Human Rights Council for 2022 in December 2021.
council meetings
The Human Rights Council holds at least three regular sessions a year, at least 10 weeks in total. These sessions take place in March (4 weeks), June (3 weeks) and September (3 weeks). The Council met in its latest (49th) regular session from 28 February to 1 April 2022.
If a third of the member states so request, the Council may decide at any time to convene a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies. Under the chairmanship of Najahat S Khan of Fiji, the council held a record five special sessions in 2021 – on Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, Afghanistan, Sudan and Ethiopia.
News bulletin , Click to get the best interpreters of the day delivered to your inbox