UNHRC

United Nations Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

• It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva.
• The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission for Human Rights.
• Its first session took place from 19 to 30 June 2006.

Sessions

• The Human Rights Council holds no fewer than three regular sessions a year, for a total of at least ten weeks.
• They take place in March (four weeks), June (three weeks) and September (three weeks).
• If one third of the Member States requests so, the Human Rights Council can decide at any time to hold a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies.

Membership

The Council is made of 47 Member States, which are elected by the majority of members of the General Assembly of the United Nations through direct and secret ballot.

• The General Assembly takes into account the candidate States’ contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
• Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
• With membership on the Council comes a responsibility to uphold high human rights standards. This is a criteria insisted on by States themselves when they adopted resolution 60/251 in March 2006 to create the Human Rights Council.
• The Council’s Membership is based on equitable geographical distribution. Seats are distributed as follows:
  • African States: 13 seats
  • Asia-Pacific States: 13 seats
  • Latin American and Caribbean States: 8 seats
  • Western European and other States: 7 seats
  • Eastern European States: 6 seats

India and UNHRC

India is re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the sixth term (2022-24) with an overwhelming majority.

Other elected members

• The UN General Assembly elected Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, UAE and the US.
• Member states were chosen in a secret ballot but the election was a non-contest, with 18 candidate countries standing for 18 seats.
  • The United States had quit the council in 2018 under the Donald Trump’s regime.
  • It has re-elected to the global rights body for a period of  three-and-a-half years.