The Human Rights Council, created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe, addressing situations of human rights violations, and making recommendations on them.
The Council is made up of 47 Member States which are elected by members of the General Assembly of the United Nations through direct and secret ballot. Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
The Council’s rotating membership is based on equitable geographical distribution of the following seats: 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.
In July 2015, FAWCO UN Rep Stacy Lara attended the Eighth Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. In addition to members of the EMRIP, participants and observers at the conference included representatives of States, IP from around the world, United Nations bodies, programs, and specialized agencies, NGOs, human rights institutions...
FAWCO UN NGO Rep in Geneva Stacy Lara submitted this report on an Organizational Meeting for the Human Rights Council's 10th Session in 2016.
On December 7, 2015 I followed the Human Rights Council (HRC) 10th session organizational meeting where its new Bureau for 2016 was elected. The Council elected Ambassador Choi Kyong-lim of the Republic of Korea as its...
The challenges faced by the UN Human Rights Council are immense as they strive to enable Member States to fulfill the human rights of every woman, man and child. They advocate for States to endorse and respect the “broadest possible legal standards” for human rights obligations as well as working to raise awareness and provide guidance whenever violations cry out...
