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.
As the International Conference on Population and Development is taking place in Nairobi, a group of international human rights experts has called for a renewed commitment to and investment in women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights. "We call upon decision-makers to always put women’s and girls’ human rights at the centre of policy considerations and to meaningfully...
At HRC41, there were two days focused on women's rights, June 27 and 28. You can view sessions of the HRC on UN Web TV. Here is a link to live feed and archived videos.
The session continued on June 28 with country statements being made and questions for the Special Rapporteurs (Special...
The meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for Voluntary Contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) focused on financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Speakers included UN Secretary General António Guterres (which tells me...
In 1946, the first Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights was a woman, Eleanor Roosevelt. Appointed by Harry Truman, she played a pivotal role not only in drafting but also in brokering agreement by other UN member states on the UN Declaration on Human Rights. The Commission on Human Rights began...
The forces of the Arab Spring in 2011 unleashed surprising responses and events—some positive and some negative—in an area of the world that many experts and politicians considered to be “resistant to change”. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) organized a side event on March...
