UNHRC

Why in news?

• India recently abstained from voting on a resolution on Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council, while observing that Sri Lanka’s progress in implementing commitments on the 13 th Amendment, meaningful devolution, and early provincial elections remains “inadequate”.  

About UNHRC:

• The UN 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.
• The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
• The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) serves as the Secretariat of the Human Rights Council.
• OHCHR is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Composition

• The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly.
• The UNGA 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.
• 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
• Members of the Council serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

Universal Periodic Review

• An important component of the Council consists of a periodic review of all 193 UN member states, called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
• The mechanism is based on reports coming from different sources, one of them being contributions from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
• Each country's situation will be examined during a three-and-a-half-hour debate.
• The first cycle of the UPR took place between 2008 and 2011; and the third cycle began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2021.

Add ons:

• Recently, the United States announced that it would rejoin the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council that it left in 2018.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding ‘UN Human Rights Council’

1. Members of the Council are elected by UN Security Council

2. Members of the Council serve for a period of three years

3. India was elected to the Council for the term 2021-2023

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer