Russia’s membership to the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), to which it was elected in 2020, was suspended after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote.
Why was Russia suspended from UNHRC?
- Russia’s three-year term as member of the Council began on January 1, 2021.
- With membership on the Council comes a responsibility to uphold high human rights standards.
- It is this responsibility that Russia is alleged to have wilfully violated in Ukraine.
India stayed absent. Why?
- India questioned the process by which the move to suspend Russia took place given that it happened before the international probe into the massacre.
- New Delhi’s point is that it should have been brought before the Human Rights Council first, and not the UNGA, sources said.
- This is a signal to the West that due process has not been followed, something that Indian interlocutors can draw Moscow’s attention to.
About UN Human Rights Council
- The UNHRC is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system, which is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world.
- It addresses and makes recommendations on situations of human rights violations, and can discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations.
- The UNHRC replaced the former UN Commission on Human Rights.
- It was created by the UNGA on March 15, 2006, and the body met in its first session from June 19-30, 2006.
Working of the Council
In 2007, the Council adopted an “institution-building package” to set up its procedures and mechanisms. Among these were:
- Mechanism of Universal Periodic Review to assess the human rights situations in all UN Member States.
- It has Advisory Committee that serves as the Council’s think tank providing it with expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues.
- Its Complaint Procedure, allows individuals and organisations to bring human rights violations to the Council’s attention.
- The Council also works with the UN Special Procedures established by the former Commission on Human Rights, consisting of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts etc.
Membership of the Council
- The Council, which meets at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, is made up of 47 UN Member States who are elected by majority vote through a direct and secret ballot at the UNGA.
- 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 7 seats, and Eastern European states 6 seats.
- The members serve for three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.
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 a year each, in accordance with the Council’s annual cycle.
- The Human Rights Council President of the 16th Cycle (2022) is Federico Villegas, who is the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva.
- He was elected president of the Human Rights Council for 2022 in December 2021.
Meetings of the Council
- The Human Rights Council holds no fewer than three regular sessions a year, for a total of at least 10 weeks.
- 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 February 28 to April 1, 2022
- If a third of the Member states requests, the Council can decide at any time to hold a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies.
- Under the presidency of Nazhat S Khan of Fiji, the Council held a record five special sessions in 2021 — on Myanmar, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
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