The UN Human Rights Council: Five Things to Know

The UN Human Rights Council has taken an increasingly prominent role in pressing for global action on the Syrian crisis. This marks a continuing revival of the world's preeminent rights body, which replaced a discredited rights commission. CFR Senior Fellow Stewart M. Patrick looks at five chief things to know about the reconstituted forum:

- In 2006, the United Nations decided to dissolve the UN Commission on Human Rights, "which had become a haven for human rights abusers and an embarrassment." The Obama administration chose to join the forty-seven-member council, "rather than allowing human rights violators and spoilers from Cuba to Pakistan to run roughshod over it."
- Despite important improvements, the Council maintains some serious flaws, ranging from procedural roadblocks like membership criteria to political tensions between civil and political rights and economic rights.
- Regardless of these flaws, the Council's new "universal periodic review" has been a powerful instrument for advancing human rights across the world, from Iran to Zimbabwe.
- A little-known fact is the important addition of term limits to Council membership. This will force countries like Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia to "take a time-out from the Council" when their terms expire this year. Now the worst abusers cannot "fester on the Council."
- Council membership has had some crucial payoffs for the United States, including exerting pressure on Iran and Syria, and taking the lead with the United States against the former Libyan regime of Muammar al-Qaddafi.

[User-tonb]

I dont care if this is BS i need it for my class

[JasonGafar]

Do people actually take these words seriously? 

[campfiresnlasguns]

This didn't age well ...
This comment's written in 2020 for future readers.

[jiloborusure]

I am a kenyan TEACHER, and a HUMAN rights activist, and have passion and feel gifted in fighting human RIGHT Abuses in AFRICA and have profound interest to get a scholarship in HUMAN RIGHTS LAW, I HAVE proven record of fighting for REFUGEES RIGHTS IN kenya through #kanere#all refugees are not terrorist by #IBRAHIM  gindicha.

[sanjaygateway]

I’m Sanjaya Wijewardena. New Zealand citizen person.
Last 06 years we lost our full time work rights.
We wrote many letters to UN, human rights Commission head Quarters.

Even inside wellington we cannot make a official complaint to Wellington Human rights office. There not giving any appointments if I applied paper based or online within 3 days time return back our documents.

Please investigate our life’s. New Zealand prime ministers & partners Gangsters keep on threatening to our life’s.

Please help us ….we need our full time work rights

[imenerejeb]

I am curious how is "focusing obsessively on Isreal" as you've put it a bad thing, are you living in an alternative universe where Israel is not an apartheid regime and where it is not engaged in a systematic ethnic cleansing?

[NadeemKHAN-USYZ]

I would like to know that What is the Value of Human rights Commission's at the United Nation? Are the able to decide and rendered decisions on their Own or they dominate by the Country's commission such as permanent mission of such as Canada to the UN? Since Human rights Commission at the UN established by these countries How can they decide against them?

[tylertaws]

I know that the duty of the United Nations Human Rights Council is to enforce human rights and humanitarian law. The purpore of the United Nations Human Rights Council is to arrest those who abuse human rights. There is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The duty of the United Nations Human Rights Council is to arrest crimes against humanity and bring justice.

[mareksicinski]

2:14 a semantic confusion in terms given they’re completely different topics

[bfhwhataboutthecavesdude]

CFR Senior Fellow Stewart M. Patrick or CFR people reading this :
...at end of this vid you ask us what we think. Frankly, I can't help but think that if CFR hasn't bothered updating this in 10 years then you don't seem to care too much about the subject i.e. UN Human Rights Council .
OR, (drumroll) maybe it's just that now, in 2021, with China, Russia, Cuba, and other human rights offenders as members, the Council has simply reverted back to being as meaningless as it's predecessor the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and that would be touchy for you to address while these members are still active.

[abdinoorabdihassan]

where can get the office of un human rights council nearest to somalia or in Somalia

I am in Somalia and I am victim for police

[perrycomeau]

I'll check it out Stewart. Thanks. The mess in Syria goes back before Nasser; in particularly 1936 Iran.

[nuncaviisso]

Start doing some decent work in Venezuela, so we "the world" can see that you guys are for real.

[laolaolovelao]

Now Laos Has No Human Right. please Help Laos People. Human Right.

[EliaCelgero]

hopefully the US partecipation in the HRC is going to be different than it was its obstructive involvement in the establishment of the International Criminal Court from 1998 to 2003. Because that was not pro human rights at all. Also the fact that in 2005 the UN investigator for human rights in Afghanistan, following a report critical of human right abuses by the US military, had to leave office due to US pressure was not really an example of great US leadership in terms of human rights.

[sdfa-selfdefensefitnessacademy]

Human right organization activities is important for our society

[raynsuper]

What are you doing about human rights in pakistan

[gyurmethlodroe]

UNHRC declares all is good in Sinjiang, all is good in Tibet....what a joke

[AbdulMateen-wiqb]

What is the meaning of terririsiom at inter national level!!!!??

[ajayswami]

Sir, de- addiction centres have grown up as a business for their profits, keep picking their prospecting sources of income without one or the other reason, disrupting the life of married couples due to instigation on their part. What shoud I do? A copy of the same is being sent to NHRC, India. yes, I am a smoker, a casual drinker, fulfilling all needs of my family, where comes the NARCO AGENCIES ?