Un Human Right Charter1

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United Nations Commissionon Human Rights


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The United Nations Commission on

Human Rights(UNCHR) The United Nations Commission on Human Rights

(UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overallframeworkof the United Nationsfrom 1946 until it wasreplaced by the United Nations Human Rights Councilin2006. It was asubsidiary body of the UN Economic andSocial Council(ECOSOC), and was also assisted in its workby the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner forHuman Rights(UNHCHR).

It was the UN's principal mechanism and internationalforum concerned with the promotion and protection ofhuman rights.

On 15 March 2006, the UN General Assemblyvotedoverwhelmingly to replace UNCHR with the UN HumanRights Council.[1]
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History

The UNCHR was established on 10 December

1946 at the first meeting of ECOSOC, and was one

of the first two "Functional Commissions" set up

within the early UN structure (the other being theCommission on the Status of Women). It was a

body created under the terms of the United

Nations Charter(specifically, underArticle 68) to

which all UN member statesare signatories.

The body went through two distinct phases
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From 1947 to 1967 & post 1967

From 1947 to 1967, it followed the policy ofabsenteeism, which meant that the Commission wouldconcentrate on promoting human rights and helpingstates elaborate treaties, but not on investigating or

condemning violators. It was a period of strictobservance of the sovereigntyprinciple.

In 1967, the Commission adopted interventionismasits policy. The context of the decade was ofdecolonizationof Africa and Asia, and many countries

of the continent pressed for a more active UN policy onhuman rights issues, especially in light of massiveviolations in apartheidSouth Africa. The new policymeant that the Commission would also investigate andproduce reports on violations.
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Travesty of UNCHR

To allow better fulfillment of this new policy, other changestook place.

In the 1970s, the possibility of geographically-orientedworkgroups was created. These groups would specializetheir activities on the investigation of violations on a given

region or even a single country, as was the case with Chile. With the 1980s came the creation of theme-oriented

workgroups, which would specialize in specific types ofabuses.

None of these measures, however, were able to make the

Commission as effective as desired, mainly because of thepresence of human rights violators and the politicizationof the body.

During the following years until its extinction, the UNCHRbecame increasingly discredited among activists and

governments alike.
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Mandate OF UNCHR

The Commission held its final meeting in Genevaon March 27, 2006 and was replaced by theUnited Nations Human Rights Council in the sameyear.

The Commission on Human Rights was intendedto examine, monitor and publicly report onhuman rights situations in specific countries orterritories (known as country mechanisms or

mandates) as well as on major phenomena ofhuman rights violations worldwide (known asthematic mechanisms or mandates).

S OF UNCHR


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Structure OF UNCHR At the time it was extinguished, the Commission consisted

of representatives drawn from 53 member states, electedby the members of ECOSOC. There were no permanentmembers; each year (usually in May) approximately a thirdof the seats of the Commission would come up for election,and the representatives were appointed for a three-yearterm.

Seats on the Commission were apportioned by region,using the mechanism of the United Nations RegionalGroups. During its last year of service in 2005, therepresentation by region was as follows:

15 from the African Group: Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia,

Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan,Swaziland, Togo, Zimbabwe

12 from the Asian Group: Bhutan, People'sRepublicof China, India, Indonesia, Japan,

Malaysia, Nepal,Pakistan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saudi

Arabia, Sri Lanka
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5 from the Eastern European Group: Armenia, Hungary, Romania, Russian Federation, Ukraine

11 from the Latin American and Caribbean Group: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru

10 from the Western European and Others Group: Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy,

Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America The Commission would meet each yearin regular session

for six weeks during March and April in Geneva,Switzerland.

In January 2004, Australia was elected as chair of the 60th

Session. In January 2005, Indonesiawas elected chair of the 61st

Session.

Peruwas elected chair of the 62nd Session in January 2006.The Commission held its final meeting in Geneva on March27, 2006.

Structure

b h
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Sub-Commission on the Promotion

and Protection of Human Rights In 1999 the Economic and Social Council changed its title

from the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discriminationand Protection of Minoritiesto the Sub-Commission on thePromotion and Protection of Human Rights".[2]

The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection ofHuman Rightswas the main subsidiary body of theCommission on Human Rights.

It was composed of twenty-six experts whoseresponsibility was to undertake studies, particularly in lightof the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and makerecommendations to the Commission concerning theprevention of discrimination of any kind relating to humanrights and fundamental freedoms and the protection ofracial, national, religious and linguistic minorities.

Membership was selected with regard to equitablegeographical distribution.
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Sub-Commission established seven

Working Groups

The Sub-Commission established seven Working Groupsthat investigate specific human rights concerns, including:

Minorities

Transnational corporations

Administration of justice Anti-terrorism

Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Indigenous Populations

Communication Social Forum

The United Nations Human Rights Councilassumedresponsibility for the Sub-Commissionwhen it replacedthe Commission on Human Rights in 2006.
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Special procedures The Commission on Human Rights established 30 special

procedures, or mechanisms, to address specific country

situations or thematic issues such as freedom of expressionand opinion, torture, the right to food, and the right toeducation.[3]

Individuals with expertise in particular areas of humanrights were appointed by thechair of the Commission to

serve as Special Rapporteurs(highest paid!?) for amaximum of six years.

They are unpaid, independent experts who receivepersonnel and logistical support from the Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights for their work.

Their main activities are to examine, monitor, advise andpublicly report on human rights situations in specificcountries or territories.

They are able to write to governments about reportedviolations and conduct fact-finding visits to countries thatinvite them.
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Working Groups

The special mechanisms are categorised according to:

Thematic Mandates.[4]

Country Mandates.[5]

Special procedures also include working groups made up of

up to five experts who monitor and investigate specifichuman rights concerns. Three groups were established bythe Commission:

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means ofimpeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination

The special procedures are now under the direction of theUnited Nations Human Rights Council.
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Criticism

The Commission was repeatedly criticized for the

composition of its membership. In particular, several ofits member countries themselves had dubious humanrightsrecords, including states whose representativeshad been elected to chair the commission.[6]

Another criticism was that the Commission did notengage in constructive discussion of human rightsissues, but was a forum for politically selective finger-pointing and criticism.

The desire of states with problematic human rightsrecords to be elected to the Commission was viewedlargely as a way to defend themselves from suchattacks.
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extensive records of human rights violations

Activist groups had long expressed concern overthememberships of thePeople's Republic of China, Zimbabwe,

Russia, Saudi Arabia, andPakistan, and the pastmemberships of Algeria, Syria, Libya, Ugandaand Vietnamon the Commission.

These countries had extensive records of human rightsviolations, and one concern was that by working against

resolutions on the commission condemning human rightsviolations, they indirectly promoted despotism anddomestic repression.[6]

On May 4, 2004, United States ambassador Sichan Sivwalked outof theCommission following the uncontested

election of Sudanto the commission, calling it an"absurdity" in light of Sudan's ethnic cleansingin the Darfurregion.[7]

One major consequence of the election of Sudan to theCommission was the lack of willingness for some countries

to work through the commission.
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situation in the Darfur: Sudan

on July 30, 2004, it was the United NationsSecurity Council, not the Commission, thatpassed a resolutionby 130, with China andPakistan abstainingthreatening Sudan with

unspecified sanctions if the situation in theDarfurregion did not improve within thefollowing 30 days.

The reasons given for the action were the attacks

by the JanjaweedArab militias of Sudan on thenon-Arab African Muslimpopulation of Darfur, aregion in western Sudan.
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United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHRC) is

an inter-governmental body within the United NationsSystem.

The UNHRC is the successor to the United NationsCommission on Human Rights(UNCHR, herein CHR),

and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations GeneralAssembly.

The council works closely with the Office of the HighCommissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) and engagesthe United Nations' Special Procedures.

The General Assembly established the UNHRC byadopting a resolution (A/RES/60/251) on 15 March2006, in order to replace the previous CHR, which hadbeen heavily criticised for allowing countries with poorhuman rightsrecords to be members.[1][2]
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UN Secretary GeneralBan Ki Moonand former HighCommissioner for Human RightsMary Robinsonhavecriticized the council for acting according to politicalconsiderations as opposed to human rights.

Specifically, Secretaries General Kofi AnnanandBan KiMoon, the council's president Doru Costea, the EuropeanUnion, Canada and the United States have accused thecouncil of focusingdisproportionately on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

The United States boycotted the Council during the GeorgeW. Bush administration, but reversed its position on itduring the Obama administration.[6]

On 18 June 2007, one year after holding its first meeting,the UNHRC adopted its Institution-building package, whichprovides elements to guide it in its future work.
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Among the elements was the Universal PeriodicReview.

The Universal Periodic Review will assess the humanrights situations in all 193 UN Member States.

Another element is anAdvisory Committee, whichserves as the UNHRCs think tank, and provides it withexpertise and advice on thematic human rights issues,that is, issues which pertain to all parts of the world.

Another element is a Complaint Procedure, whichallows individuals and organizations to bringcomplaints about human rights violations to theattention of the Council.
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Structure The members of the General Assemblyelect the members who

occupy the UNHRC's forty-seven seats. The term of each seat

is three years, and no member may occupy a seat for more thantwo consecutive terms. The seats are distributed among the UN'sregional groupsas follows:

13 for Africa, 13 for Asia, six for Eastern Europe, eight for LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, and seven for the Western Europeanand Others Group

The previous CHR had a membership of 53 elected by theEconomic and Social Council(ECOSOC) through a majority of thosepresent and voting.

Members of the Council undergo a new universal reviewmechanism during their term of membership.

The General Assembly can suspend the rights and privileges of anyCouncil member that it decides has persistently committed grossand systematic violations of human rights during its term ofmembership.

The suspension process requires a two-thirds majority vote by theGeneral Assembly.
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The resolution establishing the UNHRC states that"members elected to the Council shall uphold thehighest standards in the promotion of Human Rights

Members

List of members of the United Nations Commission onHuman Rights:

Members of the UNHRC are elected to staggeredthree-year terms. The first election of members washeld on 9 May 2006.[8]The current members,[9]with

the year that the mandate expires in parentheses, arethe following:

African States(13)Asian States(13)Eastern EuropeanStates(6)Latin American & Caribbean States(8)Western European & Other States(7)n and protection

of human rights."
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Presidents

Mr. Luis Alfonso de Alba(Mexico) 19 June 2006 to 18June 2007.

Mr. Doru Romulus Costea(Romania) 19 June 2007 to18 June 2008.

Mr. Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi(Nigeria) 19 June2008 to 18 June 2009.

Mr. Alex Van Meeuwen (Belgium) 19 June 2009 to 18June 2010.[16]

Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow (Thailand) 19 June 2010 to18 June 2011.[16]

Laura Dupuy Lasserre (Uruguay)19 June 2011 tocurrent.

Advisory Committee
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Advisory Committee The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of

Human Rightswas the main subsidiary body of the CHR.

The Sub-Commission was composed of 26 elected humanrights experts whose mandate was to conduct studies ondiscriminatory practices and to make recommendations toensure that racial, national, religious, and linguisticminorities are protected by law.

The 26 members of the Sub-Commission divided theirwork between eight Working Groups which examined thefollowing issues:

Working Group on Administration of Justice

Working Group on Communication

Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

Working Group on Indigenous Populations

Working Group on Minorities

The Social Forum

Working Group on Transnational Corporations Workin Grou on Terrorism
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Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review "has great potential to promote

and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the

world.Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which

involves a review of the human rights records of all 192 UN

Member States once every four years.

The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the

Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for

each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve

the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil

their human rights obligations. As one of the main features of the Council, the UPR is

designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when

their human rights situations are assessed.


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The UPR was created through the UN General Assembly on 15

March 2006 by resolution 60/251, which established the

Human Rights Council itself.

It is a cooperative process which, by 2011, will have reviewed

the human rights records of every country.

Currently, no other universal mechanism of this kind exists.

The UPR is one of the key elements of the new Council which

reminds States of their responsibility to fully respect and

implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The ultimate aim of this new mechanism is to improve the

human rights situation in all countries and address human

rights violations wherever they occur.
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Advisory Committee to provide expert advice

When the UNHRC replaced the CHR in 2006, the

UNHRC assumed responsibility for the Sub-Commission, and extended its mandate for one year(to June 2007), but it met for the final time in August2006.[17]At its final meeting, the Sub-Commissionrecommended the creation of a Human RightsConsultative Committee to provide advice to theUNHRC.[18]

In September 2007, the UNHRC decided to create anAdvisory Committee to provide expert advice.[19]The

Advisory Committee has eighteen members. Thosemembers are distributed as follows: five from African states; five from Asian states;

three from Latin American and Caribbean States;

three from Western European and other states;

and two members from Eastern European states.[20]
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Complaint Procedure

On 18 June 2007, the UNHRC adopted Resolution

5/1 to establish a Complaint Procedure.

The Complaint Procedure: of gross and reliably

attested violations of all human rights and all

fundamental freedoms occurring in any part ofthe world and under any circumstances.

Two working groups make up the Complaint

Procedure: the Working Group on Communications (WGC) and

the Working Group on Situations (WGS).


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The WGC consists of five independent and highlyqualified experts, and is geographically

representative of the five regions represented bythe Human Rights Council (Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, andWestern Europe and Others).

The Advisory Committee designates the WGC'sexperts from among its members. The expertsserve for three years with the possibility of onerenewal.

The experts determine whether a complaintdeserves investigation. If a complaint deservesinvestigation, the WGC passes the complaint tothe WGS.


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The Working Group on Situations The WGS comprises five members appointed by the

regional groups from among the States member of theCouncil for the period of one year (mandate renewableonce).

meets twice a year for a period of five working days inorder to examine the communications transferred to it by

the Working Group on Communications, including thereplies of States thereon, as well as the situations which theCouncil is already seized of under the complaint procedure.

The Working Group on Situations, on the basis of theinformation and recommendations provided by the

Working Group on Communications, presents the Councilwith a report on consistent patterns of gross and reliablyattested violations of human rights and fundamentalfreedoms and makes recommendations to the Council onthe course of action to take.


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Special Procedures

"Special procedures" is the name givento themechanisms established by the former United NationsCommission on Human Rightsand continued by theHuman Rights Council to monitor human rights

violations in specific countries or examine globalhuman rights issues.

Special procedures can be either individuals (called"Special Rapporteurs", "Special Representatives"or"Independent Experts") who are leading expertsin a

particular area of human rights, or working groupsusually composed of five members.

In order to preserve their independence they do notreceive pay for their work.
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29 thematic and 13 country mandates

Various activities can be undertaken by specialprocedures, including responding to individualcomplaints, conducting studies, providing advice ontechnical cooperation, and engaging in promotional

activities. The special mechanisms are categorised according to

thematic mandates and country mandates.

Currently, there are 29 thematic and 13 country

mandates under special procedures.[24]

The Office of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Human Rightsprovides staffing and logisticalsupport to aid each mandate-holder in carrying out

their work.
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Special procedures include Working Groups

During its first session (1930 June 2006), the HumanRights Council decided to extend the specialprocedures mandates for one year, subject to furtherreview.

An intergovernmental working group has beenestablished to assess the mandates and makerecommendations for improving their effectiveness.

Special procedures also include Working Groups made

up of legal experts who monitor and investigatespecific human rights concerns. There are currentlyfour such groups:


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There are currently four such groups:

Working Group on people of African descent

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary

Disappearances

Working Group on the use of mercenaries to

impede the right of peoples to self-

determination
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Special Procedure candidates In 2008, The Human Rights Council elected 18

experts to make up its new Advisory Committee. In addition, The Council also approved

candidates for its Special Procedures on:

the right to adequate housing,

the right to food, human rights of indigenous people, sale of children, effects of economic reform policies,

human rights in Myanmar, human rights in thePalestinian territories,

human rights and extreme poverty, contemporaryforms of slavery,

arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, peopleof African descent, human rights in Somalia and

human rights defenders

list of appointed candidates:


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list of appointed candidates:

Raquel Rolnik (Brazil), Special Rapporteur on the right to

adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate

standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination inthis context

Olivier de Schutter (Belgium), Special Rapporteur on the right

to food

James Anaya (United States), Special Rapporteur on thesituation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of

indigenous people

Najat M'jid Maala (Morocco), Special Rapporteur on the sale

of children, child prostitution and child pornography Cephas Lumina (Zambia), Independent Expert on the effects

of economic reform policies and foreign debt on the full

enjoyment of human rights, particularly economic, social and

cultural rights
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Thomas Ojea Quintana (Argentina), Special Rapporteuron the situation of human rights in Myanmar;

Richard Falk(United States), Special Rapporteur on the

situation of human rights in the "Disputed PalestinianTerritories."

Maria Magdalenan Sepulveda (Chile), IndependentExpert on the question of human rights and extremepoverty

Gulnara Shahinian (Armenia), Special Rapporteur oncontemporary forms of slavery, including its causes andconsequences.[26]

[edit

Special Rapporteur on Freedom of
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Special Rapporteur on Freedom of

Expression An amendment to the duties of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of

Expression, passed by the Human Rights Council on 28 March 2008. Theadditional duty is phrased thus:

(d) To report on instances in which the abuse of the right of freedom ofexpression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination, commentNo. 15 of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of RacialDiscrimination,

which stipulates that theprohibition of the dissemination of all ideasbased upon racial superiority or hatred is compatible with the freedom ofopinion and expression
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Special Rapporteur

In terms of the finally cast votes, this was far from the

most controversial of the 36 resolutions adapted by the7'th session of the Council.

The highest dissents concerned combating defamationof religions, with 21 votes for, 10 against, and 14

abstentions (resolution 19, pp. 9197), and the continued severe condemnation of and

appointment of a Special Rapporteur for North Korea,with votes 227 and 18 abstentions (resolution 15,pp. 7880).[32]

There were also varying degrees of dissent for most ofthe various reports criticising Israel

the rather severe criticism of Myanmar(resolutions 31and 32).,[29]andthe somewhat less severe on Sudan

(resolution 16).

[32]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea


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Universal Periodic Review A key component of the Council consists in a periodic

review of all 193 UN member states, called the

Universal Periodic Review(UPR). The new mechanism is based on reports coming from

different sources, one of them being contributionsfrom NGOs. Each country's situation will be examined

during a three-hour debate. The second half of the complete UPR cycle will take

place until 2011,[37]after which the status of theHuman Rights Council will be reviewed by the GeneralAssembly.[38]

The Universal Periodic Review is an evolving process;the Council, after the conclusion of the first reviewcycle, may review the modalities and the periodicity ofthis mechanism, based on best practices and lessonslearned.[39]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Council_Universal_Periodic_Reviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Ros-Lehtinenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obamahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ileana_Ros-Lehtinenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Council_Universal_Periodic_Review


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This document was elaborated by theIntergovernmental Working Group, open to all,mandated to develop the follow-up terms andconditions of the UPR procedure and give full effect to

Decision 1/103 of the Human Rights Council. The following terms and procedures were set out:

Reviews are to occur over a four-year period (48countries per year). Accordingly, the 192 countries that

are members of the United Nations shall normally allhave such a "review" between 2008 and 2011;


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The order of review should follow the principles ofuniversality and equal treatment;

All Member States of the Council will be reviewedwhile they sit at the Council and the initial members of

the Council will be first;

The selection of the countries to be reviewed mustrespect the principle of equitable geographicalallocation;

The first Member States and the first observatoryStates to be examined will be selected randomly ineach regional group in order to guarantee fullcompliance with the equitable geographical allocation.

Reviews shall then be conducted alphabetically.


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Similar mechanisms exist in other organizations:International Atomic Energy Agency, Council of Europe,International Monetary Fund, Organization of AmericanStates, International Labour Bureau and the World TradeOrganization.[40]

Except for the tri-annual reports on development of humanrights policies, that Member States have to submit to theSecretary General since 1956, the Human Rights CouncilUPR procedure constitutes a first in the area.

It marks the end of the discrimination that had plagued thework of the Human Rights Commission and had caused it tobe harshly criticised.

Finally, this mechanism demonstrates and confirms theuniversal nature of human rights.

O i
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Overview As of 2010, Israel had been condemned in 32

resolutions by the Council since its creation in 2006.

The 32 resolutions comprised 48.1% of all resolutionspassed by the Council.[41]

By April 2007, the Council had passed nine resolutionscondemning Israel, the only country which it had

specifically condemned.[42]

Toward Sudan, a countrywith human rights abuses as documented by theCouncil's working groups, it has expressed "deepconcern.".[42]

The council voted on 30 June 2006 tomake a review of

alleged human rights abuses by Israela permanentfeature of every council session.

The Council's special rapporteur on the Israeli-Palestinian conflictis its only expert mandate with noyear of expiry
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The resolution, which was sponsored by Organisation of the IslamicConference, passed by a vote of 29 to 12 with five abstentions.

Human Rights Watchurged it to look at international human rights

and humanitarian law violations committed by Palestinianarmedgroups as well.

Human Rights Watch called on the Council to avoid the selectivitythat discredited its predecessor and urged it to hold special sessionson other urgent situations, such as that in Darfur.[43]

The Special Rapporteuron the question of Palestine to the previousUNCHR, the current UNHRC and the General Assembly was,between 2001 and 2008, John Dugard. Bayefski quotes him assaying that his mandate is to "investigate human rights violations byIsrael only, not by Palestinians".[44

Dugard was replaced in 2008 with Richard Falk, who has compared

Israel's treatment of Palestinians with the Nazis' treatment of Jewsduring the Holocaust.[45][46][47]Like his predecessor, Falk's mandateonly covers Israels human rights record.[48]
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The UNHRC President Doru Costea responded: "I agreewith him. The functioning of the Council must be constantlyimproved." He added that the Council must examine thebehaviour of all parties involved in complex disputes andnot place just one state under the magnifying glass.

January 2008 decree The Council released a statement calling on Israel to stop its

military operations in the Gaza Strip and to open the Strip'sborders to allow the entry of food, fuel and medicine. TheCouncil adopted the resolution by a vote of 30 to 1. 15

states abstained. "We believe that this council should deplore the fact that

innocent civilians on both sides are suffering," SlovenianAmbassador Andrej Logar said on behalf of the seven EUstates on the council.

h
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March 2011 controversy

At the UNHRC's opening session in February

2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

criticized the council's "structural bias" against

the State of Israel: "The structural bias against Israelincluding a

standing agenda item for Israel, whereas all other

countries are treated under a common itemis

wrong. And it undermines the important work we

are trying to do together."[67]
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Chair of the United States House Committeeon Foreign AffairsRep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen(R)said she will propose legislation making U.S.

funding for the U.N. contingent on extensivereform.

Her bill will also call for the U.S. to withdrawfrom the UNHRC, as "Israel is the only country

on the council's permanent agenda, whileabuses by rogue regimes like Cuba, China, andSyria are ignored."[69]
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'Combating defamation of religions'.[

On 24 November 2008, during the Sixty-third Session,the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social,Humanitarian & Cultural) approved a resolutionentitled 'Combating defamation of religions'.

The resolution requests "the Secretary-General tosubmit a report on the implementation of the presentresolution, including on the possible correlationbetween defamation of religions and the upsurge inincitement, intolerance and hatred in many parts of the

world, to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourthsession."

85 states voted in favour of the resolution; 50 statesvoted against the resolution; 42 states abstained.
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." The United States said that defamation ofreligion is a fundamentally flawed concept.

Sweden, for the European Union, argued thatinternational human rights law protects

individuals, not institutions or religions. France insisted that the UN must not afford legal

protection to systems of belief.

Syria criticized the "typical and expected Western

silence" on "acts of religious discrimination." Syria said "in real terms defamation means

targeting Muslims."[39]
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2010

In March 2010, Pakistan again broughtforward a resolution entitled "Combating

defamation of religions" on behalf of theOIC.[2]

The UNHRC passed the resolution on 25March 2010 with 20 members voting infavour; 17 members voting against; 8abstaining; and 2 absent
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2011 In March, 2011, the UN Human Rights Councilhas shifted

from protecting beliefs to protection of believers in itsresolution.[45]

In July, 2011, the UN Human Rights Committeereleased a52-paragraph statement, General Comment 34, concerningfreedoms of opinion and expression. According toparagraph 48,

"Prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion orother belief system including blasphemy laws, areincompatible with the Covenant, except in the specificcircumstances envisaged in article 20, paragraph 2, of theCovenant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Human_Rights_Councilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Committeehttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/GC34.pdfhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/GC34.pdfhttp://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/GC34.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Human_Rights_Committeehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Human_Rights_Council


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Environmental protection Environmentalprotectionis a practice of

protecting the environment, on individual,organizational or governmental levels, for thebenefit of the natural environment and (or)humans.

Due to the pressures of population andtechnology, the biophysical environmentis beingdegraded, sometimes permanently.

This has been recognized, and governments have

begun placing restraints on activities that causedenvironmental degradation.

Since the 1960s, activismby the environmentalmovementhas created awareness of the various

environmental issues.
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Protection of the environment is needed from

various human activities. Waste, pollution,

loss of biodiversityand the introduction of

invasive speciesare some of the issuesrelating to environmental protection.
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Further discussion on approaches to

environmental protection is included on the

pages related to natural resource

management, environmental governanceandenvironmental law.

Ecosystems approach
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Ecosystems approach

An ecosystemsapproach to resource

management and environmental protection

aims to consider the complex

interrelationships of an entire ecosystem in

decision making rather than simply

responding to specific issues and challenges.

International environmental
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agreements

Many of the earths resources are especially

vulnerable because they are influenced by

human impacts across many countries.

As a result of this, many attempts are made

by countries to develop agreements that are

signed by multiple governments to prevent

damage or manage the impacts of humanactivity on natural resources.

Kyoto Protocol Commitment map 2010


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Kyoto Protocol Commitment map 2010


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This can include agreements that impact factors such

as climate, oceans, rivers and air pollution. These international environmental agreements are

sometimes legally binding documents that have legalimplications when they are not followed and, at other

times, are more agreements in principle or are for useas codes of conduct.

These agreements have a long history with somemultinational agreements being in place from as early

as 1910 in Europe, America and Africa.

[8]

Some of the most well-known multinationalagreements include: the Kyoto Protocol, ViennaConvention on the Protection of the Ozone LayerandRio Declaration on Development and Environment.
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The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) has identified 17 megadiverse countries.

The list includessix Latin Americancountries:Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peruand

Venezuela. Mexicoand Brazilstand out amongthe rest because they have the largest area,population and number of species.

These countries represent a major concern for

environmental protection because they have highrates cats of deforestation, ecosystems loss,pollution, and population growth.

Challenges in environmental
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gprotection

The main issues for developing countrieslikeBraziland Mexicoare that protected areas sufferfrom encroachment and poor management.

In Brazilchallenges caused by human impacts.Loggingand miningare potentially huge threats

to protected areas. Between 1998 and 2009, 12,204 km2 of forest

within protected areas was cleared, with 1,338mining titles being granted and 10,348 awaiting

approval . Developing countries need to allocate more

money from their budgets if they hope to addressthese problems in environmental protection.
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Position of the United States


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Position of the United States

In regard to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the

position of the United States is: "human rights have been acornerstone of American values since the country's birthand the United States is committed to support the work ofthe UN Commission in promoting the principles embodiedin the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[74

]

U.S. President George W. Bushdeclared that the UnitedStates would not seek a seat on the Council, saying it wouldbe more effective from the outside

He did pledge, however, to support the Councilfinancially.State Departmentspokesman Sean McCormacksaid, "We

will work closely with partners in the internationalcommunity to encourage the council to address seriouscases of human rights abuse in countries such as Iran, Cuba,Zimbabwe, Burma, Sudan, and North Korea."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McCormackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McCormackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Koreahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_McCormackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bushhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WEOG


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Spokesman Sean McCormack said the council has hada singular focus on Israel, while countries such asCuba, Myanmarand North Korea have been sparedscrutiny

The most senior Republicanmember of the ForeignAffairs Committeeof the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, supported theadministration decision. Rather than standing as a

strong defender of fundamental human rights, theHuman Rights Council has faltered as a weak voicesubject to gross political manipulation, she said.
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On 31 March 2009 the administration of

Barack Obamaannounced that it would

reverse the country's previous position and

would join the UNHRC;[80]New Zealand hasindicated its willingness not to seek election to

the council to make room for the United

States to run unopposed along with Belgiumand Norway for the WEOGseats.

Sexual exploitation reported by
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Sexual exploitation reported by

UN Watch a NGO

UN Watch, the World YWCA, and the World

Alliance of YMCAs published a statement against

sexual exploitation and child pornography.

"Today far too many children are sexuallyexploited and abused causing life-long damage.

More than two million children are exploited in

the multibillion-dollar sex industry each year and1.2 million children are trafficked annually", the

statement said.[77]
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Agence France-Pressehas described UN

Watch both as "a lobby group with strong ties

to Israel"[13]and as a group which

"champion[s] human rights worldwide
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Un Human Right Charter1

Documents

Transcript of Un Human Right Charter1