What is the UN Human Rights Council?

Upholding Human Rights Around the Globe

Everything you wanted to know about international human rights violations law, and you were afraid to ask.

In its in-depth overview of the creation and functioning of the UN Human Rights Council Mr. Eric Tistounet, Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, explores the procedures and the history of the UN body. Mr. Tistounet was the first Secretary to the UN Human Rights Council when it was created in 2006. He has worked at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN agency for Human Rights, for nearly three decades — so knows the organization inside out.

In this book, with evocative metaphors on the history of the genesis and procedures of the Human Rights Council, Mr. Tistounet draws analogies with the workings of the human body, and how dissecting the human body was prohibited in the Middle Ages, yet knowledge in the medical arts could only advance when understanding of the human body, its function and systems, could became part of the education of physicians. It is definitely an interesting take, as the human body is also a living organism that does evolve and grow.

UN Member States, as well as the multiple stakeholders who participate in the sessions and discussions in Geneva, from private sector actors to NGOs to scholars in the field of Human Rights, look up to the Human Rights Council when they seek clear guidance in matters of human rights violations, and want to develop a solid base for policies and domestic legal frameworks.

The book examines changes and aims to clarify the various procedures. The world is increasingly interconnected, thank you to the Internet information travels fast and human rights violations perpetrators, either a State or individuals can be held accountable through these international mechanisms. Victims of human rights violations come to present cases through the HRC when they need support to address violations that are at first reported in their home countries, but that most often fall on deaf ears, or are swept under the rug of History.

As reports of human rights violations are increasing worldwide the demand for the Human Rights Council has skyrocketed. And not only because the very definition of what constitutes a human rights violation is better understood by governments, businesses, and civil society. But because civil unrest, proxy wars, and now a global pandemic — coupled with the extreme weather events of the last decades — continue to create population displacements at a massive scale, creating the perfect storm and a breeding ground for human rights violations.

I interviewed Eric Tistounet, the author of this comprehensive, thorough, guide that dissects the workings of the UN Human Rights Council, explains its foundation, how it came to be, and how its procedures have been streamlined, and how they evolved.

This timely publication is addressed to diplomats, private sector partners, NGOs, the news media, and anyone who participates or will participate in the Human Rights Council sessions and proceedings in Geneva, and who work preparing and reviewing the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPRs) of UN country-members legal frameworks, to monitor the progress they make respecting and adopting international law.

Students of International Relations, International Human Rights Law, and Comparative Politics will find this guide essential to understand the evolution of political thought in the realm of Human Rights, and how institutions such as the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and its country-members, through the open processes of multilateralism, can shape civil, international, and criminal law.

This is an in-depth review of the challenges present when developing and fleshing out the HRC rules and mandates, the horizon ahead and how successes were achieved, written in an accessible language for those who want to understand the complexities and the evolution of the Human Rights Council, by the person who has steered its course and helped shape its structure.

Created in 2006, the Human Rights Council has expanded to accommodate requests for inquiry on allegations of human rights abuses, to provide guidelines for countries to improve their human rights legal framework, and much more.

Watch my interview with Eric Tistounet to learn more about the objectives of the Human Rights Council, why are UPRs an indispensable mechanism for nations to advance their human rights agenda, and the role of interactions between governments. Hear how NGOs, the private sector, and social media platforms added layers to the work of the HRC, and in which ways the digital transformation of our societies is impacting the work of the Human Rights Council. Watch:

To purchase the book go to Elgar Publishing

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