From February 25 to March 22, 2013, the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) will convene in Geneva for its 22
nd Session. The Council, the world’s most representative intergovernmental human rights body, will have a huge amount of ground to cover this session, including a challenging array of country-specific human rights situations and more thematic based issues.
The Council will examine the human rights situation in North Korea, Iran, Syria, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, among others. Perhaps the issue that has received most attention is the Council’s anticipated debate on whether to establish an International Commission of Inquiry to examine the potential for crimes against humanity in
North Korea. In particular, recent reports of a vast and brutal concentration camp system operating in the country appear to have significantly energized calls for such a mechanism. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Japan, and the United States, and numerous civil society groups have all suggested the need for the Council to establish a commission during its upcoming session.
Moreover, when considering Iran, the Council will vote whether to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to monitor potential human rights violations in that country, even though Iran’s leadership has repeatedly refused to permit the Rapporteur to even enter the country. Nevertheless, the Rapporteur has been
active in interviewing Iranians and submitting hard-hitting reports on Iran’s human rights failures to the Council and UN General Assembly.
The situation in Syria, where an estimated
70,000 people have been killed, will also weigh heavily on the Council’s deliberations as UN Security Council members remain deadlocked on what to do about the ongoing conflict. A recent report from the Commission of Inquiry on Syria
suggested that both sides in the conflict could be responsible for war crimes.
Some Council members affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are also expected to bring up resolutions focusing on Israel, despite concerns the Council has focused disproportionately on the issue compared to other matters. Recently, Israel refused to
participate during its session for Universal Periodic Review—a mechanism whereby the human rights records of all UN members are evaluated—citing the Council’s bias.
Finally, thematically, the Council will consider a Norwegian initiative concerning the protection of human rights
defenders. Although sometimes overlooked, human rights defenders often find themselves on the front-lines of advancing human rights in countries and can face reprisals ranging from verbal harassment to state-sponsored physical attacks and beatings.
Fresh off its November 2012 resounding
reelection to the Council by the 193 members of the UN General Assembly, the United States, while working in collaboration with friends and allies on the Council, is expected to play a critical role in the organ’s discussions and ultimately, decision-making.
