Diplomatic manoeuvres involved in the creation of the United Nations Human Rights Council

  • Michael C. Ogwezzy

Izvleček

One of the cardinal objectives of establishing the United Nations

after World War II was to promote and protect the human

rights of all nationalities. This is reflected in the Preamble of the

UN Charter which states that “We the peoples of the United Nations

are determined ... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human

rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal

rights of men and women and of nations large and small”. On 15

March 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to replace

the 60-year-old UN Commission on Human Rights with the

Human Rights Council due to strong criticism of its tolerance of

members known for their egregious human rights violations and

its highly politicised composition, voting and functioning. This article

seeks to examine the diplomatic manoeuvres employed by

the UN hierarchy and the Swiss government that made the establishment

of the new Human Rights Council possible.

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