FAQ

Russia suspended from UN Human Rights Council

Tags: Russia-Ukraine International Relations

The United Nations General Assembly on 7 April 2022, suspended Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council over reports of "gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights" in Ukraine.

• The United States moved this resolution after Ukraine accused Russian troops of killing dozens of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha.

• In Retaliation Russia announced that it was quitting the United Nation Human Rights Council. 

• The United States led resolution in the United Nations General Assembly needed two-thirds majority of voting members in the 193-member General Assembly. The resolution was passed with 93 Votes in favour, 24 countries voted against the resolution and 58 countries including India abstained.  

• The United Nation Human Rights Council has 47 members and Russia was in its second year of a three-year term. The United Nation General Assembly has the power to end the suspension but that cannot happen now as Russia has quit the council.

• In 2018 the United States also quit the Human Rights Council alleging that the council was biased against Israel and a lack of reform. It was later re-elected to the council last year. 

• Libya was suspended in 2011 because of violence against protesters by forces loyal to then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.

• The Human Rights Council does not have the power to make legally binding decisions . It can at best authorize investigation into cases of alleged Human Rights violation in the member countries .

• In the month of February 2022, it  opened an investigation into allegations of rights violations including possible war crimes, in Ukraine.

• The Russian government has warned that countries which voted in favour of the resolution or abstained will be seen as an unfriendly gesture" with consequences for bilateral ties.

What is United Nations Human Rights Council

 The United Nations Human Rights Council was set up by the United Nation General Assembly in 2006. It replaced the United Nations Commission  Human Rights which was set up in 1946.

Main Functions 

As it names suggest it was set up to ;

• Strengthen  the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe;

•  for addressing situations of human rights violations and makes recommendations on them.;

• It discusses human rights issues and situations around the world .

Members 

It has 47 members who are elected for three years by the United National General Assembly. The membership is distributed among regions. 13 members come from Asia and 13 from Africa , 6 come from East Europe, 7 from Western Europe and other groups  and 8 from South America and Caribbean countries.

Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland 

President : Federico Villegras  of Argentina.