The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year. It meets at the UN Office at Geneva. The Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council replaced the former United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

The Council was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251. Its first session took place from 19 to 30 June One year later, the Council adopted its "Institution-building package" to guide its work and set up its procedures and mechanisms. Among them were the Universal Periodic Review mechanism which serves to assess the human rights situations in all United Nations Member States, the Advisory Committee which serves as the Council’s “think tank” providing it with expertise and advice on thematic human rights issues and the Complaint Procedure which allows individuals and organizations to bring human rights violations to the attention of the Council. The Human Rights Council also works with the UN Special Procedures established by the former Commission on Human Rights and now assumed by the Council. These are made up of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and working groups that monitor, examine, advise and publicly report on thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries. CREATION.

V. MONITORING TREATY COMPLIANCE.

There are several UN bodies that have been created by treaties rather than the UN Charter. These treaty-based bodies monitor States Parties’ compliance with the treaties through annual country reporting. The bodies provide other avenues of redress in addition to the UNHRC Universal Periodic Review, Complaint Procedure and Special Procedures. There are currently ten human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties ( it was seven before) and most may consider complaints or communications from individuals. It is important to note that treaty monitoring bodies have no authority to make law and that they issue non-binding recommendations to States Parties. Much of their influence stems from the fact that their recommendations often sound as if they had the power of law.

Subject to meeting certain admissibility criteria, anyone may bring a communication alleging a violation of treaty rights to the body of “independent experts” set up by optional protocols to a given treaty. These committee members are elected by States Parties to the treaty. They are tasked with monitoring implementation of the rights set forth in the treaties and with deciding on communications brought against those States. While there are some variations between the mechanisms, their design and operation are very similar. Crucially, the views and recommendations of the treaty monitoring bodies are not binding and the monitoring bodies do not have judicial authority, despite the often misleading claims of some groups that would like to confer more power on the committees than they actually possess.

As we know; the Human Rights Committee (HRC) monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). All parties that have signed and ratified the treaty are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented – usually a report every four years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “Concluding Observations.” In addition to the reporting procedure, article 41 of the ICCPR provides for the Committee to consider inter-State complaints. The Committee meets in Geneva or New York and normally holds three sessions per year. The Committee also publishes its interpretation of the content of human rights provisions, known as “General Comments,” on thematic issues or its methods of work.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). All parties that have signed and ratified the treaty are obliged to submit regular reports to the committee on how the rights are being implemented – usually a report every five years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations.” The Committee also publishes its interpretation of the provisions of the ICESCR, known as General Comments. In 2008, the General Assembly adopted an Optional Protocol to ICESCR that gives the Committee competence to receive and consider individual complaints. The Optional Protocol has been open for signature since The Committee meets in Geneva and normally holds two sessions per year, consisting of a three-week plenary and a one-week pre-sessional working group.

Established in 1982, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW committee) monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. All parties that have signed and ratified the treaty are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented – usually a report every four years. The CEDAW committee is composed of 23 experts on women’s issues from around the world and meets three times per year. As well as the country reports, CEDAW also publishes general recommendations based on its interpretation of the Convention. Although the Convention does not at all mention abortion, the CEDAW committee subject Article 12 of the Convention (eliminating discrimination against women in the field of health care) to temerarious interpretations in order to promote abortion globally. In fact, one report published in 2010 documented that the CEDAW committee had pressured 83 Member States into liberalizing abortion laws in the fifteen-year period from 1995 to 2010.

There are ten human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties: Human Rights Committee (CCPR) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee against Torture (CAT) Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED)

VI. THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United Nations. The High Commissioner heads OHCHR and leads the United Nations' human rights efforts. working objectively, to educate and take action to empower individuals and assist States in upholding human rights. Also consider as a part of the United Nations Secretariat with our headquarters in Geneva. OHCHR’s thematic priorities are strengthening international human rights mechanisms; enhancing equality and countering discrimination; combating impunity and strengthening accountability and the rule of law; integrating human rights in development and in the economic sphere; widening the democratic space; and early warning and protection of human rights in situations of conflict, violence and insecurity. As well to support the work of the United Nations human rights mechanisms, including the treaty bodies established to monitor State Parties' compliance with the core international human rights treaties and the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. We, promote the right to development, coordinate United Nations human rights education and public information activities, and strengthen human rights across the United Nations system. We work to ensure the enforcement of universally recognized human rights norms, including through promoting both the universal ratification and implementation of the major human rights treaties and respect for the rule of law.

We have an office at United Nations headquarters in New York and offices in numerous countries and regions. In addition to the Executive Office of the High Commissioner and a number of units that report to the Deputy High Commissioner, (Ms. Kate Gilmore ). OHCHR has four major divisions: 1. The Research and Right to Development Division (RRDD) is responsible for thematic research and policy development, human rights mainstreaming across all work areas of the United Nations system, development of tools and learning packages and provision of expertise to a variety of stakeholders on a wide range of human rights themes. 2. The Human Rights Treaties Division (HRTD) is responsible for supporting the work of the 10 human rights treaty bodies that are mandated to monitor national-level implementation of international human rights treaties. STRUCTURE.

3. The Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division (FOTCD) supports the work of human rights field presences and leads OHCHR engagement with countries on human rights issues. 4. The Human Rights Council and Special Procedures Division (HRCSPD) provides substantive and organizational support to the Human Rights Council, its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, special procedures and other subsidiary bodies. As well as sections of Executive Direction and Management are responsible for core administrative, programming, coordination and outreach functions, including in relation to civil society.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein New United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein assumed his functions as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 1 September 2014, following the General Assembly’s approval on 16 June 2014 of his appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General. He will be the seventh individual to lead the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the first Asian, Muslim and Arab to do so. A veteran multilateral diplomat, Zeid was previously Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, a post he held from September 2010 until July 2014, and which he also held from 2000 to From 2007 to 2010 he was Jordan’s Ambassador to the United States of America. He served as Jordan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, with the rank of Ambassador, from 1996 to In January 2014, he was President of the UN Security Council and chaired the Security Council’s 1533 and 1521 committees with regard to two sanctions regimes regarding the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia. WHO IS THE HIGH COMMISSIONER?

Zeid holds a Bachelor of Arts from The Johns Hopkins University and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Cambridge University (Christ’s College). On 14 June 2008, he was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the Southern California Institute of Law for his work on international justice. In 1989, he also received his commission as an officer in the Jordanian desert police (the successor to the Arab Legion) and saw service with them until

VII. APPRAISAL.

 The goal of this appraisal to estimate the developments in the United Nations to secure human rights.  What are the achievements in this aspect?  Declarations & treaties.  Variety of institutions, committees, and procedures.  The record of valuations of human rights.  Serious criticism.