UN Human Rights Council

Explanation :

Context: Recently, the U.S. has announced plans to reengage with the UN Human Rights Council that former President Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago.

Explanation:

• The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was established by the UN General Assembly on 15 March, 2006 to replace the UN Commission on Human Rights.
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Council is made up of 47 United Nations Member States which are elected by the UN General Assembly.
• These members are elected yearly by the General Assembly for staggered three-year terms. Members are selected via the basis of equitable geographic rotation using the United Nations regional grouping system. Members are eligible for re-election for one additional term, after which they must relinquish their seat.
• The seats are distributed along the following lines:
  • 13 for the African Group
  • 13 for the Asia-Pacific Group
  • 6 for the Eastern European Group
  • 8 for the Latin American and Caribbean Group
  • 7 for the Western European and Others Group
• The UNHRC holds regular sessions three times a year, in March, June, and September.
• The UNHRC passes non-binding resolutions on human rights issues through a periodic review of all 193 UN member states called the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
• The new mechanism is based on reports coming from different sources, one of them being contributions from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
• The first cycle of the UPR took place between 2008 and 2011,[42] the second cycle between 2012 and 2016, and the third cycle began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2021.