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"The Human Rights Council functions" [2020] ELECD 414; in Tistounet, Eric (ed), "The UN Human Rights Council" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020) 29

Book Title: The UN Human Rights Council

Editor(s): Tistounet, Eric

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 2

Section Title: The Human Rights Council functions

Number of pages: 66

Abstract/Description:

The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism and the framework that provides support, shape and protection to the organs. By furthering the analogy to a biological anatomy, this chapter aims to analyse the fundamental structure of the Council and its mechanisms. This will consist of a quasi-dissection of the multiple functions of the Council. It will also include a rapid and fragmentary discussion of what the author considers as one of the main weaknesses or deficiencies of the Commission, as this is the body that preceded the Council and built the foundations upon which it was built. The text will also show how some of these weaknesses have been corrected. This will be done against the background of decrypting the multilayered structure of the intergovernmental human rights machinery. The General Assembly Resolution 60/251 spells out the Council’s functions and terms of reference. However, being the result of intense and arduous negotiations, the text is rather brief and includes a number of provisions which had to be clarified by the Council in the Institutions Building Package1 and its own practice.