The Human Rights Council a step in the right direction

In its session on 15 March 2006 in New York, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution creating the Human Rights Council. "This is a significant step contributing to the strengthening of international human rights", says Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.

According to Tuomioja, the establishment of the Human Rights Council reflects the UN World Summit's will to create a more permanent and stronger system to succeed the existing UN Commission on Human Rights.

The first Council elections are scheduled to take place in May. Finland is interested in membership of the new Council.

The Human Rights Council will continue the valuable work undertaken during the past six decades by the UN Commission on Human Rights, which has, for example, developed international human rights agreements. The new Human Rights Council will be a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly and of a more permanent nature than its predecessor, which is why it can better monitor human rights situations throughout the year.

It is also now more clearly than earlier stated that the States seeking membership of the new Council are required to commit themselves to full respect for human rights. The EU has stated that its Member States will not cast their votes for a candidate on which sanctions have been imposed by the Security Council for human rights -related reasons. In addition, a State's membership of the Council may be suspended if the State commits gross and systematic violations of human rights.

The establishment of the Human Rights Council was adopted by a large majority of votes: 170 in favour with four against and three abstentions. Even though, in certain respects, the EU would have liked an even stronger Council, the resolution proposed by the President of the General Assembly Jan Eliasson is a satisfactory compromise, which provides a basis for strengthening the protection of human rights.

The work of the Human Rights Council will be outlined in more detail in the course of the next few months. During its Presidency of the EU, Finland will try to see that the Council's work will meet the expectations set by the UN General Assembly. The Heads of State or Government, convening in New Your in September 2005, decided to raise human rights by the side of security and development as the primary task of the UN, and the role of the new Council should be viewed in this light. Human rights are universal and the international multilateral system plays a key role in the protection of these rights. Finland has undertaken to strengthen this role.