About the Human Rights Council (HRC)

What is the Human Rights Council?

The Human Rights Council (HRC) is an intergovernmental body, an organ of the UN General Assembly, that meets in Geneva three times per year (three to four weeks each time) and is responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. It plays an important role in strengthening the promotion and protection of older people’s rights.

What does the Human Rights Council do?

The Human Rights Council is the main body within the United Nations that is responsible for human rights. UN officials and mandated experts, states, civil society, and other participants meet to discuss human rights issues and adopt resolutions or decisions that express the will of the international community on these issues.

How is the Human Rights Council structured?

The Human Rights Council consists of 47 Member States elected directly and individually by a majority of the 193 states of the UN General Assembly. Each member of the Council serves for three years, and membership representation from each regional group is distributed equitably. The Human Rights Council Bureau consists of a president and four vice-presidents that are elected each year by the Members of the Human Rights Council. The Bureau oversees the meetings and handles correspondence with Member States.

• Current president: Ambassador Omar Zniber (Morocco)
• Current vice-presidents: Ambassadors Febrian Ruddyard (Indonesia), Darius Staniulis (Lithuania), Marcela Maria Arias Moncada (Honduras), Heidi Schroderus-Fox (Finland)

How does the Human Rights Council address older persons’ rights?

The Human Rights Council has already completed work on the rights of older persons, including establishing the mandate of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, resolutions calling for a Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on the rights of older persons, and resolutions calling for an Expert meeting on the human rights obligations of Member States regarding violence against, abuse and neglect of older persons.

View this document for more information on why it is important for GAROP to focus on advocacy at the Human Rights Council.

Where can I find more information?

Official HRC site: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/about-council#:~:text=Seats%20are%20equitably%20distributed%20among,have%20served%20as%20Council%20members.