The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions The Human Rights Council is a permanent United Nations body which aims to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. It was established in 2006 by General Assembly resolution 60/251 to replace the former Commission on Human Rights. It has a mandate to undertake its work based on the principles of equality, universality, objectivity and non-selectivity. The Human Rights Council is based in Geneva. It is composed of 47 member States elected by the General Assembly through a secret ballot. A State’s human rights record and any human rights voluntary pledges it has made are taken into account when members are elected to the Council. The former Commission on Human Rights was a subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council, while the Human Rights Council is a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly. This has elevated the status of the Human Rights Council within the United Nations system. NHRIs that have been accredited as complying with the Paris Principles (“A status”) have been recognized with the following participation rights in the Human Rights Council: • Separate accreditation status (different from States and NGOs) • The right to speak under all items on the agenda • The right to speak immediately after the State during the interactive dialogue • The right to make written statements for inclusion in the official record of meetings • The use of video conference to address the interactive dialogue • Dedicated seating. The Human Rights Council provides a number of mechanisms with which NHRIs can engage, including: • The universal periodic review • The special procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples (discussed in Chapter 13) • The complaints procedure • The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (discussed in Chapter 13) • The Social Forum. Opening of the 21st session of the Human Rights Council. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré. 102 | Chapter 11: The Human Rights Council