Key Facts
Key Information
About
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was established in 1946 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) under Article 68 of the UN Charter as one of its first functional commissions. It consisted of 53 member states elected by ECOSOC for renewable three-year terms, with seats allocated by UN regional groups (e.g., in 2005: 15 African, 12 Asian, 5 Eastern European, 11 Latin American/Caribbean, 10 Western European/Others). Assisted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), it held annual sessions primarily in Geneva, Switzerland. Key achievements include drafting and overseeing adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948-12-10), establishing approximately 30 special procedures (special rapporteurs and working groups on country-specific or thematic issues like torture, arbitrary detention, disappearances), creating a Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (26 experts), and passing resolutions on genocide (e.g., 1986/18, 1994 Rwanda emergency session), apartheid, and ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia (1992). Notable chairs included Eleanor Roosevelt (USA, 1946-1952), Charles Malik (Lebanon, 1952), René Cassin (France, 1955-1956), and later Mike Smith (Australia, 2004), Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia, 2005), Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros (Peru, 2006). As a UN body responsible for human rights promotion and protection, it operated until 2006, when it was replaced by the UN Human Rights Council following UN General Assembly resolution on 2006-03-15; its final session was held on 2006-03-27.