Diplomatic manoeuvres involved in the creation of the United Nations Human Rights Council

One of the cardinal objectives of establishing the United Nations after World War II was to promote and protect the human rights of all nationalities. This is reflected in the Preamble of the UN Charter which states that “We the peoples of the United Nations are determined ... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small”. On 15 March 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to replace the 60-year-old UN Commission on Human Rights with the Human Rights Council due to strong criticism of its tolerance of members known for their egregious human rights violations and its highly politicised composition, voting and functioning. This article seeks to examine the diplomatic manoeuvres employed by the UN hierarchy and the Swiss government that made the establishment of the new Human Rights Council possible.