OBSERVATION
1. Human Rights Council
1
Composition and elections
The Human Rights Council has 47 members, who are elected by the United Nations General Assembly. The seats are distributed geographically, so as to guarantee an equitable representation of the regions of the world. Member states are elected for three-year terms, and they are not eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.
2
Regular sessions
The Human Rights Council holds three regular sessions a year, each session lasting about four weeks. These sessions take place in March, June and September. During the sessions, members of the Council consider various human rights issues, including national reports of States, crisis situations, specific themes and emerging concerns.
3
Working mechanisms
The Human Rights Council has several working mechanisms to fulfill its functions. One of the most important mechanisms is the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), as explained earlier, which assesses the human rights situation in each member state. In addition to the UPR, the Council sets up special rapporteurs, working groups and independent experts to investigate specific human rights issues in different countries or regions.