Human Rights Council resolutions

Since the Human Rights Council was established there has been a huge increase in the number of resolutions adopted by the body (from around 30 in 2006 to over 100 in 2012). This represents a significant drain on resources and yet, no prior analysis had been undertaken of what this trend means, whether it has resulted in better human rights protection on the ground, whether it is sustainable, and what steps can be taken to make UN human rights resolutions more effective. This project therefore looked to record and analyse trends vis-à-vis Council resolutions, make sense of those trends and predict future changes. It analysed the different models of resolutions, what tools they use to promote human rights (e.g. commissioning OHCHR reports, convening panel debates in the Council) and whether different resolutions were designed to have an impact on the ground.

The outcome report of this URG study seeks to provide policy advice for making the development of Council resolutions more sustainable and more effective in the future.