Nepal hails establishment of UN Human Rights Council

March 21, 2006
Nepal news
Original Source: http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/mar/mar21/news09.php
Nepal has welcomed the establishment of the Human Rights Council by the General Assembly of the United Nations last week.
In a statement on Monday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey said the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council is a positive step in advancing the reform process in the United Nations.” 
He said the Nepal government had from the very beginning been working with fellow UN member states for early creation of the Council. 
“The Council will be allowed to function in a fair, balanced and realistic manner, freeing it from being politicized by member nations,” minister Pandey assured.
On 15 March, UN’s member states at the General Assembly decided to establish the United Nations Human Rights Council dissolving the Commission on Human Rights.
Based in Geneva, the Council will start work from 19 June and its agenda would be finalised at the 62nd session of the Commission which resumed on Monday. The mandate of the Commission on Human Rights will end on 16 June.
As per the provisions of the Council, in addition to retaining some of the best elements of the Commission on Human Rights, such as the system of independent investigators and the broad participation of civil society, the new Human Rights Council will display some significant features, including that candidates for membership will have to make commitments on human rights; elected members will be first in line for scrutiny under a universal periodic review of their human rights records and members that commit gross and systematic violations of human rights may be suspended. 
Members will also be required to commit to cooperate with the Council and its various mechanisms. 
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal in a statement last week welcomed the formation of the Council, saying that its mandate in Nepal would not be hampered by the new establishment of the new rights body.