A new draft resolution was circulated Thursday among UN member states on the creation of the human rights council, which provides for the size and composition of the new body and the criteria for its membership.

 

But the draft again uses brackets while mentioning the method of electing the members of the human rights council, indicating that the difference in this regard persists among the 191 UN member states.

 

The developed countries, led by the US, have insisted that each member of the rights council needs to get the support of a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly, while the developing nations propose a simply majority.

 

Replacing the Geneva-based Commission on Human Rights with a human rights council is a major step to reform the UN human rights machinery agreed by world leaders at last September's summit in New York.

 

The latest draft provides that the council shall consist of 45 member states, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballots by the General Assembly. The seats shall be distributed among the five regional groups within the United Nations -- 12 for Africa, 13 for Asia, 5 for Eastern Europe, 8 for Latin America and 7 for Western Europe.

 

According to the draft, the council members can serve two consecutive three-year terms and their election shall be based on their contribution to the promotion of human rights. Countries that are under UN sanctions for human rights violations shall be excluded from the council.

 

The developed and developing camps had long been divided over the size of the council and the criteria for its membership. The General Assembly is scheduled to start informal discussions on the new draft next week.

 

General Assembly President Jan Eliasson of Sweden has pushed for agreement on the establishment of the human rights council in mid-February, before the human rights commission convenes its annual world conference in March.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2006)