Quick glance-

• The UNHRC suspended Russia from its membership because of Russian military aggression in Bucha 
• The proposal was proposed by the US in the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The UNHRC suspended Russia as a step against Russia’s military aggression in Bucha. Bucha is a city in Ukraine where more than 300 people were found dead after Russian troops left the city. After the suspension, Russia withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council.

It is not only a step against Russia. A lot of economic sanctions were put on Russia by western countries. The UK will stop buying oil and coal from Russia by the end of 2022.

The UK government also banned exports of luxury goods to Russia. The US banned investments in Russia and put economic sanctions on family members of Russia. The airspace had been banned for Russia by the US, the UK, Canada, and the EU.

This proposal was introduced by the US in the UN General Assembly. India abstained from voting by saying that the Bucha massacre should be independently investigated before this voting.

However, India condemned these brutal killings of civilians while China openly voted against this US-backed proposal. Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were some other countries who joined India and abstained from the voting.

It is to be noted that before Russia, Libya was the only country to be suspended from the UNHRC in 2011.

What is United Nations?

World War I took place from 1914-1918. The war ended in 1918 by the Treaty of Versailles. After the end of this war, the League of Nations was formed on the proposal of US President Woodrow Wilson on 10th January 1920.

The headquarters of the League of Nations was in Geneva, Switzerland. The main objective of this group was to stop World War II and future wars between different countries and promote international trade, peace, and cooperation.

But this group failed. World War II took place from 1939-1945. Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler attacked Poland and Russia. After the end of World war II in 1945, US President Franklin D Roosevelt modified the League of Nations and he proposed the idea to form the UNO.

On 24th October 1945 in California US, it was formed by 51 countries. The headquarters of UNO was established in New York.

What are the official languages of the UN? 

In the UN there are 6 official languages. These are- 

• English 
• French 
• Chinese 
• Spanish 
• Russian 
• Arabic 

What are the organs of the UN?

1) General Assembly:

The General Assembly is a policy-making body of the UN. It is also known as ‘World Parliament’. It meets every year in the month of September. It is the only universally representative organ of the UN. All important topics of the world are discussed here.

The total member countries of the UN are 193. The most recent country which joined the UN was South Sudan in 2011. The Secretary General of the UN is Antonio Guterres who belongs to Portugal. 

 

2) Trusteeship Council:

It was established to guide 11 Trust territories on how to bring self- government or independence to their region. This Council was suspended on 1 November 1994 as 11 Trust Territories either attained self governance or joined neighboring independent countries. The last country to get independence under it was Palau.

3) International Court of Justice:

The International Court of Justice is also called the World’s Court. It is an autonomous body. This Court replaced the Permanent Court of International Justice, which was established in 1920 by the League of Nations.

Aim – This court was established with the aim to solve the legal disputes between the countries. It has advisory jurisdiction, which means its decisions are not binding on the countries.
Location of ICJ – Its seat is at Peace Palace in Hague, Netherlands.
Election – It is composed of 15 judges. The judges are elected by voting in the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. The 15 judges themselves elected the President and Vice President for 3 years by secret ballot.
Tenure– The tenure of each judge is 9 years. They are also eligible for reelection.

4) Secretariat:

It includes the Secretary-General and other staff members. The Secretary- General is appointed by the General Assembly for 5 years on the recommendations of UN Security Council.

It is responsible for managing the routine activities of the UN. The Secretary General of the UN is Antonio Guterres who belongs to Portugal. 

5) Economic and Social Council:

It works on three pillars – Economic, Social, Environment. The total members of this council are 54.

6) Security Council:

Its role is to maintain international peace. The Security Council has 15 members. Out of these 15 members, 5 are permanent and 10 are temporary. Permanent members have veto power. 10 temporary members are chosen for a period of 2 years by General Assembly voting.

Permanent Members of UNO:

• The USA 
• The UK 
• France 
• Russian Federation 
• China 

Current Temporary Members of UNO:

• Albania 
• Brazil 
• Gabon 
• Ghana 
• India 
• Ireland 
• Kenya 
• Mexico 
• Norway 
• United Arab Emirates  

What is the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council?

UNHRC is a body of the UN. The Human Rights Council was formed in 2006 by the UN General Assembly to promote human rights all over the world. The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva, Switzerland.

The total member countries of this body are 47. These countries are elected by UN General Assembly members. The tenure of each member country is 3 years. The seats are reserved for different groups according to their geographical distribution.

– 13 members from Asia Pacific Group

– 13 members from African Group

– 6 members from Eastern European Group

– 7 from Western European Group

– 8 from Latin America and Caribbean Group

In short, with the passage of time, this body of the UN somehow lost its relevance. The US, which proposed the suspension of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, was itself pulled back from this body by saying it ‘Biased’ in 2018, under the leadership of Donald Trump.