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The ongoing inaugural session of the new United Nations Human Rights Council marks a turning point in the global pursuit of human rights. Forty-seven members of the council are meeting in Geneva until June 30 to decide on operational procedures. It is hoped that the political will to create the new council will be translated into the action required to build a strong and efficient organization dealing with this important issue. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for "a clean break from the past" and a "new era." Political confrontation paralyzed the Human Rights Commission, the council's predecessor. Whether the new council will succeed or fail hinges on how it handles its divisions. The council can only function in a constructive way if all members are treated equally, and mutual trust is displayed between countries with different political systems, ideologies and development levels. All countries, be they large or small, should be treated fairly and equally when their human rights records are reviewed. The history, culture and religions of all nations should be equally respected. Hopefully, the new council will not suffer from the confrontation and distrust that pervaded the Human Rights Commission. The council should not be a venue for political point scoring or petty maneuvering. The creation of the new council was a major plank of Annan's UN reform package, which was endorsed by the World Summit at the UN headquarter in New York in September last year. A number of features will make the new council stronger and more effective than the Human Rights Commission. These include its higher status as a subsidiary body of the General Assembly, its increased number of meetings and an examination of the human rights records of its own members. The council will meet three times a year for a total of 10 weeks, almost double the time the commission sat, and members can convene special sessions to respond quickly to crisis situations. Peace, sustainable development and tolerance are the prerequisites for enjoying human rights. The five-point proposal Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi put forward at Tuesday's session appealed for greater importance to be attached to massive violations of human rights caused by armed conflicts and poverty. The council should express greater concern over the rights and interests of vulnerable groups such as women, children, the disabled, migrant workers and ethnic minorities. The council is an attempt by the UN to better respond to changing realities. A clear code of conduct is required in order to improve the credibility, fairness and efficiency of the council. (China Daily June 22, 2006)
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