60 years of defending what human rights,it was a farce from the very begining,and the new body will not make much difference,the SUPER POWER,and its sidekicks will still DICTATE,the yes and nos,and human rights will still remain just a name.

KAROOSON, I too am cynical about how well this new council will go.
Human Right abuses will continue as they do this very minute somewhere on the globe and in this nation.

Whilst I do know how men in suites making HR resolutions at the UN actually has an impact on the lives of those who desparately need HR protection, I do believe we need something somewhere that sets standards and monitors our HR's.

Perhaps if those who make a career within the myrad of UN funded research quangos did more than engage in never ending semantic wargame with HR UN policy and got down and dirty something would change?

I live in hope.

I am sure that this new council will not invite any of the rogue states that are the biggest Human rights abusers with the Chinese communist regime being the biggest abuser on all accounts.

This will speak volumes to the rest of the world and the western Governments will have to openly admit and change their policy on trading and supplying China with uranium for instance??

For years since 1989 the Chinese communist regime has been hiding behind the acceptance of their member ship in the United Nations; Hiding behind the glory and acceptance of the Olympic Games Committee; lying to the World health organisation about SARS Aids and now the bird Flu and now winning our governments over by bribery in trade.

It certainly shows that whoever and whatever murders liars torturers infiltrate they soon bring ruin upon that organisation government and nation .

Jana banana, yes indeed!

Those who believe that change can only come about through economic engagement and trade turn a blind eye to the blood that is on hands they are shaking and making deals with. China is one, America is another and we can also be implicated.

Some argue that the Olympic games will be an opportunity to enact some load speaker diplomacy on HR.

This new HR council will need to be very frank about its ability to politically mobilise itself.

It cannot rely on its self proclaimed role as a Global/UN/HR voice & authority and voice on HR if all it can do shout loudly at governments that won't listen - and then throw its arms up in dismay etcetera.

All the covenants that our nation has been signatory too have proved to be a totol waste of time. Refugees, Australians with full citizenship here and abroad, and decades of Human Rights abuses of Indigenous people are illustrative of how benign and useless these declarations from the UN are.

Only domestic governments, elected by the people, for the people will enact change.
Only when the UN is a body elected by the people of the world (and not domestic government chosen delegates and diplomats) will such covenants gain an real traction in the hearts and minds of us all.

The "Declaration by United Nations" of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. No one foresaw the founders being the Axis of evil themselves.

I would be interested in how Howard Glenn (unfortune first name) and the author of this article sees this inherent flaw in design of the UN, and for that matter this new HR council.

It is always easy to see the flaws in a new initiative, leaving us with the comfortable position of doing nothing. I wish the new Human Rights Council all the best in their augean task of fixing up a world that desperately needs fixing. And if there is even one microscopic improvement as the result of their involvement, it will have been very worthwhile. The League of Nations was similarly plagued by constant criticisms and huge expectations. Let us wait and see, and wish them the best in their valiant attempt to do something.

It is always easy to see the flaws in a new initiative, leaving us with the comfortable position of doing nothing. I wish the new Council all the best in their augean task of fixing up a world that desperately needs fixing. And if there is even one microscopic improvement as a result of their involvement, it will have been very worthwhile. The League of Nations was similarly plagued, and eventually destroyed, by constant criticisms and huge expectations. Let us wait and see, and wish them the best in their valiant attempt to do something.