India abstains at U.N. Human Rights Council on vote calling for Gaza ceasefire

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)?
• India’s voting behaviour at UNHRC on the issue of Israel

Why in News?

India abstained on a resolution at the Human Rights Council that called on Israel for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and called on states to implement an arms embargo.

The resolution was adopted by the 47-member Human Rights Council.

‹ ›

What is United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)?

• About
  • The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system. 
  • Based in Geneva, the council was created in 2006 by the UNGA.
  • The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the UN.
  • The council meets three times a year to examine human rights violations worldwide. 
• Members
  • It is made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
  • 47 Member States are elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.
  • Human Rights Council candidates are elected in geographical groups to ensure even representation.
• Tenure
  • The members of the Council serve for a period of three years and they are not be eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.
• Primary functions of the UNHRC
  • Promoting human rights
    • Monitoring and reporting – It monitors human rights situations worldwide and conducts investigations or commissions inquiries into alleged human rights abuses.
    • Universal Periodic Review (UPR): The UPR is a unique mechanism where each UN member state’s human rights record is reviewed by other member states.
    • Special procedures: The UNHRC appoints special rapporteurs, independent experts, and working groups to examine and report on specific human rights issues or themes. 
      • These experts conduct fact-finding missions, raise awareness, and make recommendations to address human rights violations.

India’s voting behaviour at UNHRC on the issue of Israel

• India voted in favour of other three resolutions
  • Earlier, India did vote in favour of three other resolutions that criticised Israel for:
    • human rights violations against Palestinians, 
    • Israel’s occupation of Syrian Golan, and 
    • called for the Palestinian right to self-determination.
• India abstained from the fourth resolution
  • Recent vote was significant as it followed the killing of seven international aid workers in Gaza in Israeli airstrikes, and a military strike by Israel on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, which India had expressed concerns about.
  • India was among 13 countries that abstained from voting on a UNHRC resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza but also, in a first, sought an arms embargo on Israel.
  • India abstained from this as the HRC resolution failed to condemn Hamas, while condemning Israel.
    • India believes that both the parties should be condemned and accountability must be fixed according to their actions. 

Q.1. What is Gaza?

Gaza, also called Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Before the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was the most populous city in the State of Palestine, with 590,481 in 2017. Inhabited since at least the 15th century BCE, Gaza has been dominated by different peoples and empires throughout its history.

Q.2. What is Universal Periodic Review (UPR)?

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process that allows all 193 United Nations (UN) Member States to review the human rights records of each other every 4.5 years. The UPR is a Human Rights Council innovation that assesses how well countries respect their human rights obligations, including the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and human rights treaties.

Source: India abstains at U.N. Human Rights Council on vote calling for Gaza ceasefire, arms embargo against Israel

United Nations Human Rights Council

Times of India