The Challenges And Reforms Of The United Nations Human Rights Council Country Mandate

United Nations Special Procedure includes Country Mandate and Theme Mandate. Country Mandate is a controversial mechanism due to "politicization" and "partiality". Special Procedure was first created to fight against apartheid for South Africa. It was an effort of African, Latin American and Asian countries for independence as the new members in the United Nation during 1960s. In the Commission of Human Rights of 1970s, the western countries dominated the votes. The first country mandate was initiated in 1975 to investigate Chile human rights violations after coup d’etat. However, in the cold war era, it became a political debate between the east and the west if this mechanism of United Nations is legitimate to pierce through sovereignty in the name of human rights protection. The Soviet Union, China, Cuba, as well as all the countries mandated with Special Rapporteur(SR) resisted the mechanism. Nonetheless, SRs have contributed to the human rights progress by asserting pressure on governments and saving lives. Although the rumors that country mandates will be abolished culminated during late 1990s, the status of SR was reassured through the reform of Commission of Human Rights. It was later replaced by Human Rights Council. Governments made compromises to maintain the mechanism by restraining its capabilities and access through Manual of Special Procedure. United Nations tried to depoliticize the mechanism by setting up Universal Periodic Review. All the countries have to be reviewed without exception. But the trend that sovereignty comes before human rights remains. SRs are playing a significant role in the cause of human rights protection and promotion by various means, among which country visit is gaining SRs most privileges and influences. However, SRs’work can only take effect by implementation. It requires the governments in question to cooperate with SRs, take measures and implement their recommendations.