The war in Ukraine and the unfolding tragedy in the Middle East have underscored the limitations of the United Nations Security Council (SC) in addressing global threats to peace and security. This has sparked a renewed interest in SC reform, but significant changes seem unlikely in the current geopolitical landscape. In this context, there is a growing need to explore the potential role of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in addressing a broader spectrum of peace and security issues.
This policy brief Delivering the Right to Peace: Towards a Reinforced Role of the Human Rights Council in the UN's Peace and Security Framework delves into the possibilities of enhancing the HRC's involvement in the UN's peace and security functions. The brief draws insights from various case studies, including Syria in 2011, Iraq in 2014, and Ukraine in 2022 and present a set of ten recommendations aimed at enhancing the UN system's capacity to address ongoing shortcomings in its peace and security architecture by bolstering the role of human rights. These recommendations include reinforcing transitional justice as part of the HRC's involvement in peace and security, leveraging peace operations to connect the HRC and SC, and gradually integrating the HRC into discussions on SC reform.
