Abstract/Summary

At the heart of the human rights project is a need to bridge the gap between the idealism of international human rights law and the realism of international relations. This requires balancing the need for States to remain engaged with the UN human right system while not allowing excessive politicization that undermines or derails the human rights project. This chapter proposes a three-part model for understanding politicization of human rights bodies, how it is manifests, and the ways in which it impacts upon the Human Rights Council. It focuses first on the theory and practice of politicization, applying it to the UN context, and suggesting there are three main motivations for States’ tactics to politicize. The chapter then turns to the politicization of the Commission on Human Rights that led to its abolition, and the proposals for reform aimed to address those issues. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to thematic discussions of politicization of the Council.