Functioning

Regular sessions

The Human Rights Council (HRC) meets three times a year for a total of ten weeks compared.
The Council’s yearly calendar starts on 19 June of each year. The main session is held in March and lasts for four weeks with two other sessions in September and June (every year ending on 18 June).
The items discussed during the sessions are chosen according to the Programme of Work adopted under Resolution A/HRC/RES/5/1. Every topic is dealt with for three hours. When a Special Rapporteur introduces their report, he or she takes the floor first, then the concerned State(s), followed member-States, and at last observers (States and NGOs). Member-States have five minutes at their disposal. Observers have three minutes.

See the calendar of Human Rights Council meetings for 2008 and 2009

Nine sessions have been held:

 First session held 19-30 June 2006.
 Second session (first part and resumed) held 18 September to 6 October, and 27 to 29 November 2006.
 Third session held 29 November - 8 December 2006.
 Fourth session held 12-30 March 2007.
 Fifth session held 11-18 June 2007.
 Sixth session (first part and resumed) held 10 to 28 September 2007, and 10-14 December 2007.
 Seventh session held 3 - 28 March 2008.
 Eight session held 2 - 18 June 2008.
 Ninth session held 8-24 September 2008.

Special sessions

Special sessions are meetings focusing on one specific and/or urgent human rights situation/violation. They are held in the same way as normal sessions.

Seven special sessions have been held:

 First special session (5 - 6 July 2006) on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
 Second special session (11 August 2006) on the human rights violations by Israel in Lebanon, including the Oar massacre.
 Third special session (15 November 2006) on Israeli military incursions in Occupied Palestinian Territory
 Fourth special session (12 - 13 December 2006) on the human rights situation in Darfur
 Fifth special session (2 October 2007) on the human rights situation in Myanmar.
 Sixth special session (23 January 2008) on human rights violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the recent ones in occupied Gaza and West Bank town of Nablus.
 Seventh special session (22 May 2008) on "The negative impact on the realization of the right to food of the worsening of the world food crisis, caused inter alia by the soaring food prices".

Decision-making

The main action the Council can take is to pass resolutions or decisions. They can then create a special procedure, thus mandating an expert or a group of experts to address human rights violations on a certain type of human rights or on a certain country. Votes take place generally during the last day of the session. A resolution is presented by a sponsor and only needs a simple majority to be adopted. Generally, in an effort to show that the Council is working in a spirit of cooperation, members try to adopt resolutions by consensus. They agree on the text before presenting it to the Council. When they cannot reach an agreement, they go to a vote.

The Human Rights Council displays all session documents on its "extranet"

Source: www.ohchr.org