Sessions

     - 56th (2004)
     - 55th (2003)
     - 54rd (2002)
     - 53rd (2001)
     - 52nd (2000)
     - 51st (1999)
     - 50th (1998)

Documents

Membership

SC Bureau

News Room

Rules of Procedure

Mechanisms
     - Studies and reports by Special Rapporteurs
     - Working Groups
     - The Social Forum

The Sub-Commission is the main subsidiary body of the Commission on Human Rights. It was established by the Commission at its first session in 1947 under the authority of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In 1999 the Economic and Social Council changed its title from Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Its functions are:

(a) To undertake studies, particularly in the light of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to make recommendations to the Commission concerning the prevention of discrimination of any kind relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms and the protection of racial, national, religious and linguistic minorities;

(b) To perform any other functions which may be entrusted to it by the Council or the Commission.

The Sub-Commission is composed of 26 experts who act in their personal capacity and are elected by the Commission with due regard to equitable geographical distribution. The present membership consists of seven experts from African States, five from Asian States, five from Latin American States, three from Eastern European States and six from Western European and other States. Each member has one alternate. Half the members and their alternates are elected every two years and each serves for a term of four years.

The Sub-Commission holds an annual session in Geneva, which ran for four weeks until 1999 and has been reduced to three weeks since 2000. In addition to the members and alternates, it is attended by observers from States, United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, other intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.

At present, the Sub-Commission has six working groups. They are the Working Group on Communications (which considers complaints that appear to reveal a consistent pattern of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights within its terms of reference, together with replies from Governments, if any); the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery; the Working Group on Indigenous Populations; the Working Group on Minorities; the Working Group on Administration of Justice; and the Working Group on Transnational Corporations.