102
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICT
investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and
human rights law in Darfur by all parties, to determine also whether or
not acts of genocide have occurred, and to identify the perpetrators of
such violations with a view to ensuring that those responsible are held
accountable […]”. The Secretary-General asked the High Commissioner
for Human Rights to oversee the establishment of the Commission and to
provide it with suitable support.
Furthermore, in his 2005 report to the Security Council on the protection of
civilians in armed conflict, the Secretary-General noted that “compliance
with international humanitarian law, human rights law, refugee law and
international criminal law by all parties concerned provides the strongest
basis for ensuring respect for the safety of the civilian population.”150
In his 2007 report on the same subject, he stated that “[a]s a standard
practice, the Security Council should make every effort to call upon parties
to conflict, and multinational forces that it has authorized, to uphold their
international humanitarian law and human rights obligations.”151
Moreover, the Secretary-General has issued a number of reports which
record recent developments in international human rights and humanitarian
law that contribute to the growing body of law that can be considered to
be fundamental standards of humanity.152
D. THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
The Commission on Human Rights and its successor, the Human Rights
Council, have been the historical forums for the analysis and discussion
by its members of human rights situations and issues. The mandate of
the Human Rights Council consolidated the work of the Commission
since 1947. Indeed, when adopting resolution 60/251 to create the
Human Rights Council, the General Assembly decided to give it two
core responsibilities: (a) promote universal respect for the protection of
S/2005/740, para. 12.
S/2007/643, para. 25.
152
See, for instance, A/HRC/8/14.
150
151
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