Acting in accordance with the responsibility placed upon it by the Charter of the United Nations, the Economic and Social Council created the Commission on Human Rights on 16 February 1946. The work of the Commission was to be directed towards submitting proposals, recommendations and reports on an International Bill of Rights. The Commission initially consisted of nine members appointed in their individual capacity. Among these were Eleanor Roosevelt, who was elected Chairman, Rene Cassin, Vice-chairman, and K.C. Neogy of India, Rapporteur.
Meeting in 1946 the Commission concerned itself with the definitive composition of the Commission and asked that, in order to draft an international bill of rights, the Secretary-General collect all possible documentation on the subject. To accomplish this task, the Division of Human Rights was established.
At the first session of the Commission in 1947 the foundations were laid for the drafting of an instrument that would establish, upon the principles of the United Nations Charter, a powerful international recognition of rights. It was Mrs. Roosevelt that suggested that the Bill of Rights be prepared first in the form of a Declaration (or Manifesto) which would be adopted as a resolution of the General Assembly. Such a proclamation would then be followed by conventions setting forth the basic human rights and freedoms in a form which would have binding legal force.
In order to proceed with such an enormous task, a Drafting Committee composed of representatives from eight states was convened. The Secretariat - in particular the Division of Human Rights - prepared the first draft outline of an international bill of human rights with over 400 pages of documentation which would provide the basis for discussion. At the same time the United Kingdom presented a proposal in the form of a convention that would be approved by the General Assembly and submitted to governments for accession. The Drafting Committee therefore went ahead and prepared two documents, one a draft declaration and the second a draft convention.
During the second session of the Commission the full concept of an International Bill of Rights as a three-part document - a declaration, a convention and measures of implementation - emerged. The result was first of all the Draft International Declaration on Human Rights, followed by a Draft International Covenant on Human Rights, and thirdly the Report on Measures of Implementation. Together these three parts are refered to as the International Bill of Rights.
The final text of the International Declaration of Human Rights was prepared at the third session of the Commission in 1948 and adopted with a unanimous vote.
The Commission currently has 54 Member States, with membership distributed among the various political and geographic blocs. The Commission's work consists of standard-setting, promotional activities, monitoring and enforcing.
