PRELIMS BOOSTER 2018
The Sociable Lapwing and United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
The Sociable Lapwing
- Critically endangered — IUCN
- winter migrant to India
- current IUCN classification is CR A3bc—meaning that the population is expected to decline in the next decade or so by 80%, but based on theoretical considerations and the known habitat destruction rather than direct observation of the birds
- Habitat
- Fallow fields and scrub desert
- Range— central Asia, middle east and Arabian peninsula
- Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Oman
- India – It is restricted to the north and north-west of the country
- Threats
- Conversion of habitat to arable land
- illegal hunting
- proximity to human settlements
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
- Established in 2006 to replace UNCHR
- United Nations System inter-governmental body
- Aim : strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world
- subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly
- History
- successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) –.heavily criticised for allowing countries with poor human rights records to be members
- Members – 47
- Elected by : UN General Assembly
- Term : 3 yesars and no member may occupy a seat for more than two consecutive terms
- The General Assembly takes into account the candidate States’ contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights, as well as their voluntary pledges and commitments in this regard.
- The seats are distributed on regional basis
- The General Assembly, via a two-thirds majority, can suspend the rights and privileges of any Council member that it decides has persistently committed gross and systematic violations of human rights during its term of membership.
