The Human Rights Council was established in 2006 by the UN General Assembly and is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the globe. The HRC is composed of 47 Member States and operates as the main intergovernmental body within the United Nations that is responsible for human rights. The HRC  holds three regular sessions a year, with special sessions held as needed, and uses the sessions to respond to urgent human rights situations, appoint special procedures, authorize commissions of inquiry, and adopt resolutions that express the will of the international community on specific human rights issues. The HRC upholds its integrity through the Universal Periodic Review in which the council reviews the human rights records of all UN Member States.