The present work aims at exploring how an individual State is able to contribute decisively to the work of the Human Rights Council in one of the main successes of this still relatively new United Nations body: the elaboration of international human rights norms and standards. Argentina is studied as a relevant example in this regard. During the last 40 years, Argentina radically changed from defending itself from accusations of serious human rights violations to being deeply committed to the promotion and protection of human rights at the national level. This was translated into a very active foreign policy in the field of human rights, which contributed to the development of international human rights norms and standards on issues such as the right to the truth, the fight against impunity for cases of gross human rights violations such as enforced disappearances, and the rights of LGBTI individuals.
Sebastián Rosales is an Argentine lawyer (Universidad Nacional del Litoral), Phd in Public, Comparative and International Law (Sapienza Università di Roma) and career diplomat with extensive experience in international law, in particular international human rights law. During his diplomatic career, he worked in the Directorate for Human Rights of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs in different capacities as well as in the Directorate for International Organisations. He was Director General on International Affairs on Drugs. He worked in the Argentine Mission in Geneva where he was responsible for the Human Rights Council and all its mechanisms. He was the Chief of the Legal and Human Rights Sections of the Argentine Embassy in Italy.
