ABSTRACT
In ten sessions between 1947 and 1954 the founding members established the new Commission's procedures and priorities, successfully completed a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and recommended two covenants to the General Assembly. The Commission convened its first two week session in New York on January 27, 1947. Rules of Procedure established by Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) governed the selection of officers, preparation of an agenda, conduct of business, voting, and participation by non-members. ECOSOC had authorized the Commission to create three sub-commissions, and the members decided to elect independent experts to three-year terms. The United States initially proposed a Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and the Press, which met only from 1947-1952. ECOSOC's original charge authorized the Commission to make recommendations in "any other matter concerning human rights" and to call in ad hoc working groups of nongovernmental experts in specialized fields.
