of women to participate fully in the political, economic, and social life of their countries. The UN contributes to raising consciousness of the concept of human rights through its covenants and its attention to specific abuses through its General Assembly, Security Council resolutions, or International Court of Justice rulings. The purpose of the United Nations Human Rights Council , established in 2006, [ 49 ] is to address human rights violations. The Council is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , which was often criticized for the high-profile positions it gave to member states that did not guarantee the human rights of their own citizens. [ 50 ] The council has 47 members distributed by region, which each serve three-year terms, and may not serve three consecutive terms. [ 51 ] A candidate to the body must be approved by a majority of the General Assembly. In addition, the council has strict rules for membership, including a universal human rights review. While some members with questionable human rights records have been elected, it is fewer than before with the increased focus on each member state's human rights record. [ 52 ] The rights of some 370 million indigenous peoples around the world are also a focus for the UN, with a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples being approved by the General Assembly in 2007. [ 53 ] The declaration outlines the individual and collective rights to culture, language, education, identity, employment and health, thereby