Brice Dickson is to address a United Nations meeting next week

Its commissioner, Brice Dickson, is expected to tell the United Nations next week that not filling the posts amounts to interference in an independent human rights body.

Two years ago, the commission had 13 members, but only six active commissioners now remain.

In a report released on Wednesday, the commission describes the government's failure to fill these vacancies as "extremely regrettable".

The commission has run into political controversy since it was established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

The statutory body's role is to ensure that the human rights of everyone in Northern Ireland are protected in law, policy and practice.

Unionists were sceptical about the body, while nationalists were critical of how it handled a court case over the Holy Cross Girls' Primary School dispute.

I think the government hasn't paid the respect to the commission that it ought to have done Brice Dickson Human Rights Commissioner

This case as well as a disagreement over the question of minority rights led to a series of resignations and withdrawals from the body.

Mr Dickson is expected to accuse the government of interference by neglect at a UN meeting next week.

Mr Dickson said the government was neglecting the commission.

"I think the government ought to have replaced commissioners when they resigned," he told BBC Radio Ulster.

"Given that two commissioners left in September 2002 and no action has been taken since then, one can only deduce that there has been neglect by the government."

He added: "I think the government hasn't paid the respect to the commission that it ought to have done."

Government sources say the posts on the commission are not being allowed to whither away.

However, they have not ruled out the idea that the vacancies might not be filled until spring next year, when the terms of office of most of the current commissioners including Mr Dickson are due to expire.

BBC Northern Ireland political editor Mark Devenport said this left open the possibility that the government could "make a clean sweep" and install an entirely new commission.