United States elected to serve on UN Human Rights Council for the first time

Missoula, May 12 (Al-Masakin)–The United States has been elected to serve a three-year term on the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva the U.S. State Department said in a press release today.  The United States will be one of 18 states to serve on the council.  U.S. tenure on the council will begin June 19. 

“The United States sought a seat on the UN Human Rights Council at this time to underscore our commitment to human rights and to join the efforts of all those nations seeking to make the Council a body that fulfills its promise,” the statement said.

Belgium, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Norway and the United States will sever on the council for the first time.  Thriteen  states relected to the Council were Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Jordan, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Uruguay the United Nations said today.

The Human Rights Council was created by the General Assembly in May 2006 as the United Nations principal political human rights body.  It replaced the much-criticized Commission on Human Rights which was abolished in June 2006, and is composed of 47 elected Member States that must uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.

Based on equitable geographical distribution, seats are allocated to the five regional groups as follows:  African Group, 13 seats; Asian Group, 13 seats; Eastern European Group, 6 seats; Latin American and Caribbean Group, 8 seats; and Western and Others Group, 7 seats.

The United States had been boycotting the body until shortly after the inauguration of President Obama.  The human rights record of the United States will not be up for review by the Human Rights Council until the Council’s ninth session in 2010.

EHC / EHC