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India gains another election into the UN Human Rights Council

On Thursday, Modi’s govt won another election into the Human Rights Council for the sixth time in the General Assembly. Its envoy to the Security Council said the election signified the country’s strong roots in democracy, pluralism, and fundamental rights. On Thursday evening, the 76th UN General Assembly held elections for 18 new members of the UN Human Rights Council, who will take office in January 2022 for a three-year term. With 193 members, India got 184 votes, short of the 97 required to pass.

This overwhelming support for India in the Human Rights Council election is a testament to the roots of democracy, pluralism, and fundamental rights in our Constitution said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti. It tweeted ‘India gets re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council for its sixth term (2022-24) with an overwhelming majority. We thank the UN membership for its continued faith in India’.

India’s current term ends on December 31, 2021. A total of five seats are vacant in the Asia-Pacific States category for the term 2022-2024 – India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. The 193-member General Assembly elected by secret ballot Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, UAE and the USA for the 2022-2024 term on the Council.

The Indian mission congratulated the other UN Member States on their election to the Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council is made up of 47 Member States that are elected directly and individually by secret ballot by a majority of the General Assembly members. After serving two consecutive terms, members of the Council are not eligible for immediate re-election. There are thirteen members of the Group of African States, thirteen members of the Group of Asia-Pacific States, six members of the Group of Eastern European States, eight members of the Group of Latin American and the Caribbean States, and seven members of the Group of Western European and other States.

By January 2021, 119 of the 193 UN member states would have served on the HRC. According to the UN, “this broad membership not only demonstrates the UN’s diversity but also grants the Council legitimacy when speaking out against human rights violations in all countries.” The United States withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in 2018. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington’s election to the council has ‘fulfilled President Biden’s campaign promise to rejoin the Human Rights Council,’ and the US will ‘work to ensure this body lives up to these principles’.

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‘As full members of the UN Security Council, we will concentrate our initial efforts on how we can help in situations of great need, such as Afghanistan, Burma, China, Ethiopia, Syria, and Yemen. We will promote respect for fundamental freedoms, fight religious intolerance, racial injustice, and violence against members of minority groups, including LGBTQI+ individuals and people with disabilities,’ Thomas-Greenfield said.

 

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