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Russia elected to UN Human Rights Council

15 nations were chosen for three-year period beginning on January 1, 2021

Conference hall of the UN Human Rights Council EPA-EFE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

Conference hall of the UN Human Rights Council

© EPA-EFE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

UNITED NATIONS, October 14. /TASS/. Russia was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, according to an announcement made during a plenary session of the 75th UN General Assembly.

The following nations were elected as members of the UN Human Rights Council for a three-year period beginning on January 1, 2021: Bolivia, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Cuba, France, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Senegal, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom.

"This is the first elections of the current 75th session of the UN Security Council," said Brenden Varma, a spokesperson for the President of the 75th Session of the General Assembly. "The 15 vacant seats were distributed among regional groups as follows: four seats for the African states, four seats to the Asia-Pacific states, two seats for the Eastern European states, three seats for the Latin American and Caribbean states and two seats for the Western European and other states."

"Membership in the Human Rights Council is open for all UN member states, and Council members serve for a period of three years," he continued. "The members are elected directly by secret ballot. A candidate must receive at least 97 votes, which constitutes the majority of the General Assembly’s 193 states."

The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body within the UN system. It was established in 2006, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251, to succeed the UN Commission on Human Rights, widely criticized for its biased approach. The Human Rights Council has 47 members.

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