UN Human Rights Council elects 15 members in uncontested vote

Rights groups accidental uncontested ballot undermines accountability arsenic countries with mediocre quality rights records triumph seats.

Human rights groups person sharply criticised the uncontested predetermination of 15 members of the United Nations’ premier quality rights body, saying it fto countries with mediocre rights records triumph seats.

The 193-member General Assembly held the ballot connected Tuesday.

Positions connected the 47-nation Human Rights Council are allocated to the UN’s determination groups to guarantee geographical representation. And for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, each determination groups enactment guardant the nonstop fig of candidates for disposable seats for the three-year term, resulting successful uncontested races.

“This uncompetitive ballot makes a mockery of the connection ‘election’,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN manager astatine Human Rights Watch.

“No 1 should person a spot connected this important assemblage handed to them connected a metallic platter”, Charbonneau said.

He called connected UN subordinate nations to “insist connected competitory slates truthful they tin cull candidates with mediocre quality rights records”.

In Tuesday’s vote, the Africa group’s Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Burundi were elected.

The Asia-Pacific group’s Kuwait, Nepal, Jordan and Japan won seats, arsenic did Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay from the Latin America and Caribbean group.

Ireland and Germany from the chiefly Western group, and Moldova and Ukraine from the Central and East European group, volition besides articulation the Human Rights Council.

The Geneva-based assembly reviews the quality rights records of each countries periodically, appoints autarkic investigators to study connected issues specified arsenic torture and situations successful countries specified arsenic North Korea, Iran and Myanmar, and sends fact-finding missions to analyse rights violations. These see missions successful Ukraine, the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, and Sudan.

The assembly was created successful 2006 to regenerate a quality rights committee discredited due to the fact that immoderate members had mediocre rights records. But the caller assembly soon faced akin criticism, including that countries sought seats to support themselves and their allies.

Soon aft starting his 2nd term, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of Washington from the Human Rights Council, accusing it of anti-Israel bias. He besides pulled the US retired successful his archetypal term.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, responding to a question astir the UN presumption connected the uncontested vote, said it was a substance for the 193 subordinate nations.

“But what we’ve ever said is that subordinate states who are elected to this organisation’s highest quality rights assemblage person an added work to support quality rights,” helium said.