UN Elects 14 States, Including 3 From MENA Region, to Human Rights Council

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected 14 new member states – among them, three Middle Eastern states – to the Human Rights Council to replace outgoing members. The 14 members elected by secret ballot on Tuesday include Sudan (which was re-elected for a second consecutive term), Algeria, and Morocco from the MENA region, as well as Germany (also coming back for a second consecutive term), Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Romania, South Africa, and Vietnam. Each will sit on the council for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2023. The Geneva-based intergovernmental body is charged with the promotion and protection of human rights around the world, despite the fact that many of its 47 member states are themselves severe and chronic human-rights violators.

Seats on the council are allocated on a regional group basis: 13 each for Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, eight for Latin America and the Caribbean; seven for Western Europe and other states; and six for Eastern Europe. Israel is a member of the Western Europe and Others group (as are other non-Western European states including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United States). Palestine is an observer in the Asia-Pacific regional group.