On 12 May the United Nations General Assembly elected 18 new members of the Human Rights Council for a three-year term.
Five of these - Belgium, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Norway and the United States - were elected to the Council for the first time.
"President [Barack] Obama's decision to seek membership is a welcome step to restoring international trust in US support for human rights," the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has commented.But "Council membership is not a reward for good behaviour. It is a responsibility, one that exposes members to increased accountability before their peers," the Human Rights chief said.She noted that critics of the Council point to the fact that among its 47 members are countries with "less-than-pristine" human rights records.
"To those critics I say two things: Is there any country that has a blemish-free record? Human rights violations are not the bane of any particular country or region. And even if such a thing were possible, what impact would a club of the virtuous have on those outside?"
In her view participation in the Council is indispensable if States wish to influence how it develops, and also crucial to confront global human rights challenges and threats.
The new Council members, elected by secret ballot, include: five African countries (Cameroon, Djibouti, Mauritius, Nigeria and Senegal); four Asian States (Bangladesh, China, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia); two Eastern European countries (Hungary and Russian Federation); three Latin American and Caribbean countries (Cuba, Mexico and Uruguay); and three Western European and Other States (Belgium, Norway and the United States) for three-year terms.
For an overview of the Membership of the Human Rights Council 19 June 2009-18 June 2010 click here.
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