UN General Assembly elects 15 new members to Human Rights Council

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN General Assembly elected 15 new members Tuesday to the Human Rights Council, with Russia and Peru failing to secure a seat.

Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi and the Netherlands were elected to serve for three years at the Geneva-based Council, beginning Jan 1.

Russia, among the countries seeking a three-year term, competed against Albania and Bulgaria for the East European regional group but did not receive enough votes to rejoin the Council.

The 47-nation UN rights body was created in 2006 and is tasked with promoting and protecting human rights.

It has long faced criticism for having rights abusers as members.

Russia, a former member of the rights body, was suspended from the Council after the start of its “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022.

Decisions of the Council are not legally binding but carry political weight.