UN General Assembly elects 18 new members to Human Rights Council

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN General Assembly voted Wednesday to elect a new tranche of 18 Human Rights Council (HRC) members, with Saudi Arabia failing to secure a seat.

Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia and Kenya were elected to the five seats of the Council from the Africa group, becoming new members, according to the final results.

From the Asia-Pacific group, South Korea, the Marshall Islands, Qatar, Thailand and the Greek Cypriot administration secured seats.

The Czechia and North Macedonia were elected from the Eastern European group.

Colombia, Mexico and Bolivia were elected from the Latin America and Caribbean group, while Iceland, Spain and Switzerland from the Western European and other states group.

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

The Geneva-based Council 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 by the Council are not legally binding but carry political weight.