India was once again elected to the United Nations human rights council for the 2022-24 term on Thursday. India was re-elected with the overwhelming majority in the general assembly, along with New Delhi’s envoy, who described the election as a robust endorsement of India’s strong roots in democracy pluralism and their fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution. On Thursday the 76th United nation general assembly held elections for 18 new members of the United Nations Human Rights Council. These 18 members will serve for a period of three years which will start in January 2022.
In these elections, India got 184 votes in the 193 member assembly. And the most amazing part is that the required majority was 97 and India indeed got an overwhelming majority. T S Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador, told PTI, “I am truly delighted at this overwhelming support for India in elections to the Human Rights Council. It’s a robust endorsement of our strong roots in democracy, pluralism, and fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution. We thank all UN Member States for giving us a strong mandate.”
India’s Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted, “India gets re-elected to the @UN_HRC (2022-24) for a 6th term with an overwhelming majority. Heartfelt gratitude to the @UN membership for reposing its faith in India. We will continue to work for promotion and protection of Human Rights through #Samman #Samvad #Sahyog #Samman #Samvad #Sahyog.”
India’s current term was set to end on December 31, 2021. For election for the term 2022-2024, there were five vacant seats in the Asia-Pacific States category – India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
India’s mission also congratulated other United Nations member states for their election to the UN human rights council. This consists of 47 member states which were elected directly and individually by the secret ballot along with the majority of members of the general assembly. Now the members of the human rights council serve for 3 years and then they will not be eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.
119 of 193 UN member states will serve as a member of a human rights council as of January 2021. “This broad membership not only reflects the UN’s diversity, but it gives the Council legitimacy when speaking out on human rights violations in all countries,” said the UN.
The United States under the Donald Trump administration withdrawal from the UN human rights council in 2018. Show the US ambassador at United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield said Washington’s election to the council has “fulfilled President Biden’s campaign pledge to rejoin the Human Rights Council” and the US will “work to ensure this body lives up to these principles.”
She further said “Our initial efforts as full members in the Council will focus on what we can accomplish in situations of dire need, such as in Afghanistan, Burma, China, Ethiopia, Syria, and Yemen. More broadly, we will promote respect for fundamental freedoms and women’s rights, and oppose religious intolerance, racial and ethnic injustices, and violence and discrimination against members of minority groups, including LGBTQI+ persons and persons with disabilities.”
According to some reports, The 193-member General Assembly elected by secret ballot Argentina, Benin, Cameroon, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Montenegro, Paraguay, Qatar, Somalia, UAE, and the USA for the 2022-2024 term on the Council.
Now, this membership will be based on the equal geographic distribution and seats which are distributed among the regional groups that is the group of African States (13), Group of Asia-pacific State (13), Group of Eastern Europe States (6), Group of Latin, American and Caribbean States (8), and Group of Western European and others States (7).
