14 states elected into UN Human Rights Council

The UN General Assembly has elected 14 states into the Human Rights Council to succeed outgoing members.

Through secret ballot on Tuesday, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Sudan (for Africa); Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Vietnam (for the Asia-Pacific); Georgia, Romania (for Eastern Europe); Chile, Costa Rica (for Latin America and the Caribbean); Belgium, Germany (for Western Europe and other states), were elected for a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2023, reports Xinhua news agency.

Of the 14 states, Sudan and Germany were elected for a consecutive second term.

The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world.

It has 47 members, about a third of which are replaced every year so that the council members serve staggered three-year terms for the sake of continuity.

The members of the Council are not eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.

Seats are allocated on a regional group basis: 13 each for Africa and the Asia-Pacific; 8 for Latin America and the Caribbean; 7 for Western Europe and other states; 6 for Eastern Europe.