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News > Latin America

Venezuela, Brazil Become New Members in UN Human Rights Council

  • Overview of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland June 20, 2018.

    Overview of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland June 20, 2018. | Photo: Reuters

Published 17 October 2019
Opinion

The Geneva-based council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues.

Venezuela and Brazil scored seats on U.N. Human Rights Council Thursday as the General Assembly chooses 14 new members of the panel.

The 193-member General Assembly is electing 14 members to the 47-member Human Rights Council for three-year terms starting 1 January 2020.

"We should thank the countries that voted in favor of Venezuela and congratulate the other members of the #HumanRights Commission," Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said. "Venezuela has proposals so that there are no armed interventions or economic blockades."

The Geneva-based council can spotlight abuses and has special monitors watching certain countries and issues.

Brazil topped the ballot with 153 votes followed by Venezuela with 105 votes.

In other contested races, Iraq lost out in the Asian group to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Marshall Islands, and Moldova lost in the Eastern Europe group to Armenia and Poland.

Seats are allocated depending on region, to ensure that the council is geographically representative.

The U.N. General Assembly elected a total 14 Human Rights Council members on Thursday from five regional blocs. Germany, the Netherlands, Libya, Mauritania, Namibia and Sudan were elected uncontested but still needed to win a majority vote.

Armenia, Poland, Indonesia, Marshall Islands, South Korea and Japan beat competition in their regional blocs to win seats - Japan for a second term. Iraq and Moldova were unsuccessful.

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