China elected to UN Human Rights Council as Russia’s bid is rejected
- Speculation that China would have lost the vote for the three-year term if there had been competition in the slate of Asian countries
- Russia lost in the contested Eastern Europe slate with 83 votes, the lowest of any candidate, after being expelled from the council last year
The United Nations General Assembly elected China to the Human Rights Council in an uncontested vote on Tuesday and denied Russia a seat in the wake of its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The election to the 47-member council had been seen as a showdown between democracies that favour individual rights and authoritarian states that have redefined those rights to embody state-led governance and social order.
“China came in last place in the Asia group. That suggests that if there had been competition in the Asian slate, China would have lost,” said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at civic group Human Rights Watch. “UN member states sent a strong signal to Russia’s leadership that a government responsible for countless war crimes and crimes against humanity doesn’t belong on the Human Rights Council.”
China secured its sixth term on the Geneva-based council with 154 votes out of 192 cast, while Russia lost in the contested Eastern Europe slate with 83 votes – the lowest of any candidate – after being expelled last year.
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Moscow’s candidacy appeared to gain momentum in recent weeks before Western and other opponents rallied behind rival Albania, analysts said. Deputy US ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council on Monday that Moscow’s potential re-election to the Human Rights Council would be “an ugly stain” on the UN.