Chinese ambassador pledges support as Fiji’s candidate wins presidency of UN human rights council
- Nazahat Shameen Khan, a British-educated former high court judge, wins 29 votes in unprecedented ballot, beating challengers from Bahrain and Uzbekistan
- Chinese ambassador Chen Xu offers congratulations despite observers saying Beijing backed losing candidates
The vote was called after an impasse that meant the council, the only intergovernmental global body to promote and protect human rights, began meetings this week leaderless for the first time in its 15-year history.
The presidency rotates geographically with each region typically making a selection by consensus but members of the Asia-Pacific group could not agree, forcing the first-ever ballot in the council.
The deadlock over the presidency came at the start of a year that is widely expected to see the United States rejoin after quitting the forum in 2018, and with a review of the council’s activities expected to begin.
UN Human Rights Council to vote on new chief after ‘China, Russia block rights champion from Fiji’
Observers and diplomats saw Fiji’s rivals as being backed by Russia, China and Saudi Arabia although a Chinese diplomat said he would be happy for any candidate to win. Officials from Russia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.
China’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Chen Xu, congratulated Fiji in a tweet on Friday and pledged support.
The 47-member council does not make legally binding decisions but it can authorise probes into alleged rights violations by mandating international fact-finding missions.
China slammed by West over Hong Kong and Xinjiang at United Nations rights forum
Marc Limon of the Universal Rights Group think tank, welcomed Khan’s selection.
“It is important for the council to have a country like Fiji that has a positive record on human rights and a good story to tell,” he said, alluding to the collapse of the former UN rights body after Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya led it.
“I expect a lot of heated debates and the potential for acrimony,” he said, saying China’s actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang could be flashpoints.
