Sep 26 (IPS) –
CIVICUS discusses the upcoming election of new members of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council with Madeleine Sinclair, Director of the New York Office and Legal Advisor at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).
The Human Rights Council plays a crucial role in addressing global human rights issues and serves as a platform for activists and victims of violations. The 47 members represent different regional groups. In October, 19 states will contest 18 seats, with the Asia-Pacific region the only group with more candidates than seats. Many of the candidates have poor human rights records, and one – Saudi Arabia – stands out for extremely serious rights abuses. Civil society is calling on UN member states to reject Saudi Arabia’s candidacy and uphold human rights standards when selecting members of the UN’s highest human rights body.
As every year, the Human Rights Council will soon renew a third of its membership through secret elections. On October 9, all 193 members of the UN General Assembly will vote for the 18 members who will serve on the UN’s main human rights body from 2025 to 2027.
Elections should provide the opportunity to elect candidates with a good human rights record. According to the Council’s membership criteria, candidate countries must demonstrate a genuine commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights through domestic and international action. They must also demonstrate a willingness to tackle emerging challenges and crises to ensure the Council’s effectiveness.
How competitive will this year’s elections be?
Unfortunately, these elections won’t be nearly as competitive as they should be, with only 19 countries able to get 18 seats. These seats are divided among the five official UN regional groups, each of which presents its own list of candidates. But only the Asia-Pacific list is competitive, with six candidates vying for five seats, while the other four lists are closed, meaning they have as many candidates as there are available seats. Africa has five candidates for five seats, Latin America and the Caribbean have three for three, Eastern Europe has two for two and Western Europe and Others have two for two.
These elections are less competitive then that of last yearwhen 17 candidates contested for 15 seats. Only Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe had more candidates than seats, resulting in the defeat of Russia. In 2021all 18 candidates are running for 18 seats were electedwith between 144 and 189 votes out of a total of 193, despite some having extremely problematic human rights records.
Unfortunately, non-competitive elections are common, with completely closed election lists presented four times since 2008. Other elections have seen only one or two competitive elections. The problem with non-competitive races is that they deprive voting states of the ability to rigorously evaluate and select candidates based on their performance and obligations, potentially compromising the quality of the Council.
But even in closed elections, it is still possible for unopposed candidates to fail if they do not receive at least 97 of the 193 votes. For example, in 2023, Burundi and China received the lowest number of votes in their regional groups, signaling that their candidacies were not fully supported. ISHR encourages voting states to carefully review all candidates and withhold votes from problematic candidates, even if they are closed candidates.
Who are the candidates in the October elections?
Candidates for this year’s elections include Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia and Kenya from the African group. The Asia-Pacific group includes Cyprus, South Korea, the Marshall Islands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Latin America and the Caribbean are represented by Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico. Iceland, Spain and Switzerland are the candidates from Western Europe and other countries, while the Czech Republic and North Macedonia are running for Central and Eastern Europe.
This year, one candidate has a particularly poor human rights record: Saudi Arabia. It has closed civic space and has been repeatedly included in the agenda of the UN Secretary General report retaliation and accused by UN experts of committing it war crimes in Yemen. We are active because of these serious concerns campaigning against his election to the Asia-Pacific group.
What is the role of civil society in this process?
Civil society, including the ISHR, has a crucial role to play in advocating for a more effective and accountable Human Rights Council. One of the key areas where reform is needed is closed slates. Competitive elections are essential to ensure that only states that are truly committed to human rights are elected.
ISHR has created scorecards to assess and compare the candidates based on their history of cooperation with human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review and their involvement in civil society, UN treaty bodies and special procedures. These criteria provide a good understanding and clear overview of a country’s human rights record and therefore its suitability to serve on the Council. While we understand that no country has a perfect record, these criteria are intended to provide valuable insights into each state’s commitment to upholding human rights and its potential role in the Council.
In addition to our scorecards, our annual joint pledging event with Amnesty International provides a platform for states to present their candidacy, make strong, public commitments as potential members and receive direct feedback and critical questions from civil society. If all candidates participated in this event, the political costs of refusing to participate or failing to submit formal commitments and commitments would increase. Such involvement would make it more difficult for states with poor human rights records to win a seat without facing criticism.
What should be the Council’s priorities?
The Human Rights Council is critical in amplifying the voices of rights holders, victims and human rights defenders, providing them with a platform to denounce violations and demand accountability. To fulfill this role effectively, its priorities must be to be credible, effective and accessible. It should continue to focus on universally upholding international law, supporting the distanced and hybrid participation of civil society and ensuring that demands for accountability are met promptly.
A credible and effective Council can only function if its members fully cooperate with its mechanisms and adhere to objective human rights criteria. At a time of increasing conflict and crises, often rooted in repression and human rights abuses, the Council’s role in promoting accountability and justice is more important than ever. States should support the work of human rights defenders, whose efforts to prevent violations, document abuses and provide essential services are essential to resolving crises.
To address these conflicts, states must consistently apply human rights standards. Selective or inconsistent application of standards undermines the international framework and the credibility of those involved. International human rights law, when applied consistently and in a principled manner, remains the best guide to achieving a more just, peaceful and inclusive world.
Contact ISHR through her website or Facebook page and follow @ishrglobal on Instagram and @ISHRglobal And @Madeleine_ISHR on Twitter.
Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service