Azerbaijan not elected to the UN Human Rights Council

On May 12, 18 new members were elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 12. The members are elected for a three-year period. Although Azerbaijan had also put forward it candidacy, the county failed to gain sufficient votes. The Freedom House as well as other international organizations did not support the country’s bid for membership.

Russia was reelected with 146 votes, while, Hungary 131 and Azerbaijan 84 gained votes.

It is the first time that the US was also elected a member of the Council, which has been boycotted by the Bush administration. The Council consists of 47 delegates, three of them from Western nations including Norway and Belgium.

Among Asian nations, Kyrgyzstan was also among the selected.

The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR, herein CHR), and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly. Based in Geneva, the UNHRC's main purpose is to make recommendations to the General Assembly about situations in which human rights are violated. The UNHRC has no authority except to make recommendations to the General Assembly.

/Radio Freedom-ANS PRESS/