Kathmandu-Nepal has been reelected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in the elections held at UN Headquarters in New York Tuesday.
Nepal, serving as a member of the council since January 2018, has been reelected with 150 votes to serve another three-year term of 2021-2023, the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations said issuing a statement on Tuesday.
“Nepal has been reelected to the council with 150 votes including that of our neighbors China and India,” Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudel told Setopati.
Three countries from the Asia Pacific–China, Pakistan and Uzbekistan–were also among the 15 member states elected by a secret ballot in a plenary meeting of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly today.
Other newly elected countries were Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Malawi and Senegal from Africa; Russian Federation and Ukraine from Eastern Europe; Bolivia, Cuba and Mexico from Latin America; and France and United Kingdom from Western Europe.
All will serve a three-year term beginning from January 2021. The elections were uncontested for other regional groups except the Asia Pacific region.
Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations Amrit Bahadur Rai termed Nepal’s reelection as the international community’s acknowledgement of the country’s progressive journey on political and human rights fronts, and recognition of Nepal’s efforts in protection and promotion of human rights both at home and across the globe, including through the peacekeepers, according to the statement.
