In today’s vote, the United States received 168 votes out of a total of 193. Their three-year term begins on January 1 next year. At the same time, the council will meet, for example, with China and Russia, which have been sitting in the body since this year.
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After taking office in January, US President Joe Biden pledged to put human rights at the heart of his foreign policy. At the same time, his government has loudly criticized, for example, Beijing’s actions in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang and is also opposed to some of Russia’s actions.
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“The United States will be able to show how serious the Biden administration is about placing human rights at the center of its domestic and foreign policy,” said Louis Charbonneau, director of the human rights watch NGO. “So far, the (US) has come a long way, they should use their time on the council to promote human rights to both their allies and their enemies,” he added.
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“Our goals are clear: to stand up for human rights defenders and to speak out against human rights violations and abuses,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations.
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UN member states are elected to the HCR in several groups according to their geographical location to ensure their equal representation. According to Reuters, the results of all today’s votes were clear in advance, 13 new members were elected to the 47-member board and five were re-elected. Each state may hold a maximum of two terms in a row on the board.
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The Czech Republic, which was elected for the period 2019-2021, now also sits on the council. However, she did not apply for another three-year term today. He has been working for the Czech Republic in the past, between 2006 and 2007 and then from 2011 to 2014.
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