The UN General Assembly re-elected Switzerland to the Council on Wednesday in New York, following a five-year absence.
This return was seen as a certainty, as Switzerland, alongside Spain and Iceland, contested the three seats allocated to their regional group. Switzerland secured 175 votes out of 183 eligible voters.
Switzerland’s last term as one of the 47 members of the Council ended five years ago. Since then, the Alpine country has been able to take part in discussions but has not been able to vote on draft resolutions.
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Is the Human Rights Council becoming a mini-Security Council?
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Faced with a stalled Security Council, UN members are turning to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to push through motions set to fail in New York.
In recent years, Switzerland had not pursued membership to avoid any confusion with its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council in New York. Now, its two-year mandate on the UN’s most powerful body, which it is currently chairing for a month, is due to expire at the end of December.
This will be Switzerland’s fourth term as a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
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