In what can be regarded as a big blow to Nigeria’s foreign policy and after securing miserable three votes, the most populous country in Africa has lost an opportunity to join the revered United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
The election, which took place on Tuesday, saw the emergence of four African countries that secured seats on the UNHRC. Ghana and Burundi were voted in as new members with 179 votes and 168 votes respectively while Malawi with 182 votes and Côte d’Ivoire with 181 votes were reelected for a second term.
The UNHRC is the UN’s premier rights body tasked with the responsibility of upholding and advancing fundamental freedoms globally.
It was created in 2006 and comprises 47 member states, elected via secret ballot by the majority of General Assembly members.
The Council also meets three times a year to review human rights records of UN Member States, in a special process designed to give countries the chance to present the actions they have taken, what they’ve done and to advance human rights. This is known as the Universal Periodic Review.
Tuesday’s elections returned 15 member countries who will serve for three years, beginning from 1 January 2024.
The 15 member countries include Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi, and the Netherlands.
They are expected to join 32 others to run the council including Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Cameroon, Chile, Costa Rica, Eritrea, Finland, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Montenegro, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, and Viet Nam.
Russia also sought reelection after resigning last year in protest of its suspension by the council over its invasion of Ukraine. Peru also failed to secure a seat in the council.
