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Germany elected again to UN Human Rights Council
With 127 out of a total of 193 votes, Germany was today (12 November) once again elected to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. In the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) the United States and Ireland were elected to the Council alongside Germany. In addition, 15 other countries were elected for the period 2013-2015.
Welcoming the outcome of the vote, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (12 November) commented as follows:
Germany’s election to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations is a token of confidence in our country and a tribute to our consistent stand on human rights around the world.
We are very grateful for the worldwide support our candidacy has received.
From the start Germany has actively supported the work of the Human Rights Council and from 2006 to 2009 served on the Council as one of its first members.
We regard the Human Rights Council as the leading international institution concerned with human rights protection and the further development of human rights standards.
Protecting human rights is one of our key foreign policy priorities and that is how it will remain.
We have great respect for our rival candidates and congratulate those elected on their success.
Background information on the Human Rights Council
The 47 seats on the Human Rights Council are allocated strictly by region (13 seats are reserved for Africa and Asia respectively, 8 seats for Latin America, 7 seats for the Western European and Others Group and 6 seats for Eastern Europe). Elections to the Human Rights Council take place every year, when one third of its members are elected for a three-year term. At the end of their term members may be re elected once, but must then wait for at least a year to stand again.
Germany served on the Human Rights Council as one of its founding members from 2006 to 2009. For one of the three seats reserved for the WEOG for the period 2013-2015 Germany stood against Greece, Ireland, Sweden and the United States. The new members of the Human Rights Council were elected in the General Assembly of the United Nations on 12 November 2012.
Current membership of the Human Rights Council until 31 December 2012
African Group – 13 seats: Angola (till 2013), Benin (till 2014), Botswana (till 2014), Burkina Faso (till 2014), Cameroon (till 2012), the Congo (till 2014), Djibouti (till 2012), Libya (till 2013), Mauritania (till 2013), Mauritius (till 2012), Nigeria (till 2012), Senegal (till 2012), Uganda (till 2013);
Asian Group – 13 seats: Bangladesh (till 2012), China (till 2012), India (till 2014), Indonesia (till 2014), Jordan (till 2012), Kuwait (till 2014), Kyrgyzstan (till 2012), Malaysia (till 2013), Maldives (till 2013), the Philippines (till 2014), Qatar (till 2013), Saudi Arabia (till 2012), Thailand (till 2013);
Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) – 8 seats: Chile (till 2014), Costa Rica (till 2014), Cuba (till 2012), Ecuador (till 2013), Guatemala (till 2013), Mexico (till 2012), Peru (till 2014), Uruguay (till 2012);
Eastern European Group (EEG) – 6 seats: the Czech Republic (till 2014), Hungary (till 2012), Moldova (till 2013), Poland (till 2013), Romania (till 2014), Russia (till 2012);
Western European and Others Group (WEOG) – 7 seats: Austria (till 2014), Belgium (till 2012), Italy (till 2014), Norway (till 2012), Spain (till 2013), Switzerland (till 2013), United States (till 2012).
