Date:
Thursday, 29 October 2015
New York, October 28: The United Arab Emirates has won a second three-year term membership of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), starting from the beginning of 2016 and ending in late 2018.
The UAE was elected in a secret ballot conducted by the UN General Assembly in which 32 candidate countries from different geographical groups competed for 18 vacant seats.
Along with the UAE, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines, and South Korea were elected from Asia, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland from West Europe, Georgia and Slovenia from East Europe, Burundi, Cote D'Ivoire, Togo and Ethiopia from Africa and Panama, Ecuador, and Venezuela from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The UAE got 159 votes, the second highest vote turnout of the total votes garnered by the other Asian countries.
Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs described the UAE win as a testimony to its effective contribution to the HRC, and reflection of its positive network of relations and its role in the human rights related issues.
He added that the HRC is considered an effective tool for human rights and that human rights issues must not be politicised or exploited to impose certain approaches.
"We all agree on general values. On the other hand, there are cultural peculiarities that must be respected and accepted," he added.
Dr. Gargash said the UAE's role in the HRC would represent the developing world's aspirations to move forward on the human rights. At the same time, he went on, this issue should not be monoplised by an egoistic eye that does not see the natural diversity.
He also said the UAE will seek to prove worthy of the international community's trust through more efforts and initiatives to boost the Council's role.
He extended thanks to the UAE leadership for providing the ambitious vision and for the continuous efforts to achieve development.
He also applauded Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for leading the diplomatic campaign which guaranteed success to the UAE and said the teamwork and efforts of the Emirati diplomacy also played a significant role in that success.