Georgia Elected to UN Human Rights Council

The United Nations General Assembly voted on 11 October and elected Georgia as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2023-2025, alongside thirteen other countries.

Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili tweeted in response to the decision, “Honored that Georgia has been elected with 178 votes to the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2023-2025.”

“Grateful to UN Member states for their support,” he emphasized. “Look forward to working with all stakeholders to reaffirm our commitment and contribute to global efforts to protect and promote human rights.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Georgia Sabine Machl congratulated Georgia on its election to the Council and underscored that it is an “excellent opportunity to contribute to protection of human rights globally by setting example domestically.”

Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Sudan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Korea, Vietnam, Romania, Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Belgium, and Germany also submitted their candidacy for election to the Council alongside Georgia. Notably, all of the countries that had submitted their candidacy were elected except for Afghanistan and Venezuela.

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN, made up of 47 states responsible for the “promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.” The Council meets at the UN office in Geneva and has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require attention throughout the year.

According to the rules of the General Assembly, members of the Council are elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

Membership is based on equitable geographic distribution, with seats distributed among regional groups as follows: African States – 13 seats; Asia-Pacific States – 13; Eastern European States – 6; Latin American and Caribbean States – 8; and Western European and other States – 7.

Members serve for a period of three years and are restricted from immediate re-election after they have served two consecutive terms.

Note: This article was updated on 12 October at 10:30 to reflect the statements of Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and UN Resident Coordinator Sabine Machl.

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