Global NGOs Reject Authoritarian Regimes’ Bids for UN Human Rights Posts

Overview of the session of the Human Rights Council during the speech of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 27, 2020. Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

Non-governmental groups have called on United Nations member states to oppose the admission of Afghanistan, Algeria, Sudan, Venezuela, and Vietnam to the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), citing “problematic” human rights records.

The U.N. General Assembly will hold elections for 14 new council members on Tuesday. A joint NGO report [pdf] released on Oct. 3 drew attention to the “unqualified” nations running for seats in the council.