UN Human Rights Council role for Pakistan, Russia, China

China and Russia were elected to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on Tuesday, but support for Beijing dropped by more than 20 percent compared with a 2016 vote.

The UN General Assembly also elected Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Cuba, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, France and Britain to the 47-member council.

Senegal, Nepal, Pakistan, Ukraine and Mexico were re-elected for a second three-year term.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said: “Our re-election is a manifestation of the international community’s confidence and trust in Pakistan’s commitment to a progressive national & global human rights agenda.”

He added on Twitter that “Pakistan was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council with an overwhelming majority, securing 169 votes in the 193-member UN General Assembly. Since the HRC’s establishment in 2006, this is the fifth time Pakistan has been elected to the premier UN body on human rights.”