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Thailand Wins Top Votes in UN Human Rights Council Election

Thailand secured the top spot in the UN Human Rights Council election for a three-year term starting on January 1, 2025, with a leading 177 votes.

The UN revealed the election results following a confidential vote held on Wednesday.

The vote count showed that Cyprus and Qatar each received 167 votes, South Korea followed with 161, and the Marshall Islands received 120 votes. Saudi Arabia, with the lowest tally of 117 votes, did not win a seat among the six nations vying for five available spots.

The term, which will begin next year and end in 2027, is crucial for Thailand as it aims to boost its international stature under its new government, which has shifted the dynamics of its support among UN members.

Thailand’s campaign has focused on fostering dialogue and enhancing the capacity of UNHRC members to uphold rights and freedoms.

The UNHRC, an integral part of the UN system, is tasked with advancing and safeguarding human rights.

Formed in 2006 by a UN General Assembly resolution, the Human Rights Council comprises 47 member countries from five geographical groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and others, and Eastern Europe.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s attempt to join the Human Rights Council was unsuccessful, placing sixth in the voting for one of the regional seats aimed at protecting global freedoms, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

Ethiopia and Qatar were among the 18 nations elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the next three years, despite concerns raised by advocacy groups about human rights issues in these countries.

“This vote to deny Saudi Arabia a seat on the UN Human Rights Council matters. For far too long, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime has acted as if it has complete impunity to commit grave human rights abuses, safe in the knowledge that its international partners would look the other way,” said the campaign group Reprieve.

Tess McEvoy, program director at the International Service for Human Rights, remarked that states decisively rejected a less qualified candidate, preventing influential violators of fundamental rights from manipulating key human rights mechanisms.

With only five nations contesting for the same number of seats in the African region, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, and Kenya will all join the council next year.