A total of 169 countries endorsed the election of Uzbekistan to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the period 2021-2023. The elections for 15 seats to UNHRC were held on 13 October within the framework of the 75th-anniversary session of the UN General Assembly, and it was the first time in the history of Uzbekistan that the country put forward its candidacy and won a seat on the UNHRC.
It should be noted that the nomination of Uzbekistan to the UNHRC was fixed in the State Program for the implementation of the Action Strategy on five priority development areas of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, adopted at the initiative of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. Members of the Council are elected for a three-year term by a majority vote of delegates to the General Assembly by direct secret ballot.
During the current elections, the respective countries were nominated by the UN regional groups to fill the vacant seats. Though the pre-election situation in other regional groups was characterized by a lack of competition among contending States, in the group of countries of the Asia–Pacific region, to which Uzbekistan belongs, the competition was fierce between five contenders, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, for the four vacant seats.
Based on the results of a secret ballot and following stiff competition, Uzbekistan received the largest number of votes from member States in its group and was elected to the HRC for the next three-year period, which begins on 1 January, 2021. Along with Uzbekistan, China, Nepal and Pakistan were also elected to the Council, by receiving the required number of votes.
The election of Uzbekistan is a clear recognition of the broad support among the international community for the ongoing large-scale reforms in the protection and promotion of human rights in Uzbekistan, as well as evidence of the country’s firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and strict compliance with its international obligations in this field.
The promotion, observance and protection of human rights are considered one of the priorities of the state policy of Uzbekistan. Today, the country has a stable political system that meets the modern criteria of democracy and human rights. A unique model has been developed to ensure the systematic and consistent implementation of human rights standards in national legislation and law enforcement practice
Undoubtedly, as a member of the UNHRC, Uzbekistan will make a huge contribution to the work of this UN body and contribute to improving the effectiveness of its activities.
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