The Dominican Republic is one of the 15 new member states of the Human Rights Council, the United Nations premier rights body. The HRC is responsible for upholding and advancing fundamental freedoms globally.
President Luis Abinader said that the entry of the Dominican Republic to the Council is another victory of Dominican diplomacy. The President tweeted: “Dominican Republic ratifies its commitment with the promotion and respect of rights of people and international treaties signed by the Ministry of Foreign Relations.”
As reported, the DR received 137 votes of 186 valid ballots.
Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez described the selection of the Dominican Republic as a member of the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations Organization for the period 2024-2026 as historic.
Minister Álvarez stated that obtaining a seat on this Council “constitutes a milestone for the country and reaffirms the commitment of the Dominican government to the promotion, protection, defense and fulfillment of human rights at a global level, as contemplated by national foreign policy.
The role of the Council includes strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the world, and making recommendations to address human rights violations, including gross and systematic violations. The Council was created in 2006 and consists of 47 member states elected via secret ballot by the majority of General Assembly members.
After the ballots were cast and counted, UN General Assembly president Dennis Francis announced Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi, and the Netherlands were elected to serve for three years, beginning 1 January 2024. China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, France, and Malawi were re-elected for their second terms.
The seats of the HRC are divided among regional groups of states to ensure equitable geographical distribution. The distribution is as follows: Africa (13), Asia-Pacific (13), Eastern European (6), Latin American and Caribbean (8), and Western European and others (7).
Read more:
United Nations
Noticias SIN
Hoy
Listin Diario
BBC
11 October 2023