VZCZCXRO1582
PP RUEHAT
DE RUCNDT #0946/01 1311453
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111453Z MAY 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8973
INFO RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2135
RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION COLLECTIVE
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 USUN NEW YORK 000946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM UNGA UNHRC KUNR
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: FIRST MEMBERS ELECTED 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000946  001.2 OF 005 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  In May 9 elections, the General Assembly 
elected the 47 members of the newly-created UN Human Rights 
Council.  While most seats were filled in only one round of 
balloting, three rounds were required to fill the six 
contested seats allocated to the Eastern European Group. 
Iran's candidacy for an Asian Group seat was defeated; it 
garnered only 58 votes.  Venezuela likewise failed to get 
enough support.  Following the election of all 47 members, GA 
President Eliasson drew lots to determine the staggering of 
terms for the newly elected Council, which will meet for the 
first time beginning June 19 in Geneva.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.   The election of forty-seven members of the newly-created 
Human Rights Council (HRC) was held in the UN General 
Assembly on May 9.  Members to fill seats allocated to the 
WEOG, GRULAC, Asian and African Groups were elected in the 
first round of balloting. Three rounds of balloting were 
required to fill all of the Eastern European seats, which had 
offered 13 candidates for 6 seats.  Voting for all candidates 
took place by secret ballot, as provided for in GA resolution 
60/251, which established the Human Rights Council. 
Following the balloting, GA President Eliasson drew lots to 
determine which states from each regional group would be 
allocated one, two or three year terms in accordance with the 
resolution's provision for staggering of terms for the 
initial membership (and as described in GA document 
A/INF/60/6). 
 
ELECTED MEMBERS AND TERMS 
 
¶3.  Below is a list of the UN Member States that were elected 
to the Human Rights Council.  Parenthetical notations 
following each member state reflect the duration of each 
state's term of membership based on the drawing of lots. 
 
Africa:  Algeria (1 year), Cameroon (3 years), Djibouti (3 
years), Gabon (2 years), Ghana (2 years), Mali (2 years), 
Mauritius (3 years), Morocco (1 year), Nigeria (3 years), 
Senegal (3 years), South Africa (1 year), Tunisia (1 year), 
and Zambia (2 years) 
 
Asia:  Bahrain (1 year), Bangladesh (3 years), China (3 
years), India (1 year), Indonesia (1 year), Japan (2 years), 
Jordan (3 years), Malaysia (3 years), Pakistan (2 years), 
Philippines (1 year), Republic of Korea (2 years), Saudi 
Arabia (3 years), and Sri Lanka (2 years). 
 
Eastern Europe:  Azerbaijan (3 years), Czech Republic (1 
year), Poland (1 year), Romania (2 years), Russian Federation 
(3 years), and Ukraine (2 years) 
 
GRULAC:  Argentina (1 year), Brazil (2 years), Cuba (3 
years), Ecuador (1 year), Guatemala (2 years), Mexico (3 
years), Peru (2 years), and Uruguay (3 years). 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000946  002.2 OF 005 
 
 
 
WEOG:  Canada (3 years), Finland (1 year), France (2 years), 
Germany (3 years), Netherlands (1 year), Switzerland (3 
years), and the United Kingdom (2 years). 
 
Those announced candidates that were NOT elected to the Human 
Rights Council included:  Iran, Iraq, Kyrgystan, Lebanon, 
Thailand, Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, 
Lithuania, Slovenia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Greece, and 
Portugal. 
 
VOTING RESULTS 
 
¶4.  AFRICAN STATES:  Africa presented a "clean slate" of 13 
candidates which were elected in the first round of balloting 
to fill the 13 seats allocated to the group.  (Note:  On May 
8, the African Group, after much internal discussion, 
endorsed a clean slate following Kenya's withdrawal of its 
candidacy.  This altered the anticipated sub-regional 
allocation of seats within the region, moving one seat to 
allow a third North African seat for the group.  An African 
Group member informally told USUN that the seat should revert 
to East Africa in subsequent HRC elections.  End Note.) 
Voting details follow: 
 
Algeria  168 votes 
Cameroon 171 votes 
Djibouti 172 votes 
Gabon 175 votes 
Ghana 183 votes 
Mali 178 votes 
Mauritius 178 votes 
Morocco 178 votes 
Nigeria 169 votes 
Senegal 181 votes 
South Africa 179 votes 
Tunisia 171 votes 
Zambia 182 votes 
 
(In addition to the final African candidates for election, 
Kenya (which had withdrawn its candidacy) received 9 votes, 
and Tanzania, Egypt and Madagascar each received 1 vote.) 
 
¶5.  ASIAN STATES:  13 of the 18 announced candidates from the 
Asian Group were elected in the first round of balloting to 
fill the 13 seats allocated to the group.  Voting details 
follow: 
 
Elected: 
Bahrain: 134 votes 
Bangladesh 160 votes 
China 146 votes 
India 173 votes 
Indonesia 165 votes 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000946  003.2 OF 005 
 
 
Japan 158 votes 
Jordan 137 votes 
Malaysia 158 votes 
Pakistan 149 votes 
Philippines 136 votes 
Republic of Korea 148 votes 
Saudi Arabia 126 votes 
Sri Lanka 123 votes 
 
NOT Elected: 
Iran 58 votes 
Iraq 52 votes 
Kyrgystan 88 votes 
Lebanon 112 votes 
Thailand 120 votes 
 
(In addition to the announced Asian candidates for election, 
Qatar and the Maldives each received 1 vote.) 
 
¶6.  EASTERN EUROPEAN STATES:  With thirteen announced 
candidates for the region, three of the six vacancies for 
Eastern Europe were filled in the first round of balloting, 2 
seats were filled in the second round, and the last seat was 
filled in a third round of balloting.  Voting details follow: 
 
First round: 
Elected: 
Czech Republic 105 votes 
Poland 108 votes 
Russian Federation 137 votes 
 
NOT Elected in the first round of balloting: 
Albania 31 votes 
Armenia 70 votes 
Azerbaijan 95 votes 
Georgia 35 votes 
Hungary 79 votes 
Latvia 50 votes 
Lithuania 92 votes 
Romania 89 votes 
Slovenia 91 votes 
Ukraine 91 votes 
 
(In addition to the announced Eastern European candidates for 
election, Serbia and Montenegro received 1 vote.) 
 
Second Round of balloting:  (Per the rules of procedure for 
elections, the six highest vote getters among those not 
elected in the first round competed for the three remaining 
seats.) 
 
Elected: 
Azerbaijan 103 votes 
Ukraine 109 votes 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000946  004.2 OF 005 
 
 
 
NOT Elected in the second round of balloting: 
Hungary 48 votes 
Lithuania 86 votes 
Romania 95 votes 
Slovenia 88 votes 
 
Third Round of balloting:  (Per the rules of procedure, the 
two highest vote getters among those not elected in the 
second round competed for the one remaining seat) 
 
Elected:  Romania 98 votes 
NOT elected: Slovenia 80 votes 
 
¶7.  LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES:  The 8 seats were 
filled in the first round of balloting from among 10 
announced candidates.  Voting details follow: 
 
Elected: 
Argentina 158 votes 
Brazil 165 votes 
Cuba 135 votes 
Ecuador 128 votes 
Guatemala 142 votes 
Mexico 154 votes 
Peru 145 votes 
Uruguay 141 votes 
 
NOT elected: 
Nicaragua 119 votes 
Venezuela 101 votes 
 
(In addition to the final announced GRULAC candidates for 
election, Costa Rica (which had earlier withdrawn its 
candidacy) received 6 votes, Honduras (which had earlier 
withdrawn its candidacy) received 3 votes, and Colombia 
received 1 vote.) 
 
¶8.  WEOG:  The seven WEOG seats were filled from among the 9 
announced candidates in the first round of balloting.  Voting 
details follow: 
 
Elected: 
Canada 130 votes 
Finland 133 votes 
France 150 votes 
Germany 154 votes 
Netherlands 137 votes 
Switzerland 140 votes 
United Kingdom 148 votes 
 
NOT elected: 
Greece 117 votes 
Portugal 122 votes 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000946  005.2 OF 005 
 
 
 
(In addition to the announced WEOG candidates, Spain obtained 
1 vote.) 
 
BOLTON