UN member states will vote on Wednesday for the election of the new members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for the period 2025-2027, with the Republic of Cyprus seeking a seat on the Council for the first time. The procedure will take place at 1000 local time, in the UN General Assembly Hall.
Cyprus Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, who has been in New York since Monday, held the latest round of contacts to present and promote the candidacy of the Republic of Cyprus and to convey to the UN member states what the country’s priorities will be if it is elected as member of the Council.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be present at the secret ballot for the election of the new members, accompanied by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the UN, Ambassador Maria Michael, his colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomats of the Cyprus Mission in New York.
Diplomatic sources have said that “Cyprus’ election to the UN Human Rights Council will be an opportu
nity for the country to strengthen its diplomatic footprint internationally, by participating in one of the most important bodies of the UN system. Cyprus will have the opportunity to highlight issues such as the rights of the child, gender equality and women’s rights, the rights of vulnerable groups and the protection of cultural heritage.”
The Human Rights Council is composed of 47 UN member states elected by all UN member states for a three-year term. Currently, the UN General Assembly will elect 18 new members to the Human Rights Council for a three-year term, starting in January 2025.
The Republic of Cyprus is in the most competitive geographic group, the Asia-Pacific comprising six countries (Republic of Cyprus, Marshall Islands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand) vying for five seats. In contrast, other geographical groups, such as Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and Eastern Europe, do not face competition as the number of candidates is the same with the number of
available places.
Source: Cyprus News Agency