UNITED NATIONS – The General Assembly on Tuesday elected 15 states as members of the UN Human Rights Council.

Through secret ballot, Burundi, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia (for Africa); Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal (for Asia-Pacific); Moldova, Ukraine (for Eastern Europe); Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay (for Latin America and the Caribbean); Germany, Ireland (for Western Europe and other states) were elected.

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The 15 states will serve three-year terms starting Jan 1, 2027.

All 15 candidates were running unchallenged this year.

Burundi, Ghana, Japan, Kuwait, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic were re-elected.

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The Geneva-based Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the world. It comprises 47 member states, with about one-third of its membership replaced each year through staggered three-year terms to ensure continuity.

To ensure equitable geographical representation, the council's seats are allocated among five regional groups: 13 for African States, 13 for Asia-Pacific States, six for Eastern European States, eight for Latin American and Caribbean States, and seven for Western European and other States.