Anne Bayefsky
UN Human Rights Council Election Results
Friday, May 15, 2009
- Number of fully free countries on the UN's lead human rights body
-> less than 50%
- Balance of power on the UN Human Rights Council
-> Organization of the Islamic Conference
(Islamic states elected enough states to form a majority of both the African and Asian regional groups; the African and Asian regional groups together hold a majority of seats on the Council)
- Number of votes obtained by the United States as compared to the number of votes for Kyrgyzstan: 167 U.S. vs. 174 Kyrgyzstan
- Number of votes for the three slots reserved for Western states, with only three Western states running (i.e. a fixed slate):
-> Norway - 179
-> Belgium - 177
-> United States - 167 (the least number of votes)
| Human Rights Council Elections
held in the UN General Assembly;
Commentary, Anne Bayefsky
May 12, 2009
New York, UN Headquarters | |