UN Rights Body elects Fiji in First Ever Presidential Vote

The UN Human Rights Council elected Fiji’s ambassador as its 2021 president in an unprecedented secret ballot after a diplomatic stand-off blocked the usual consensus decision. Fiji’s ambassador in Geneva, Nazhat Shameem Khan, who served as the council’s vice president in 2020 and is considered a rights champion, won with 29 out of 47 votes.

She ran against two other candidates from the UN’s Asia-Pacific regional group of countries: Bahrain’s ambassador Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri and his counterpart from Uzbekistan, Ulugbek Lapasov, who received 14 and four votes respectively.

WARRIOR 4.0 | Banking Awareness Batch for SBI, RRB, RBI and IBPS Exams | Bilingual | Live Class

The president mainly oversees council meetings but is also in charge of appointing the independent experts who investigate countries’ alleged rights abuses and can determine how hard to crack down on cases of state intimidation against those who cooperate with the body.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

UN Human Rights Council Founded: 15 March 2006.
UN Human Rights Council Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

Find More International News

Sumit Arora

As a team lead and current affairs writer at Adda247, I am responsible for researching and producing engaging, informative content designed to assist candidates in preparing for national and state-level competitive government exams. I specialize in crafting insightful articles that keep aspirants updated on the latest trends and developments in current affairs. With a strong emphasis on educational excellence, my goal is to equip readers with the knowledge and confidence needed to excel in their exams. Through well-researched and thoughtfully written content, I strive to guide and support candidates on their journey to success.