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14 new members elected to UN's main human rights body

14 new members elected to UN's main human rights body

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today elected 14 new members to the Geneva-based Commission on Human Rights, the major UN body working to promote and protect human rights.

The new members of the 53-strong body were elected for three-year terms from five regional groupings. Acting without a vote, the Council elected Togo, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, Chile and Mexico from the African and the Latin American and Caribbean Groups.

By secret ballot, the Council elected Bahrain, the Republic of Korea and Pakistan from the Asian States. Iran and Saudi Arabia did not receive enough votes. From the Eastern European States, Croatia and Armenia were elected, while Azerbaijan and Latvia were not.

From the Western European and Others Group, France, Sweden and Austria were elected, but the United States did not get a sufficient number of votes. Commenting on the election results, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard told the press that "this is the first time since the Commission's inception in 1947 that the United States will not serve" on the panel.