UPDATED 16:15 The UN General Assembly has voted for Iceland to join the Human Rights Council by 172 votes out of 178. 5 Countries abstained and 1 country voted for France.
The UN General Assembly is expected to elect Iceland to take a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Last month the United States announced its withdrawal from the council over its stand on Israel. The UN Human Rights Council, and human rights campaigners around the world, have been sharply critical of what has been characterized as rampant human rights violations by Israel in the occupied territories. The US administration has dismissed this criticism and denounced the UN Human Rights Council as a cesspool of political bias against Israel.
The vote will take place later today, Friday. If Iceland is elected it will occupy the seat vacated by the US for the remainder of the current term which expires at the end of next year.
Read more: Prime Minister of Iceland on front page of NYT, appears fed up with Trump, Theresa May
The Foreign Minister of Iceland, Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, told the local newspaper Fréttablaðið that Iceland would not change its stance on human rights or international affairs if it is elected to the council. Iceland would continue to criticize countries that have perhaps not been models of human rights, as Guðlaugur put it, referring to countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Egypt. He said that it was important that members of the Human Rights Council served as role models when it came to the observation and protection of human rights. He also stressed that the decision of the US to withdraw from the council was disappointing.
Iceland has stressed environmentalism, gender equality and human rights, diplomacy and multilateral approaches to international problems, rejecting isolationism and military solutions.
UPDATED 16:15 The UN General Assembly has voted for Iceland to join the Human Rights Council by 172 votes out of 178. 5 Countries abstained and 1 country voted for France.
The UN General Assembly is expected to elect Iceland to take a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. Last month the United States announced its withdrawal from the council over its stand on Israel. The UN Human Rights Council, and human rights campaigners around the world, have been sharply critical of what has been characterized as rampant human rights violations by Israel in the occupied territories. The US administration has dismissed this criticism and denounced the UN Human Rights Council as a cesspool of political bias against Israel.
The vote will take place later today, Friday. If Iceland is elected it will occupy the seat vacated by the US for the remainder of the current term which expires at the end of next year.
Read more: Prime Minister of Iceland on front page of NYT, appears fed up with Trump, Theresa May
The Foreign Minister of Iceland, Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, told the local newspaper Fréttablaðið that Iceland would not change its stance on human rights or international affairs if it is elected to the council. Iceland would continue to criticize countries that have perhaps not been models of human rights, as Guðlaugur put it, referring to countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Egypt. He said that it was important that members of the Human Rights Council served as role models when it came to the observation and protection of human rights. He also stressed that the decision of the US to withdraw from the council was disappointing.
Iceland has stressed environmentalism, gender equality and human rights, diplomacy and multilateral approaches to international problems, rejecting isolationism and military solutions.
