Saudi Arabia’s attempt to get a place on the UN Human Rights Council was barely unsuccessful. It has harmed Riyadh’s attempts to improve the nation’s standing on human rights internationally. In another attempt to join the 47-member organization four years ago, Riyadh was turned down.
The kingdom is investing billions of dollars to change its reputation as a nation that violates human rights and imposes harsh religious constraints. With an initiative called Vision 2030, which the young Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, introduced, the new face has become a center for commerce and entertainment.
The nations of the UN General Assembly decide about the membership of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council by secret ballots divided into geographic groupings to provide equal involvement.
The sole competition on Wednesday was the Asia-Pacific group, which featured Saudi Arabia. For five places, six nations competed. Saudi Arabia received 117 votes but lost the battle. Advocates have cautioned that Saudi Arabia’s appointment to the committee would erode its capacity to seek redress for human rights abuses. It would also seem insulting to the numerous people who have been harmed by the Saudi government.
Saudi Critics
Human rights organizations were shocked to learn that Saudi Arabia had been selected to lead a UN committee seven months ago. The commission’s goal is to strengthen women globally and advance equal rights for women. Human Rights Watch’s UN manager, Louis Charbonneau, declared Saudi Arabia unsuitable for membership as a participant of the Human Rights Council prior to the voting on Wednesday.
He claimed claims that hundreds of Ethiopians had been killed by Saudi border police in 2022 and the following year. Ethiopian nationals were attempting to flee Yemen in what some have called a possible crime against humanity. The nation has yet to provide an explanation for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
According to Charbonneau, countries that perpetrate crimes against humanity and guarantee immunity for those involved ought not to be granted seats on the UN’s highest human rights council. The Saudi Arabian envoy to the the United Nations in Geneva stated in a statement delivered in 2023 that the country categorically rejects claims that the country conducts any “systematic” murders along the border. The Saudi administration continues to insist that a renegade cell killed Jamal Khashoggi, refuting any link to the administration.
The Human Rights Council’s sessions are closely watched even though it lacks enforceable authority. Additionally, it has the authority to order inspections to record abuses, which may serve as the foundation for war crimes cases.
The human rights commission that was invalidated in 2006 due to several members’ problematic human rights credentials was replaced by the council. However, the newly formed council was immediately subjected to the same criticisms, one of which was that nations had applied for members in order to defend their friends and themselves.
Wednesday’s newly elected members to the council were Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Iceland, Spain, Colombia, and Mexico. For an additional term, Qatar, the Gambia, and Benin are confirmed. Members of the council are limited to two terms in a row.