The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has elected the Maldives as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 term.
The Maldives won its seat on the UNHRC in a secret ballot held at the UNGA. The election saw 17 countries competing for 14 vacant seats. The membership for the UNHRC is based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats are allotted among regional groups. The Maldives competed in the Group of Asia-Pacific States, for one of the four vacant seats. The Maldives won the seat with 154 votes, out of a total of 189 votes cast. Along with the Maldives, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan also won seats for the Group of Asia-Pacific States. The new members will start their terms on January 1, 2023.
The Maldives previously was a member of the UNHRC from 2011-2016. The foreign policy of the Maldives gives special importance to the protection of human rights and the maintenance of democracy.
The UNHRC consists of 47 members and reinforces the prerogative to speak out against human rights abuses around the world and indicates that the organisation is accommodating to diverse opinions. The term of office of the members of the UNHRC is three years and no country can run for two consecutive terms.