Chile announces its candidacy to join the UN Human Rights Council

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – “For the Government of President Boric, the candidacy of Chile to the Human Rights Council is fundamental; it is a sign of the commitment we have both internationally and domestically with the human rights agenda in its broad spectrum,” said Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola.

Chile’s candidacy “also reflects President Boric’s interest in Chile’s return to leadership in international forums,” added Urrejola, president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), before taking office.

Created in 2006 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the Council is composed of 47 States and is dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights worldwide. The new members of the Council will be elected next October for a three-year term by secret ballot by a majority of the members of the UN General Assembly.

The composition of the body is based on equitable geographical distribution. Seats will be distributed as follows among regional groups, with each region having some seats reserved: Africa (13), Asia and the Pacific (13), Eastern Europe (6), Latin America and the Caribbean (8), and Western Europe and other States (7).

“We are going to work to get all the votes, but it is not easy because it is an election that will be marked by geopolitical reasons,” the chancellor acknowledged.