UN Keeps Dominican Republic on Rights Body
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- The country The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti, and its deportations of Haitian migrants have drawn UN warnings.
- What happened On Tuesday 13 October, the UN General Assembly re-elected the Dominican Republic to the UN Human Rights Council with 170 votes.
- The term The second three-year term runs from 1 January 2027 to the end of 2029, the most a member may serve in a row.
- The region Brazil also won 170 votes and Uruguay 165, filling the three seats open to Latin America and the Caribbean this year.
- The US position The United States takes no part in the Council and seeks no seat, under an order President Donald Trump signed on 4 February 2025.
- Still open The ballot was secret, so it is unknown which governments backed Santo Domingo or abstained.
The Dominican Republic won a second term on the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday 13 October, taking 170 votes in the General Assembly. The Caribbean nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, will sit on the 47-member body until the end of 2029.
For US readers, it matters because the Council is the UN body charged with protecting human rights worldwide, and Washington has no seat. President Donald Trump ordered on 4 February 2025 that the United States would not take part in the Council or seek election to it.
How the 13 October Vote Worked
The General Assembly, where every UN member state votes, renews about a third of the Council’s 47 seats each year by secret ballot. On 13 October it elected 15 countries in a single round, for terms that begin on 1 January 2027.
Seats are shared out by region, and Latin America and the Caribbean hold 8 of the 47. Three of those were open this year, and exactly three countries ran for them: Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.
In the Latin American and Caribbean count, 181 votes were cast with 7 abstentions, according to the UN’s meetings coverage summary. Brazil and the Dominican Republic each received 170 votes, and Uruguay received 165.
Under the 2006 General Assembly resolution that created the UN Human Rights Council, each member needs the votes of a majority of the Assembly’s members. All three Latin American candidates cleared that bar, so no second round was needed.
Who Else Joins and Who Leaves
The other winners were Burundi, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Moldova, Nepal, Nigeria, Ukraine and Zambia. Zambia drew the most votes of any candidate, 177, while Burundi drew the fewest, 160.
Five departing members could not run again because they had served two terms in a row: China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, France and Malawi. Uruguay takes the regional seat that Cuba must give up.
From January, the region’s eight seats will belong to Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay. Brazil, like Santo Domingo, starts its second consecutive term.
Why Washington Is Not in the Room
The United States first walked out of the Council in 2018, and President Trump’s order of 4 February 2025 rules out taking part again. The order states that the United States “will not participate” in the Council “and will not seek election to that body.”
The order accuses the Council of letting rights abusers use it “to shield themselves from scrutiny.” It also told the State Department to close the office of US representative to the Council and the posts supporting it.
The Council meets at the UN Office in Geneva, where it adopts resolutions and runs a peer review of every UN member’s rights record. Without a seat, Washington has no vote there, while neighbours such as the Dominican Republic do.
What Santo Domingo Promises
Foreign Minister Víctor “Ito” Bisonó said the result reaffirms the international community’s confidence in his country’s commitment to human rights and democracy. He added that the country would remain a voice for human dignity and work through dialogue and international cooperation.
For the new term, Bisonó said the country “will maintain its commitment” to stronger international protection mechanisms, small island states and vulnerable groups. In its first term, the country pressed the Council on how climate change harms human rights, especially in small island developing states.
The ministry says its first term, from 2024 to 2026, also covered the right to education, a culture of peace and disability rights. It also backed women’s economic empowerment and drew attention to the many-sided crisis in Haiti.
The Haiti Question
Haiti, the other country on the island of Hispaniola, is in a long crisis that weighs on its neighbour. In April 2025, the UN said more than 51,000 people, over half of them children, had fled recent attacks in Haiti.
Santo Domingo’s deportations to Haiti have drawn concern from the UN and its migration agency, the International Organization for Migration. On one day in April 2025, the agency’s staff at the Belladère border crossing received 416 people deported from the Dominican Republic.
Among them were 11 pregnant women and 16 women who were still breastfeeding, the UN said at the time. The foreign ministry’s statement on the Council vote does not mention migration or deportations.
What It Means for You
For US travellers, investors and Dominican Americans, the vote changes no visa, tariff or travel rule. The seat is about diplomatic influence in Geneva, not about daily life on the island.
Membership also brings scrutiny, because members that commit gross and systematic rights violations can be suspended. Diario Libre, a Santo Domingo daily, recalled that this happened to Russia after it launched its war against Ukraine.
For the wider picture, see who holds power in the Dominican Republic and how the country balances the US, China and the Gulf. Readers who live in or visit the capital can find practical guidance on the Santo Domingo city page.
What Is Not Known
The ballot was secret, so there is no record of which governments voted for Santo Domingo. It is also unknown which 7 delegations abstained in the Latin American and Caribbean count.
The foreign ministry has not said which resolutions it will sponsor first when the new term starts in January 2027. It is also unclear whether Washington will ever return, since the 2025 order rules out both taking part and running for a seat.
More: Dominican Republic news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UN Human Rights Council?
The UN Human Rights Council is a body of 47 countries, created in 2006, that meets in Geneva to promote and protect human rights worldwide. Members are elected by the General Assembly for three years and may serve at most two terms in a row.
How many votes did the Dominican Republic get?
The Dominican Republic received 170 votes on 13 October, the same as Brazil, while Uruguay received 165. The three countries ran for three open regional seats, and all were elected in a single round.
Is the United States a member of the UN Human Rights Council?
No, the United States is not a member and will not seek election, under an order President Trump signed on 4 February 2025. Washington had first withdrawn from the Council in 2018.
Does the vote change travel or visa rules for Americans?
No, a Council seat is a diplomatic role and does not change visas, trade or travel to the country. It gives Santo Domingo a vote on UN human rights resolutions until the end of 2029.
Can the Dominican Republic run again in 2029?
No, members are not eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms. The country would have to leave the Council for a time before it could stand again.
Sources: United Nations, Meetings Coverage GA/12795, 13 October 2026; UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council elections (81st session), October 2026; Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (MIREX), 13 October 2026; The White House, 4 February 2025; OHCHR, About the Human Rights Council, accessed 14 October 2026; UN News, 24 April 2025; Diario Libre, 13 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief