GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (15 January 2021) - The Human Rights Council today elected H.E Nazhat Shameem Khan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Fiji to the United Nations Office at Geneva, to serve as its President for 2021. Ambassador Khan was elected through a secret ballot process through which all 47 members of the Geneva-based human rights body cast their vote to appoint its president for 2021 – the Council’s 15th annual cycle.
Ambassador Khan, whose presidency takes immediate effect, joins the Ambassadors of the Bahamas, Sudan and Netherlands, who were elected vice-presidents of the Council in December, to serve on the Council Bureau for the current year. The election of the fourth vice-president, from the Eastern European Group, will take place following negotiations within the Group.
Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama welcomed Ambassador Khan’s election as a victory for the basic rights of all climate-vulnerable people.
“The Fijian Government’s fundamental assurance of equality for all Fijians placed human rights at the heart of our national development, leading to rapid progress at instituting rights-based protections and our historic position as the first Pacific Island Country on the Human Rights Council. Fiji’s leadership of the Council comes at a critical time for humanity, as the climate emergency threatens human rights on a global and generational scale, and Ambassador Khan is well-suited to help steer our international community towards a future of justice, decency and dignity for all peoples,” said Prime Minister Bainimarama.
The other two candidates for the position of President of the Human Rights Council, coming from the Asia-Pacific Group of States, were Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, Permanent Representative of Bahrain, and Ulugbek Lapasov, Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan. Ambassador Khan received the highest number of votes, securing 29 votes; Ambassador Bucheeri with 14 votes; and Ambassador Lapasov with 4 votes. The Fijian Government welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Khan, and wishes her a successful presidency.