UN Human Rights Council

UN Human Rights Council elects Fiji’s Nazhat Shameem Khan as president

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.

A statement said 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.

Pacific concern relayed at UN over West Papua abuses

The 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, was told that Indonesia has not curtailed or halted various widespread violations.

Vanuatu's Justice Minister Ronald Warsal was speaking on behalf of his country and six other Pacific nations: Tonga, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and Solomon Islands

Australia fails in UN co-operation report

A Secretary-General's report on UN co-operation listed Australia as a country potentially intimidating people from speaking out about human rights abuses to UN workers.