Egypt

Egypt secures seat at UN Human Rights Council for three years

Egypt won on Thursday the mid-term elections for membership at the main United Nations human rights body for the period 2017-2021, the foreign ministry said.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid, Ambassador Ahmed Fateh Allah will be Egypt's representative at the UN Human Rights Council.

He added that the mid-term elections aimed at the renewal of nine seats, on which a total of 26 countries competed.

The UN Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states which are elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

Council members serve for a period of three years for a maximum of two consecutive terms, after which immediate re-election is not possible.

The council is "responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them," according to the council's website.

Abu Zeid said that Egypt's election reflects the international community's "confidence" in Egypt.

Egypt's human rights conditions have been largely scrutinised over the past few years, with local and international rights groups reporting on increasing human rights violations, crackdowns and police abuses.

Meanwhile, Egypt has maintained that reports of violations are politicised and lack objectivity.

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