The International Human Rights Council has no president due to a dispute over a candidate

Diplomats and observers said that Russia, China and Saudi Arabia had objected to a female candidate from Fiji taking the position of president of the United Nations Human Rights Council, causing a stalemate.

Observers and diplomats added that Russia, China and Saudi Arabia objected to the selection of Nazhat Shamim Khan, head of the Fiji delegation, to fill the position, or supported other candidates who appeared at the last moments.

“We see that Saudi Arabia, China and Russia support a candidate from Bahrain and oppose Fiji’s candidacy,” said Phil Lynch, Director of the International Service for Human Rights, referring to Khan’s support for investigations into human rights violations in Belarus and Yemen last year.

The presidency of the Human Rights Council rotates annually between regions of the world, and diplomats say that any disputes over the position of the president of the Council are usually resolved quickly and amicably.

The current crisis means that the Council, which is the only body among governments that promotes and protects human rights around the world, will resume its work in Geneva next week without a president for the first time in its 15-year history.

Council decisions are not binding, but they have political weight, and may be a reason for conducting investigations into allegations of human rights violations.

Source: Reuters