US returns to UNHRC, Blinken says United States will advance principles-focused agenda

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday welcomed the return of the United States at the UN Human Rights Council, after leaving it in 2018 under then-President Trump.

The United States was elected a member of the UN Human Rights Council, after its withdrawal in June 2018.

"With our election back to the @UN Human Rights Council, the United States will strive to advance a principles-focused agenda at the @UN_HRC, based on our deeply rooted belief that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," Blinken tweeted.

The United States was elected along with 17 other countries for a three-year term beginning on January 1, 2022. The United States won 168 of the 193 votes.

The United States under the former Donald Trump withdrew from the Human Rights Council in June 2018. The US seat was later taken by Iceland in a by-election.

After the election of Joe Biden, Washington declared in February 2021 that it would re-engage with the council as an observer. Blinken said in a statement that the U.S. withdrawal in 2018 "did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of U.S. leadership."

The UN Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. The council has 47 members, about a third of which are replaced every year so that the council members serve staggered three-year terms for the sake of continuity.

(ANI)

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