Norway Elected to UN Human Rights Council
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, prior to the start of the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the League of Arab States March 30, 2009. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
New York May 12 – Today Norway was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council together with the US. Norway got 179 votes, the highest number among all the 20 candidates.
By: The Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations
“I am pleased that Norway has now been elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Our work now begins in earnest. During the next three years we will participate actively in the Council. We will take our share of responsibility and work systematically to promote human rights,” said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
“The aim of our engagement is clear. It is to ensure that individuals are better protected against abuse and have better access to the rights set out in existing standards and conventions in the field of human rights. As a member Norway aims to make a difference,” said the Foreign Minister.
“As a member of the Human Rights Council we will continue our efforts to ensure compliance with the prohibition against torture and to strengthen the rights of particularly vulnerable groups. We will also continue to support human rights defenders. We will particularly focus on the issue of internally displaced persons. We will stress the importance of corporate social responsibility. We will seek to increase the focus on freedom of expression, free media and the rights of women and children. We will use our voice in the Council to draw attention to serious human rights violations by oppressive regimes that are unwilling to cooperate or make improvements,” Mr Støre added.
“I am proud of the great job diplomats here at the Ministry and at our diplomatic and consular missions have done to promote Norway’s candidacy,” the Foreign Minister concluded.
