Pakistan re-elected for a second three-year term to UN rights council

United Nations: China and Russia were elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council last week, but support for Beijing dropped by more than 20 percent compared with a 2016 vote and Pakistan was re-elected for a second three-year term.
The 193-member UN General Assembly also elected Ivory Coast, Gabon, Malawi, Cuba, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, France and Britain to the 47-member council.

Senegal, Nepal, Pakistan, Ukraine and Mexico were re-elected for a second three-year term. Council members cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.
Candidates are elected by secret ballot in geographical groups to ensure even representation. The Asia-Pacific group was the only competitive race with five candidates vying for four seats. The new members will begin their term on January 1, 2021.
While China was elected on Tuesday with 139 votes, its support fell more than 20 percent compared to the last time it won a seat in 2016.

Most recently China has come under fire for its treatment of Uighur Muslims in the country’s Xinjiang region and handling of pro-democracy protests in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong.
US President Donald Trump’s administration quit the Human Rights Council in 2018 — half way through its term — over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform.