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PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is applying for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the period 2022-2024, Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
Traditionally, four to five Asian Pacific states are elected to the council in each term, and the last time Malaysia was on the council was for the 2010-2013 term. The country was elected for the first time to the council for the 2006-2009 term.
Hishammuddin announced Malaysia’s candidacy in his keynote address at the virtual forum “Better recover – Defend human rights”, held in recognition of World Human Rights Day 2020.
“The HRC embodies the spirit of multilateralism, for which Malaysia continues to advocate, and as a member of the HRC, Malaysia will work closely with all actors to drive progress on human rights in the country and also globally,” he said. .
He said Malaysia had also been selected by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as one of six model countries for its study on good practices emerging from its universal periodic review (UPR).
“Through the study, OHCHR will produce a public report on good practices emerging from the UPR that would serve as reference material for countries in future UPRs.”
The forum was a joint effort organized by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and the United Nations in Malaysia.
