UNGA to vote on draft resolution seeking to suspend Russia from UN Human Rights Council

The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday on a draft resolution seeking to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, a move initiated by the US after harrowing images emerged of corpses strewn across streets of the Ukrainian city Bucha, with Washington terming Moscow's participation in the top human rights body as a farce".

The UNGA will resume its Emergency Special Session on Thursday after a request from Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Georgia, Japan, Liberia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, the UK, the US and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union, on behalf of 27 members of the EU bloc.

The Assembly will vote on a draft resolution that will decide to suspend the rights of membership in the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation".

The Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states, elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly.

The General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, may suspend the rights of membership in the Council of a member of the Council that commits gross and systematic violations of human rights . Abstentions do not count and the resolution requires two-thirds of yes/no votes to be adopted.

The draft resolution titled Suspension of the rights of membership of the Russian Federation in the Human Rights Council' notes the Human Rights Council resolution of March 4, 2022, in particular its grave concern regarding reports of gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law committed by Russia during its aggression against Ukraine.

The draft resolution expresses grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by Russia, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.

It recognises strong expressions of concern in statements by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and by the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

Paulina Kubiak Greer, spokesperson for General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid, told reporters that the draft resolution was submitted for co-sponsorship by Ukraine, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Republic of Moldova, the UK and the US.

Earlier this week in Romanian capital Bucharest, US Ambassador at UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield had told reporters that Washington, in close coordination with Ukraine, European countries and other partners at the UN, was going to seek Russia's suspension from the UN Human Rights Council.

Russia should not have a position of authority in that body, nor should we allow Russia to use their role on the Council as a tool of propaganda to suggest they have a legitimate concern about human rights.

"In fact, we see every day, including yesterday, heartbreaking reports about how little they care about human rights. Russia's participation on the Human Rights Council is a farce. It hurts the credibility of the Council and the UN writ large. And it is simply wrong. Which is why we believe it is time for the UN General Assembly to suspend them, she said.

Since January, India has abstained on eight occasions on procedural votes and draft resolutions in the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine.

New Delhi on Tuesday unequivocally condemned the deeply disturbing reports of civilian killings in the Ukrainian city of Bucha and supported the call for an independent investigation, as it underlined that when innocent human lives are at stake, diplomacy must prevail as the only viable option.

Talking about the civilian killings in Bucha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said India is "deeply disturbed" by the reports.

"We strongly condemn the killings that have taken place there. This is an extremely serious matter and we support the call for an independent investigation," he said, replying to a discussion in Parliament on the situation in Ukraine.

Jaishankar said India encourages talks between Ukraine and Russia, including at the level of their presidents, and asserted that if New Delhi can be of any assistance in this matter, it would be "glad to contribute". India's approach will be to promote dialogue to end the conflict, he said.

The situation in Ukraine has not shown any significant improvement since the Council last discussed the issue. The security situation has only deteriorated, as well as its humanitarian consequences, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told a meeting on Ukraine in the UN Security Council Tuesday that was addressed for the first time by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russia's current membership on the Council ends in December 2023.

The only time a member state was suspended from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council was Libya in 2011 when in an unprecedented move a resolution was adopted in the General Assembly that had expressed deep concern about the human rights situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the wake of Muammar Al-Qadhafi's violent crackdown on anti-government protestors.