The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday elected Pakistan to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for a three-year term, commencing on 1 January 2026. Pakistan secured its seat with a resounding majority of 178 votes.
This election to the Council marks the sixth time Pakistan has been chosen for this role since the HRC’s establishment in 2006, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement said this recurring recognition underscores the international community’s trust in Pakistan’s commitment to defending, promoting, and protecting human rights both domestically and globally, as well as its contribution to strengthening the international human rights system. Additionally, it highlights Pakistan’s proven track record and persistent efforts as a consensus-builder within the Human Rights Council.
During its term as a member of the HRC, Pakistan will actively engage with the broader UN membership and civil society to advance all facets of human rights. This includes civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, alongside the right to development. Pakistan will also lend its full support to the HRC’s mandate, ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights grounded in the principles of universality, objectivity, transparency, and non-selectivity.
HRC is the platform for addressing human rights violations worldwide, including in territories under foreign occupation. In accordance with the Council’s mandate, Pakistan will continue to draw attention to the grave human rights violations by the Indian occupation forces in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Pakistan will similarly highlight the human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental body based in Geneva within the United Nations system, is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights globally. Comprising 47 Member States, the HRC addresses thematic human rights issues and specific situations requiring urgent attention.
