New York, Oct 15: India has been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026–28 term, marking its seventh stint on the Geneva-based body dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights globally.
Announcing the election results held on Tuesday, the UNHRC said India’s three-year term will commence on January 1, 2026.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, thanked member states for their overwhelming support, saying the result underscores India’s “unwavering commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
India last served on the Council for the 2022–24 term and took a one-year break in 2025, as rules prohibit three consecutive terms. Since the Council’s inception in 2006, India has served six terms — 2006–2007, 2008–2010, 2012–2014, 2015–2017, 2019–2021, and 2022–2024 — missing only the mandatory gaps in 2011, 2018, and 2025.
The 47-member Council, elected by the UN General Assembly, is structured on equitable regional representation — with 13 seats each for African and Asia-Pacific states, six for Eastern European, eight for Latin American and Caribbean, and seven for Western European and other states.
Other countries elected for the upcoming term include Angola, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Iraq, Italy, Mauritius, Pakistan, Slovenia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. (Agencies)
