Federico Villegas, ambassador and permanent representative of Argentina at the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, Switzerland, was elected this Monday (6) as president of the Human Rights Council.
Effective January 1, 2022, Villegas replaces current President Nazhat Shameem Khan, ambassador of Fiji. The new chairman commended the Board’s conduct, stating that during 2021, a challenging year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “more than 175 resolutions were adopted without canceling or postponing sessions.”
For Khan, “2021 was a year of significant challenges and important achievements, and 2022 promises much of the same”. The ambassador also celebrated the opportunity for a small developing country in the Pacific to have the opportunity to lead one of the main UN councils.
“This year’s presidency is a testament to multilateral institutions and small state bodies, and to the value and weight of their voices in shaping the decisions and direction of global diplomacy,” Khan said.
Villegas proposed a series of actions for the coming year, with the assurance that the body is a “stable platform to increase dialogue and deepen understanding of the similarities and differences in human rights.” He also promised to act “in conflict prevention and post-conflict reconstruction.”
During the session also elected ambassadors Katharina Stasch of Germany, Tamim Baiou of Libya and Ulugbek Lapasov of Uzbekistan to serve as three of the four vice presidents of Villegas next year. The last vice president will be elected in January from among the representatives of Eastern European countries.
Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero celebrated the election of Villegas, the first Argentine to hold the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council.
“It is a recognition of our country and its commitment to human rights as part of the national identity since the recovery of democracy,” said Cafiero.
Argentina will assume for the first time in history the Presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
It is a recognition of our country and its commitment to human rights as part of the national identity since the recovery of democracy. pic.twitter.com/HmdwLlrH7k
– Santiago Cafiero (@SantiagoCafiero) December 6, 2021
Reference: CNN Brasil
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