The UN General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a move by the US to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council of the world body for its aggression and invasion of Ukraine.
The office of the president of the UN General Assembly said that the emergency special session of the 193-member UN body will resume on Thursday at 10 am and action is expected on the draft resolution to suspend Russia.
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."
US Ambassador at UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield had told reporters in Bucharest, Romania, 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.
"A hundred and forty UN Member States have already voted to condemn Russia over its unprovoked war and the humanitarian crisis it has unleashed upon the people of Ukraine. My message to those 140 countries who have courageously stood together is simple: the images out of Bucha and devastation across Ukraine require us now to match our words with action.
"We cannot let a member State that is subverting every principle we hold dear to continue to sit on the UN Human Rights Council,” she said, as she referred to the UN Member States who voted in favour of General Assembly resolutions deploring Russian action and demanding that Moscow immediately withdraw its forces and cease hostilities.
"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... 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.
India has 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.
