"We thank the [UN] General Assembly for its support and pledge to continue to work closely with the international community to address urgent and serious human rights concerns worldwide and to strengthen the Council as an institution," Kerry stated.
Earlier Friday, members of the UN General Assembly re-elected the United States, Brazil, China, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Hungary, Iraq, Japan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia and the United Kingdom to the Human Rights Council for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2017.
Since joining the council in 2009, the United States has focused on shifting the body’s focus away from its ally Israel. In 2008, nearly 75 percent of the council’s resolutions focused on Israel; by 2015 the percentage declined to 20 percent, the State Department noted Friday.
