Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro will now lead the work at the UN forum after his designation as the only candidate from the Asia-Pacific group, who had to propose a leader for the Council.
Other members of the regional bloc include China, Japan and South Korea.
Switzerland happens
Suryodipuro replaces last year’s president, Jurg Lauber of Switzerland; The Indonesian ambassador will now wield the gavel at the Council’s three scheduled sessions beginning in late February, June and September.
It will also oversee reviews of Council members’ human rights records, a procedure known as the Universal Periodic Review.
After his confirmation on Thursday, Suryodipuro said Indonesia had been a strong supporter of the Council since it began its work 20 years ago, and of the Geneva forum’s predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights.
“Our decision to step forward is rooted in our 1945 Constitution and aligns with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter which requires Indonesia to contribute to world peace on the basis of independence, peace and social justice,” he told delegates.
At the same meeting, the delegates also agreed to the appointment of the Ecuadorian candidate, Ambassador Marcelo Vázquez Bermúdez, as Vice President of the Council for 2026.
“Deep-rooted global crisis”
Although Bermúdez was the only candidate from the group of Latin American and Caribbean states, his candidacy was not supported by Bolivia or Cuba, which disassociated themselves from his election.
Taking the floor at the organizational meeting of the Council, the representative of Colombia, María Juliana Tenorio Quintero, highlighted the tense geopolitical context that currently prevails, in the context of a “deeply rooted global crisis.”
“Now we see a return to threats and force as a way of governing international relations without looking at the real impact on the international situation and this threatens the system that for more than eight decades has been essential to avoid a third world war,” he stated.
At this “historic” moment, Quintero urged all delegates to guarantee “absolute respect” for human rights standards. “We must act in accordance with international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international law as a whole,” he insisted.