Lusaka, 13 January 2025 – The United Nations in Zambia has dismissed as false and misleading a recent report by the Daily Nation newspaper alleging that the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has blacklisted Zambia for failing to uphold human rights standards.
In a statement issued today, the UN clarified that membership to the UNHRC is determined through elections. Member States are elected by the General Assembly based on equitable geographical representation and their commitment to promoting and protecting human rights. Zambia’s absence from the UNHRC’s current membership list, the statement emphasized, is not due to blacklisting but simply because the country did not seek election for the 2023-2025 and 2024-2026 terms.
“It is incorrect to interpret Zambia’s non-membership as being blacklisted. The country simply chose not to present its candidacy for the mentioned periods,” the statement read. The UN further criticized the implications in the Daily Nation article that all non-member countries, including other African states, were blacklisted. “Such assertions are baseless and inaccurate,” the organization stated.
The UN also highlighted Zambia’s previous contributions to the UNHRC, having served as a member for two consecutive terms between 2006 and 2011. According to the release, Zambia has expressed plans to seek membership in the Council later this year.
The statement was issued to address concerns raised by the erroneous reporting, reaffirming the UN’s commitment to transparency and accurate communication about its processes.
For further clarification, the public is encouraged to contact Mark Maseko, National Information Officer for the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lusaka.
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