The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world.
It has 47 members, about a third of which are replaced every year so that the council members serve staggered three-year terms for the sake of continuity.
The members of the council are not eligible for immediate re-election after two consecutive terms.
Seats of the UN Human Rights Council are allocated on a regional group basis: 13 each for Africa and the Asia-Pacific; 8 for Latin America and the Caribbean; 7 for Western Europe and other states; 6 for Eastern Europe.