Canada will seek a seat on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly will announce Canada’s candidacy to serve on the council from 2028 to 2030 on Tuesday afternoon, through an election likely to take place in 2026.
Two government sources familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak publicly before the official announcement, say Canada will be banking on a bid that will highlight six key priorities, including holding states accountable for implementing in detention of human rights activists. The promotion of gender equality, the rights of LGBTQ communities, sexual health and reproductive rights will also be part of the arguments supporting Canada’s candidacy.
Canada plans to echo the former Harper government’s emphasis on freedom of religious belief, while engaging in anti-racism programs and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples around the world.
So far, Greece has announced a race for one of three places that will be available to countries that sit in a group of 28 that includes Canada, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
The Human Rights Council investigates alleged violations of these rights in states that are members of the UN, committed by governments or actors in society. It also publishes reports on general human rights issues, such as Iran’s ongoing crackdown on women’s rights.
Minister Joly will push for a focus on human rights online, building on the Freedom Online Coalition, a group that urges people to express themselves online and protect their privacy.
Ottawa will likely also push to regulate platforms that have been used to incite violence. Canada cites the anti-Rohingya riots in Myanmar as an example, which it says were linked to lies circulating on social media.
Another part of the bid will be to respond to climate change in a way that includes protecting the people who are most affected by climate change and continuing work on reforming global finance for small countries that face severe challenges. frequent natural disasters.
Mélanie Joly plans to be humble while pushing the world to do better, acknowledging that Canada is failing to live up to its own human rights obligations, such as addressing disparities in the criminal justice system and providing services fair to indigenous peoples.
Groups like Human Rights Watch, however, have criticized the Human Rights Council for “electing serious rights abusers like Cameroon, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates to its ranks”.
Russia left the Geneva-based body after UN members voted to end its membership shortly after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.