Hommam Al Nassim 
Morocco won the 2024 election for the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday after competing with South Africa and a rare secret ballot.
Moroccan candidate Ambassador Omar Zniber received 30 votes from the 47 council members, compared to 17 for his South African counterpart Maxolisi Nkosi in the secret ballot held in Geneva, Switzerland.
The African Group, whose role this year was to present the candidate for the presidency of the Human Rights Council, was unable to agree on a single name.
After his election in a speech, Omar Zniber stressed that he wants to work “to meet the demands of our important and fundamental common action which is to promote, respect and guarantee human rights as internationally recognized,” according to a statement issued by the council.
Speaking to Reuters before the vote, Nkosi said Morocco was “the opposite of what the council represents” and that his election to the presidency would damage its credibility.
The Human Rights Council, which meets several times a year in Geneva, is the only global intergovernmental body that protects human rights worldwide and has the power to tighten scrutiny of states’ human rights records and allow investigations.