REUTERS
Ukraine was elected a UNHRC member in October 2017.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has announced the start of Ukraine's three-year membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the protection of human rights throughout the world.
"Having completed the mission of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Ukraine has begun today a three-year membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council. The protection of human rights throughout the world, including in temporarily occupied Crimea and Donbas, is our priority!" he wrote on Twitter on February 26.
In October 2017, Ukraine was elected a UNHRC member for 2018-2020. Prior to this, Ukraine served as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The UNHRC consists of 47 members who are elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations for a period of three years. The government of Ukraine expects that participation in the Council will allow the country to more effectively counter violations of human rights in the occupied areas in Donbas and Crimea.