The Marshall Islands has been elected to join the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) starting next year, prioritizing climate change and nuclear justice. This marks the first time in which a Pacific island nation will represent on the 47-member council.
The Marshall Islands received full support from the Pacific Islands Forum, which encompasses 18 presidents and prime ministers from the region. The HRC’s mission includes promoting and protecting human rights, overseeing UN processes, and advising the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In a speech to the General Assembly in September, President Hilda Heine expressed concerns that global multilateral progress is faltering, particularly in relation to human rights. She emphasized the need for accountability across all nations without exceptions.
Heine highlighted the unique challenges faced by the Marshall Islands, including the nuclear testing legacy and climate change, stressing that the voices of vulnerable communities should never be silenced. At a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, she urged for acknowledgment of the repercussions from US atomic tests conducted in her country between 1946 and 1958, while it was under UN Trusteeship.
She pointed out that for nearly 80 years, there has been no official apology or meaningful reconciliation regarding these past injustices. The Marshall Islands remains extremely susceptible to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels and severe weather events.
The country had previously called for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding industrialized nations’ obligations to mitigate carbon emissions. Although this initial call was not successful, it set the stage for a resolution adopted in 2023, with public hearings by the ICJ scheduled for December.
Heine has criticized wealthy nations for failing to fulfill their commitments, particularly regarding the use of fossil fuels. She articulated her demand for an end to new coal mines, gas fields, and oil wells.
As the Marshall Islands prepares to take its seat next year, it will join Indonesia and France on the council. Heine has targeted both nations concerning human rights issues affecting indigenous populations in Papua and New Caledonia. Despite ongoing requests for an independent investigation into human rights in Papua, Indonesia has yet to comply.
Heine also looks forward to a high-level visit by Pacific Islands Forum leaders to New Caledonia in light of recent violence related to proposal changes affecting the Kanak vote.
Countries elected to the HRC are expected to uphold the UN’s human rights standards, and an analysis of the Marshall Islands’ voting record from its previous term in 2021 showed it largely supported most resolutions, with exceptions regarding issues in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
In its bid to join the council, the Marshall Islands committed to reviewing international human rights instruments it has not yet signed, including those related to civil and political rights, the abolition of the death penalty, and the prevention of torture.