(JTA) — The United States was elected to serve a second term on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The other countries elected Monday for a three-year term on the council are Argentina, Brazil, Cote d’Ivoire, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
The secret ballot took place Monday at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
"We pledge to continue to work closely with the international community to address urgent and serious human rights concerns worldwide and to strengthen the Council," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement issued after the vote. "While much hard work remains to be done, especially ending the Council’s disproportionate and biased focus on Israel, we look forward to cooperating with other Council members to continue to address human rights concerns and to ensure that the Council fully realizes its promise."
Representation on the 47-member council is by geographical region.
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