Fiji's government says its bid for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council remains on track, as it wasn't seeking a term this year.
A meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Photo: AFP
At the UN General Assembly on Friday, Fiji received six votes for a seat to represent the Asia-Pacific region, well short of China, Japan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which received more than 150 votes each.
But the government said it is seeking a term from 2018 to 2020, and that the six votes it received on Friday didn't matter.
It said Fiji was not formally part of the process, and it plans to formally stand next year.
In that case, it's not clear why Fiji received the votes it did, and who voted for it, as the election process for the council is conducted in secret.