The election of Cyprus as a member of the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations (UN) for the period 2025-2027, with the support of 167 out of 189 UN member states, is a milestone for Cyprus and an acknowledgment of the country's efforts for the promotion and protection of human rights, Equality Commissioner, Josie Christodoulou, said on Thursday in a written statement. "Cyprus, as a member of the HRC, will have the opportunity to contribute decisively to the planning, monitoring and implementation of efforts to protect human rights internationally," Christodoulou noted and added that "one of the priorities of our country is the promotion of women's rights and gender equality". "Our country will have the opportunity to participate even more actively in the formation of the global agenda, highlight priorities and aspects of the issue and submit practical recommendations to address problems and prevent any form of discrimination against women and violation of their rights at the international level ," the Commissioner said, congratulating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Missions of Cyprus to the UN and Geneva for such an important international political success. Source: Cyprus News Agency