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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Guardian staff and agencies

Saudi Arabia narrowly fails in bid to win a seat on UN human rights council

Representatives of Saudi Arabia at the election of members of the Human Rights Council at United Nations Headquarters on 9 October.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia at the election of members of the Human Rights Council at United Nations Headquarters on 9 October. Photograph: Bianca Otero/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Saudi Arabia narrowly failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a blow to Riyadh’s efforts to boost the country’s rights reputation abroad, four years after it was rejected in a 2020 bid to join the 47-member body.

Saudi Arabia is spending billions to transform its global image from a country known for strict religious restrictions and human rights abuses into a tourism and entertainment hub under a plan its Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, launched known as Vision 2030.

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