The United States has expressed disappointment that the United Nations Human Rights Council has terminated the mandates of independent experts who studied the rights records of Belarus and Cuba.

The UN's top human rights body is meeting today in Geneva to decide whether to accept significant changes in the way it works. But there are serious concerns that the 47-nation Human Rights Council will not accept the proposed reforms.

The United Nations General Assembly has elected 14 new members to the 47-seat Human Rights Council. Victoria Cavaliere reports from the United Nations that Thursday's vote rejected membership for Belarus, which is described by Washington as Europe's last dictatorship.

After two rounds of voting at the UN General Assembly, Belarus has failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. Bosnia entered the race at the last minute, reportedly persuaded by Western governments alarmed at the prospect of Belarus being elected to the council.

The UN General Assembly is set to elect new members to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council today. The vote comes amid strong opposition from civil-society groups to the candidacies of alleged rights violators such as Belarus and Egypt.

Western governments and human rights activists are concerned over the possibility that Belarus -- sometimes called Europe's last dictatorship -- could win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.