In October 2018, India was elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for a term of how many years?

Introduction / Context:
Membership in key United Nations bodies such as the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is an important aspect of India's foreign policy and international standing. Current affairs questions often ask about the term length and years of India's membership in such councils. In October 2018, India was elected to the UNHRC, and this question asks you to recall the duration of the term associated with that election.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question specifies the month and year: October 2018.
• India was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
• The options for the term length are five years, four years, three years and two years.
• We assume the standard rules of UNHRC membership apply.

Concept / Approach:
The United Nations Human Rights Council is composed of 47 member States, elected directly and individually by secret ballot in the UN General Assembly. Each member serves for a term of three years and is not immediately eligible for re election after serving two consecutive terms. When India was elected to the Council in October 2018, it was for such a three year term. Therefore, among the four options listed, the correct answer is three years, which matches the standard UNHRC membership duration.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the UNHRC is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly with a fixed membership term for members.Step 2: Remember that the UNHRC membership term for each elected country is three years, as per UN rules.Step 3: Apply this standard rule to India's election in October 2018; India would therefore serve a three year term beginning in 2019.Step 4: Compare the given options (five, four, three and two years); only three years matches the UNHRC norm.Step 5: Select three years as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reports on the October 2018 election clearly stated that India was elected to the UNHRC for a three year term starting from 1 January 2019. This is consistent with UN General Assembly resolutions that set the term of UNHRC members at three years. No reliable source mentions a two, four or five year term for such membership. Thus, both the general rule and the specific news reports point to a three year tenure, confirming the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Five years: This is the term length for many national constitutional offices, not for UNHRC membership.
• Four years: This sometimes appears in terms of other international bodies or domestic legislatures, but not in the UNHRC context.
• Two years: This is the usual term for non permanent members of the UN Security Council, not for members of the UN Human Rights Council.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse the term lengths of different UN bodies, such as mixing up the two year term of non permanent UNSC members with the three year term of UNHRC members. Another error is to think in terms of typical national political cycles like five years for legislatures. To avoid such confusion, remember that UNHRC membership is specifically for three years, and this figure should be associated in your mind with human rights council elections rather than with the Security Council or domestic offices.

Final Answer:
In October 2018, India was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for a term of three years.