GENEVA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- A new member will have to be elected as soon as possible to replace the United States for the remainder of its term in the UN Human Rights Council, a UN official said here Wednesday.

Vojislav Suc, president of the UN Human Rights Council, told the ongoing 38th session of the Council in Geneva Wednesday that once he receives the necessary formal notification to this effect, he will ask the Secretariat to rearrange the room accordingly.

The United States of America announced last night their decision to withdraw its membership from the Human Rights Council.

Concerning our next steps, Suc said that as soon as the notification of withdrawal is formally received, "action will be taken accordingly".

The UN rights body president also repeated an earlier statement made last night that in times when the value and strength of multilateralism and human rights are being challenged on a daily basis, it is essential that we uphold a strong and vibrant Council.

"I am proud to lead a Council which, over the past 12 years, has tackled numerous human rights situations and issues keeping them in sharp focus," he told the session.

Saying that the Human Rights Council is the only intergovernmental body responding to human rights issues and situations worldwide, he stressed that if human rights issues are not discussed in the Council, they have little chance to be dealt with meaningfully anywhere else.