GENEVA, Feb 8, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – The United States announced Monday that it would “re-engage” with the UN Human Rights Council, nearly three years after former president Donald Trump’s administration withdrew the country from the body.
“I am pleased to inform you that this morning, (US Secretary of State Anthony) Blinken will announce that the United States will re-engage with the United Nations Human Rights Council as an observer,” the US Charge d’Affaires in Geneva, Mark Cassayre, told an organisational meeting ahead of the body’s next
The US announced plans Monday to re-engage with the United Nations human rights council (UNHRC), from which Donald Trump withdrew almost three years ago, as the Biden administration reverses another move away from multilateral organizations and agreements.
Announcing the new approach from WASHINGTON, Blinken said the pullout in June 2018 “did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of US leadership, which countries with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage”.
“The Biden administration has recommitted the United States to a foreign policy centered on democracy, human rights, and equality,” he said. “Effective use of multilateral tools is an important element of that vision.”
The decision is likely to draw criticism from conservatives and pro-Israel voices, who have derided the council and echoed Trump administration complaints that it was too quick to overlook abuses by autocratic regimes and governments – and even accept them as members.
Blinken said Joe Biden had instructed the state department to “re-engage immediately and robustly” with the council, but he acknowledged it still needs work.
“We recognize that the human rights council is a flawed body, in need of reform to its agenda, membership and focus, including its disproportionate focus on Israel,” he said.
Blinken said the council, when it works well, “shines a spotlight on countries with the worst human rights records and can serve as an important forum for those fighting injustice and tyranny”.
“To address the council’s deficiencies and ensure it lives up to its mandate, the United States must be at the table using the full weight of our diplomatic leadership,” he added.
Israel has received by far the largest number of critical council resolutions. Trump also pulled the US out because the council failed to meet an extensive list of reforms demanded by then US UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
The Trump administration took issue with the body’s membership, which currently includes China, Cuba, Eritrea, Russia and Venezuela, all of which have been accused of human rights abuses. — NNN-AGENCIES
