US Set to Rejoin Human Rights Abusers Russia, China and Cuba on UN Human Rights Council; Biden’s Weak Case for Returning to the U.N. Human Rights Council

US Set to Rejoin Human Rights Abusers Russia, China and Cuba on UN Human Rights Council:

President Joe Biden is having the United States rejoin the U.N. Human Rights Council, a reversal of the Trump administration’s decision to leave the world body.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the nation will be part of the council once again as an observer, not a full member.

The Trump administration made the decision to leave in 2018, citing the board’s fixation on Israel as a cause for concern.

“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,” Blinken said in a statement.

“However, our withdrawal in June 2018 did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of U.S. leadership, which countries with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage.” --->READ MORE HERE

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Biden’s Weak Case for Returning to the U.N. Human Rights Council:

The administration’s announcement forfeits an important diplomatic bargaining chip.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday morning that President Biden has directed the State Department to reengage with the U.N. Human Rights Council. This decision prioritizes the administration’s PR strategy over concrete diplomatic results.

The case for “reengagement” with the council is based on a misrepresentation of Trump-era U.S. diplomacy in Geneva, and it perpetuates the deeply damaging narrative that says however flawed the Human Rights Council may be, it’s not worth rocking the boat to demand change.

The Trump administration withdrew from the council in June 2018, citing structural problems that bias it against Israel and the continued participation of serial human-rights violators. While it has occasionally done valuable work on Syria, North Korea, and a few other human-rights hotspots, the council is too often hijacked by its many authoritarian members. “Such a council, in fact, damages the cause of human rights,” said erstwhile U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley when announcing our departure. --->READ MORE HERE

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