US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is never one to mince words and she didn’t hold back as America withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council. From CNN:
“Human rights abusers continue to serve on, and be elected to, the council,” said Haley, listing US grievances with the body. “The world’s most inhumane regimes continue to escape its scrutiny, and the council continues politicizing scapegoating of countries with positive human rights records in an attempt to distract from the abusers in its ranks.”“For too long,” Haley said, “the Human Rights Council has been a protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias.”
It’s about damn time. I love how Haley called out the countries by name:
“When a so-called Human Rights Council cannot bring itself to address the massive abuses in Venezuela and Iran, and it welcomes the Democratic Republic of Congo as a new member, the council ceases to be worthy of its name,” said Haley. “Such a council, in fact, damages the cause of human rights.”
Our ambassador could have also mentioned China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, UAB, Pakistan, and Qatar. Yes, CUBA sits on the Human Rights Council!
Haley stressed that the withdrawal “is not a retreat from our human rights commitments.” Instead, this move allows America to not “remain a part of a hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights.” The administration knew about the flaws in the council when President Donald Trump took office, but we did not withdraw because “we made a good faith effort to resolve the problems.”
Haley and the Trump administration have constantly shown disgust with the council due to a “disproportionate focus and unending hostility towards Israel” and mentioned the “series of resolutions highlighting alleged abuses by the Israeli government of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.” Out of ALL nations in the world, the council “has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories.” A permanent agenda item on Israel? ISRAEL?! Not North Korea? China? Russia? Cuba? Venezuela? Iran? Nope. Israel.
The U.S. wanted to make it easier to kick members with awful human rights records off of the council.
Don’t forget this is an organization that allowed Iran and Saudi Arabia a place on the UN Women’s Rights Board in 2014.
Of course, people have come out against America’s withdrawal from the council, pleading with America to stay because our “absence will only compound the council’s weaknesses.” Yeah, well, our place on the council wasn’t doing much, was it? It seems that we were the only ones on that council that actually gave a damn about human rights.
The council came to fruition in 2006, but “President George W. Bush’s administration shunned the body.”
The U.S. received a spot on the council under President Barack Obama “for a maximum of two consecutive terms.” We took off a year and were re-elected to the body in 2016.
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