The US Government plans to rejoin the human rights council.
The Biden administration is already off to the races. One of their earliest moves on the human rights front is that of the rekindling of the relationship with the Human Rights Council. The human rights council is the. The single most important organization in the world made up for the specific purpose of promoting and maintaining human rights. An article by the NY Times titled “ Biden administration moves to rejoin UN rejoin U.N Human Rights Council” expounds on the administration’s intention the make amends with the council.
In 2018 Donald Trump opted to leave the council due to the fact that he believed the council to have been unfairly targeting Israel. The state is set to first join as an observer and in the article secretary of state Anthony J Blinken was quoted in speaking about the move saying, “We intend to do so knowing that the most effective way to reform and improve the council is to engage with it in a principled fashion.”. Though President Biden leveraged this move throughout his campaign, experts warn him as they predict that this will only allow the council to continue to be oblivious to the human rights abuses and infringements that a few of its members are so frequently involved in. One such proponent is Nikki Haly, US ambassador to the U.N highlighted in paragraph five that the council member is already comprised of doctoral regimes who continue to ignore Human rights, and the move will serve to make the council’s efforts futile. Conversely, the council has taken measures on its own to resolve some of the issues which have been plaguing the organization. The start of the year saw Fiji, a country renowned for its support of human rights causes, won the election for president of the council, a significant step as they will have a significant influence on recalibrating the organization's priorities and most important concerns. According to the article in paragraph eleven, one example of Fiji’s impact is their support of investigations into human rights infringements in countries such as Venezuela and Belarus.
The Biden administration seems intent on pursuing its plan of action. As with all decisions, of course, it is met with great opposition. The opposer raises valid concerns.
Analysis of this situation extends beyond just reading the article. On one hand, I am of the mindset that this is a great plan of action by the administration. America is the single most powerful nation in America. It is not far-fetched to conclude that such a nation’s inclusion in the UN Human Rights Council, has the potential to create far-reaching change and create a paradigm shift in the fight for human rights. However, the issues being raised regarding the council’s oblivion to member states' despicable handling of human rights cannot be ignored. However, I am of the mindset that given the USA’s cachet, the administration will be able to influence other parties in the council to hold true to core their values and the true goals and objectives of the organization.
To summarize all that was said before, the intention to rejoin the council is commendable. Additionally, the fact that the administration plans to take this action in stages suggests that there is a plan to proceed cautiously while analyzing circumstances as they arise so that informed decisions regarding the best path forward can be made.
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Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/us/politics/human-rights-council-biden-administration.html