Daily Times

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said Tuesday that the United States is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling it a “Cesspool of political bias”

Hayley accused the council of bias against US, ally Israel, and for a failure to hold human rights violators accountable for their behaviour.

Speaking at the US, State Department on Tuesday, where she was joined by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo; Haley said the US had warned the Human Rights Council that unless it adopted “essential reforms,” such as public voting and removing a requirement to debate the human-rights situation in Palestinian areas, the US would leave.

In defending the US action, Hayley said the “U.S calls to reform the Human Rights Council were not heeded.

“Human rights abusers continue to serve on, and be elected to, the council,” said Haley, adding the US, grievances with the council. “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.”

In defending the US move she said “Earlier this year, as it has in previous years, the Human Rights Council passed five resolutions against Israel – more than the number passed against North Korea, Iran and Syria combined,”

“This disproportionate focus and unending hostility toward Israel is clear proof that the council is motivated by political bias, not by human rights.”

“If the Human Rights Council is going to attack countries that uphold human rights and shield countries that abuse human rights, then America should not provide it with any credibility,” Haley said.

In brief remarks US, Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, denounced the council as “a protector of human rights abusers.” He said “When organizations undermine our national interests and our allies, we will not be complicit.” He continued “when they seek to infringe on our national sovereignty, we will not be silent.”

US, Conservatives have criticized the council since its inception in 2006, with President George W. Bush administration, refusing to join, citing bias as a resounding concern. The US eventually joined under President Obama, and won re-lection to the council in 2012. In 2013, the Geneva – based human rights council faced criticism from numerous human rights groups after China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria were elected as members.

The United Kingdom, a US ally called the US move “regrettable” a statement issued by the Foreign Office in Washington said, “Britain’s support for the Human Rights Council remains steadfast. It is the best tool the international community has to address impunity in an imperfect world and to advance many of our international goals.”

This is the first time a member has voluntarily left the Human Rights Council. The US, joins North Korea, Iran and Eritrea as countries who have also refused to participate in the council’s meetings and deliberations.

The move came one day after the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called the enforcement aspect of Trump’s administration immigration policy – called “zero tolerance” – separating children from their parents at the US- Mexico border as “unconscionable”

The Human Rights Council didn’t respond to Hayley’s accusations, but in a statement released the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said he would have “much preferred” the US to remain a member.

The UN’s human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein called the US withdrawal “disappointing, if not really surprising, news”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s government lauded the US, decision. In a statement released, it called the US decision to withdraw, a courageous move. “For years, the UNHRC has proven to be a biased, hostile, anti-Israel organization that has betrayed its mission of protecting human rights,” the statement said.

A number of US Human rights groups condemned the move, who said the US move could damage efforts to address and monitor human rights abuses around the world.

The American Civil liberties Union tweeted, “The Trump administration’s withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, coupled with its abusive use of power at home, only confirms what we’ve always known – Trump is leading a concerted, aggressive effort to violate basic human rights of those most in need of protection.

Rob Berschinski, senior vice president at US based non-profit Human Rights First,said the US, leaving is a mistake, adding “Countries like China, Russia and Venezuela will applaud this decision because we are freely giving up leverage over them that we previously had. The council convenes three times a year to examine human rights violations globally. It has mandated independent investigators to investigate human rights atrocities in Syria, North Korea, Myanmar and South Sudan. Although, its resolutions are not legally binding they carry credible authority.

Some diplomats expressed their concerns about the US withdrawal from the body, thatmay embolden countries such as Pakistan, Egypt, Cuba and Russia that already resist UN interference in their sovereign matters to disallow UN inspectors to investigate future issues.

Published in Daily Times, June 21^st 2018.