Useless international organization dept.
Patrick Belton links to this Associated Press report: African nations have ensured that Sudan will keep its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, a decision that angered the United States and human rights advocates who cited reports of widespread rights abuses by the Khartoum government…. Under U.N. rules, regional groups decide which countries are ...
Patrick Belton links to this Associated Press report:
Patrick Belton links to this Associated Press report:
African nations have ensured that Sudan will keep its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, a decision that angered the United States and human rights advocates who cited reports of widespread rights abuses by the Khartoum government…. Under U.N. rules, regional groups decide which countries are nominated to fill seats on U.N. bodies. The African group waited until late last week to present its list of four candidates for four seats — guaranteeing election for Kenya, Sudan, Guinea and Togo. The United States scrambled to get another African nation to apply in an effort to make it a contested race and unseat Sudan. But with so little time it was unsuccessful, U.N. diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity…. In recent years, Human Rights Watch has complained that the growing number of nations on the 53-member commission with poor human rights records have been sticking together to cover up abuses. The coalition has backed a proposal endorsed by over 100 governments to create a permanent United Nations democracy caucus. One of its goals would be to press for more democracies on the Human Rights Commission, said Ted Piccone, executive director of the Democracy Coalition Project. Last year, the United States walked out of the U.N. Economic and Social Council to protest Cuba’s re-election to the Human Rights Commission, which it called “an outrage.” Russia, Saudi Arabia and several African countries with poor human rights records also won seats and Libya chaired the commission.
Click here for a previous post that discusses Sudan. Here’s a thought — why not just disband the U.N. Commission on Human Rights? At this juncture, its sole purpose for existence seems to be to whitewash the activities of authoritarian regimes, bestowing undeserved legitimacy on these governments. Wouldn’t a caucus of democracies be more likely to speak its mind outside of the United Nations system? [Why not just disband the whole UN?–ed. Because in a world of sovereign states, it is necessary to have an organization that encompasses all of them. Besides, the organization has its uses.]
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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