By SIMON KENT
Self-anointed guardians of human freedom China, Russia, Cuba, Eritrea, and Venezuela may soon have the company of the U.S. at the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) if the Biden administrationâs rush to rejoin the globalist body is a success.
The diplomatic move by Washington will be a direct rebuff to former President Donald Trump who withdrew the U.S. from the Geneva-based organization in 2018 citing its anti-Israel program and lack of a reform agenda, as Breitbart News reported.
Variously described as a âbully pulpit for human rights violators,â then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the UNHRC is âa haven for dictators and the democracies that indulge them.â
âIf the Council were serious about protecting human rights, there are plenty of legitimate needs for its attention, such as the systemic racial disparities in places like Cuba, China, and Iran,â Pompeo offered in a statement at the time.
U.S. officials said Sunday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a senior U.S. diplomat in Switzerland will announce on Monday a return as an observer with an eye toward seeking election as a full member while it builds closer relations with the United Nations even as members like China scold the U.S. at every opportunity:
?? China, newly elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council, just reviewed the U.S. human rights record.
"China wishes to recommend to the U.S.:
1. Root out systematic racism, address widespread police brutality and combat discrimination against African- and Asian-Americans….â pic.twitter.com/q2AUSKPTWZ— UN Watch (@UNWatch) November 11, 2020
AP reports one senior U.S. official said the Biden administration believed the council must still reform but the best way to promote change is to âengage with it in a principled fashion.â
The official said it can be âan important forum for those fighting tyranny and injustice around the worldâ and the U.S. presence intends to âensure it can live up to that potential.â
Trumpâs withdrawal from the UNHRC was one of a number of U.S. retrenchments from international bodies during his four years in office due to their lack of accountability.
He also exited the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, the World Health Organization, U.N. education and cultural organization, UNESCO, and several arms-control treaties.
All of which has left the U.N. entirely unperturbed as it defies any and all criticism of its actions, as has always been the case.
The U.N. has tapped a former abortionist and advocate for teen prostitution to its top post of expert on health and human rights. https://t.co/xsxTW7Odod
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 13, 2020
Since taking office last month, President Joe Biden has rejoined both the Paris accord and the W.H.O. and has signaled interest in returning to the Iran deal as well as UNESCO.
Although the U.S. will have only nonvoting observer status on the UNHRC through the end of 2021, the officials told APÂ the Biden administration intends to seek one of three full member seats â currently held by Austria, Denmark and Italy â from the âWestern Europe and other states groupâ that come up for election later this year.
The U.N. General Assembly makes the final choice in a vote that generally takes place in October every year to fill vacancies in three-year terms at the 47-member-state council.
Since taking office last month, President Joe Biden has rejoined both the Paris accord and the W.H.O. and has signaled interest in returning to the Iran deal as well as UNESCO.
Although the U.S. will have only nonvoting observer status on the UNHRC through the end of 2021, the officials told APÂ the Biden administration intends to seek one of three full member seats â currently held by Austria, Denmark and Italy â from the âWestern Europe and other states groupâ that come up for election later this year.
I support the CCP’s right to harvest organs against the will of their dissidents.