Unlike Trump administration, Biden govt wants United States to rejoin UNHRC
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Washington, Feb 10: The Joe Biden administration in United States is all set to re-join the UN Human Rights Council. The United States had withdrawn from the council in the year 2018 under Presidency of the Donald Trump. The move is another reversal by Biden of Trump’s administration. The US President Joe Biden has reversed several other decisions of the former US President and has also joined the World Health Organisation and Paris Climate Accord, which the Trump administration withdrew from during his term.
Former United States Prez Donald Trump had withdrawn from the world's most important human rights body because of its disproportionate focus on Israel. Israel had received the largest number of critical council resolutions so far with respect to any other country.Therefore, the Trump administration discussed the issue with the body’s membership. The members include Cuba, China, Russia, Eritrea and Venezuela, where all the countries have been accused of human rights abuses. The Republicans had also written a letter urging the President to not seek the membership of the council as it has been disproportionately targeting Israel over other members. It was the only country to be a permanent item on the Council’s agenda.
According to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the decision of the Trump administration of withdrawing from UNHRC in 2018 did nothing to encourage meaningful change. It instead created a vacuum of US leadership which the nations with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage. Blinken informed through an official statement that the Joe Biden administration has recommitted the United States to a foreign policy that is centered on human rights, democracy, and equality. He added that the effective use of multilateral tools is a significant element of the vision and in the same regard, the President has instructed the US Department of State to reengage immediately with the UNHRC.
According to Blinken, in the immediate term, the country will engage with the Council as an observer. In that capacity, it will have an opportunity to speak in the Human Rights Council, participate in negotiations as well as partner with others for resolutions. The UNHRC is an inter-governmental body within the UN system, which was created after replacing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). The council comprises of the 47 UN Member States, whereby the member states are elected by the UNGA following a direct and secret ballot.
