Human Rights Council
Why the USA Should Stay on the Human Rights Council
House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s wants the Obama administration to pull out of the Human Rights Council and de-fund it. Here is why that is a bad idea.
America’s Well Intentioned Spy Activities at the UN (Wikileaks)
One memo on American intelligence gathering activities at the United Nations, revealed by Wikileaks, suggests a strongly progressive agenda for American engagement at the UN.
United States Faces the Human Rights Council Today
A couple of countries with more hostile relations with the USA took the opportunity to score some political points. But most of the conversation was not anything different from the kind of discussion you might find if Harold Koh were to discuss America’s human rights record at a town hall meeting in, say, Denver.
Why Scrutiny of the United States at the Human Rights Council is a Good Thing
On Friday, the human rights record of the United States will be the subject of a debate at the UN Human Rights Council. If you care about scoring cheap shots against the Obama administration, this is a terrible thing! If you actually care about the advancement of human rights around the world, this is definitely a positive development.
Human Rights Council Takes On the Gaza Flotilla Raid
A Human Rights Council report is very damning of Israeli actions. Among other things, it offers evidence that six of the deceased were victims of summary executions by the Israeli commandos. But will there be any accountability for these apparent crimes?
Fear Not the Universal Periodic Review
Ever since the United States submitted its first Universal Periodic Review report to the UN Human Rights Council a meme has been percolating, mostly on the right, that the Obama administration is trying to use the UN to undermine Arizona’s controversial law that allows it to detain suspected illegal immigrants. We can thank Arizona governor Jan Brewer for this–she sent an angry letter to Secretary Clinton,
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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