Sunday, April 12, 2009

US to join UN Human Rights Council

From Brianna Howell

The United States has decided to seek one of the 47 seats on the UN's Human Rights Council. Many believe that the choice to join this committee is an attempt to override Hillary Clinton's statement in February stating that pushing for human's right issues cannot interfere with other, larger problems like the global economy and global warming. Many humans rights activists were in an uproar over this, as I believe they should be.

The US had not previously joined this committee because the Bush Administration had believed that this council, established in 2006, would not be any different from its corrupt predecessor, the Human Rights Commission where "notorious dictatorships seemed to do most of the talking." However the new Human Rights Council has done much to disapprove this belief since 2006 by providing help to Israel and promoting laws against "defamation of religion".

Many Western countries are relieved that Hillary Clinton has changed her mind about joining the Human Rights Council . The most notably supportive country was New Zealand, who withdrew its own candidacy to make room for the US in a General Assembly vote that will take place in May. Hillary Clinton announced that she wishes the US join the Council in an attempt to "make it better."

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