I’ve criticized the UN on human rights before. Their Human Rights Commission was a sham and a joke, often headed by countries with the worst human rights abuses, and very often condemning those with better records on it while ignoring egregious acts by member states.
The Commission was disbanded in a “reform” move, and the Human Right Council was created. Living up to my low expectations, the Council is virtually identical to the Commission in its actions.
Members of the UN’s new human rights watchdog on Tuesday formally agreed to continue their scrutiny of Israel while halting investigations into Cuba and Belarus - a move that immediately drew fire from Canada and the United States.
Palestinians are trying to get into Israel to escape the human rights abuses in Gaza. Yet they excuse Cuba, ignore Hamas and Fatah, and single out Israel. Such “myopic zeal”.
The United States - which is only an observer to the 47-nation body - has been skeptical since the beginning.
Any wonder?
The large Muslim and African groups, which dominate the council, had lobbied hard to minimize the scope for naming and shaming countries over their human rights records, …
Any wonder?
…but make an exception for Israel, the only government explicitly criticized so far by the body.
This is absolutely preposterous. The United Nations has absolutely no credibility in this area, and its pronouncements on this should no longer be taken seriously.
And if this is what they call “reform”, they make their own case for dismantling.
Doug Payton blogs at Considerettes.
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2 users commented in " Only At the UN Does This Pass For “Reform” "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI read this erudite hardhitting post with a feeling of outrage vindicated. But I would wouldn’t I? I am a westerner acculturated, educated brought to maturity with ideas and notions of justice, fairplay, human rights, decency and highest possible human values. Political, social and moral values have evolved over the centuries in the west and are now in conflict with other values that to us are concretised in medieval philosophies. Therefore it seems to me that to criticise the other countries who have hijacked the human rights council for their own ends lacks purpose. What do we expect them to do? We are right of course. Aren’t we? They are wrong of course. Aren’t they? The fact is they are functions in their behaviour of their culture as are we. They do what they do believing it is right, as do we. Perhaps the answer is for those who are in a position to do so, to make sure that these Councils are actually representative of the institution and constitution of the body that creates them. That is to be composed fairly of all interested groups and parties. Are there no decent, fairminded, impartial men and women in African and Muslim countries?
Ah, but that requires making value judgments, and the UN, and the political Left in general, are loathe to do that. “Who are you to say what is decent and fairminded?”, would no doubt be the reply. Thus, from that mindset, we get the predictable insanity that results.
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