US gives green light and is elected to Human Rights Council in Geneva
Update 12:30 Geneva, Switzerland and New York, USA (GenevaLunch) – The US was last night elected to a three-year term on the Geneva, Switzerland-based UN Human Rights Council, by the UN General Assembly, after years of refusing to participate in what it called a flawed institution. US President George Bush’s administration claimed that some countries manipulated the Council to hide human rights offenses, pointing to a group of members that included Russia, Cuba and others which the US said had suspect human rights records.
The US Mission to the UN in Geneva issued a press release noting that “The United States sought a seat on the UN Human Rights Council at this time to underscore our commitment to human rights and to join the efforts of all those nations seeking to make the Council a body that fulfills its promise. ”
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News story, GenevaLunch, 13 May 2009.
Filed under: International organizations
Tags: General Assembly, Geneva, International organizations, UN Human Rights Council, US elected
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:47 am
[...] US was elected to the council 13 May, after years of keeping its distance. US Charge d’Affaires Mark Storella told the [...]