The United States is returning to the UN Human Rights Council in a change of policy aimed at containing China’s influence, especially in Asia and Africa.
It appears President Joe Biden is reversing another of his predecessor’s policy which saw Washington become the first member to leave the council voluntarily.
On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his country will be returning to the council to reform it from within.
The UN Human Rights Council is flawed and needs reform, but walking away won’t fix it,” Mr Blinken said on Monday after Washington formally re-entered the organisation it left in 2018.
The US had quit the council, a 47-member body of the UN that looks into rights records of members, accusing its members of playing politics by targeting US allies like Israel.
Critics also charged that the council is usually unserious about wrongs as it includes countries like Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China, which rights watchdogs have accused of violating civil liberties.
Beijing is a current member of the council, whose members are elected in a three-year staggered format. But China has in the recent past been accused of targeting minority communities in Xinjiang, the north-western region occupied by the Uighurs.
A policy briefing by Washington think-tank, US Institute for Peace, found out that Washington could counter Chinese influence in Asia by strengthen alliances with Beijing rivals such as India.
The institute found that Beijing’s stance on Xinjiang makes war on terror difficult, especially since the US sees China’s counter-terrorism as a rights violation. China has received support from a number of African countries, some of which also benefit from the US counter-terrorism.
At the UN Human Rights Council, Washington had argued it was consistently made up of countries protecting China’s own alleged role. But Washington is also an ally of Saudi Arabia, another one accused of violations but which sits on the council.
Last week, the Biden administration said he will stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition against Houthis in Yemen, following claims of targeting civilians.
By Hussein Jama
February 10, 2021
