The United States of America is expected to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council today. According to The Telegraph, the action is being taken as a sign of protest against long-standing bias against Israel and willingness to allow human rights abusers to be members of the council, such as China and Saudi Arabia. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, and Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, are expected to make the announcement publicly to the Geneva-based council. It is not clear at this moment, however, whether the U.S will withdraw from the council altogether.
If that will be the case, the US will no longer cooperate with the council in any way, shape or form.
The US has criticised the council for some time
The United Nations Human Rights Council was created back in 2006, its mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. It has 47 elected members and is based in Geneva in Switzerland. The latest three-week session started yesterday (June 18) and the first issue to be addressed was President Trump‘s immigration policy. The UN‘s high commissioner for human rights called the policy of separating immigrant children from their parents "unconscionable.“ This latest withdrawal has been expected for some time. Ms Haley announced a year ago that Washington was reviewing its membership.
John Bolton, US National Security Adviser was the US ambassador in the council back in 2006 when it was created, and has since been very critical. George W. Bush did not sign the US to be a member of the council, however, Barack Obama put the US back in as an effort to show the world that human rights were a priority for the United States.
Criticise the council while separating children from their parents
The Trump administration has been active in pulling the United States out of signed agreements, such as the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal. At the time that Ms Haley said that Washington was reviewing its membership, she added that the US did not want to leave the council but would do so if no changes were made.
That is not the first time the council has been criticised for allowing countries with poor human rights records to become members. The criticism from the US comes at a time of turbulence, as the Trump administration has faced harsh criticism for its strict immigration policy. News media has reported of immigrant children being separated from their parents at the Mexico/US border, and while President Trump sticks to his previous statements that it is in the hands of the Democrats to fix it, little is being done regarding those children.
