U.S. Elected to Human Rights Council for First Time

President Barack Obama made yet another step towards his coveted goal – the improvement of the United States’ image around the globe. To this end, America had to become equal to some other 47 nations. Namely, such is the number of members on the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations. This is the first time that America has been elected to be a part of the Council.

The team of the former president of the United States seemingly thought it beneath them to join the Council (even though it was at the level of the United Nations), which criticized Washington with envied consistency. In the Council’s annual reports, the White House had been criticized for initiating military action in Iraq as a violation of the UN’s charter and for the torture of prisoners accused of terrorism, as well as the use of capital punishment.

In response, the Bush administration accused the Council of having members from nations that are known for their human rights violations. Besides, in the opinion of the ex-president of the U.S., the HRC was involved in anti-Israeli policies.

Russia takes a different position. Despite the criticism of Moscow by the HRC for its deviations from the ideals of human rights, Russian diplomats preferred to discuss those contentious issues as members of the Council, which Russia has been a part of since its inception.

However, the first membership term of the Council will expire in June. At the last session of the UN General Assembly, membership of the Council for the second term was elected. Prior to that, several candidacies were submitted, among them being the Russian Federation. However, the candidacy of the United States raised particular interest. The decision to join the Council was made by the highest levels in Washington. President Obama himself has called for the preparation of all the necessary documentation for the submission.

The General Assembly did not disappoint the new occupant of the White House. His desire not to hide from criticism from the experts of the HRC was considered and approved. As a result, the candidacy of the United States was supported by some 167 of the 191 nations. Russian candidacy was supported by some 146 nations. Along with the RF and the USA, the General Assembly elected Bangladesh, Belgium, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Djibouti, Hungary, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Uruguay. Malaysia, Switzerland, Greece and New Zealand did not gain enough votes to join the Council.

“We received 90% of the votes and we are delighted to have received such support”, said the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Susan R. Rice. “This [strong showing of encouragement] motivates the U.S. to again play a meaningful leadserhip role in multilateral organizations, including the UN, on the very important set of issues relating to human rights and democracy.”

Hillary Clinton was also happy with the election results, according to her spokesperson Ian Kelly. “This time, the United States aimed to gain a seat on the Human Rights Council to underscore our adherence to the ideals of human rights, and to support the efforts of those nations that aspire to make the Council an organization that delivers on its promises,” noted a representative of the State Department. “We are deeply grateful to those members of the UN who supported our candidacy.”