Uyghur and Human Rights: Unite with Europe and the US for Organizational Reform

The name of human rights weeps. The democratic nations of Japan, the U.S. and Europe must unite and work hard toward drastic change in order to achieve the organization’s primary duty.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council, a proposal suggested by the U.S. and other countries seeking to discuss China’s human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was voted down by a narrow margin. The decision is due to China’s, a country that is both involved in the Uyghur problem and a member of the council, taking a lead in opposing the motion and influencing other member nations.

The decision is contrary to the professed mission for the “promotion and protection of human rights” and “fundamental freedoms.” The international community, with democratic nations at its heart, must continue to investigate the Uyghur problem and not be discouraged by decisions of the Human Rights Council that undermine its own reason for being.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights announced at the end of August that it had received a report pointing out severe human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and the U.S., the U.K. and other countries proposed holding a discussion next year.

The results of the vote were that 19 members opposed the proposal, 17 were in favor and 11 abstained, so the proposal was rejected. The following day, Ukraine, one of the nations that abstained, offered to alter its vote to support it, but the change was not approved.

A Chinese representative claimed that the proposed debate would “not promote dialogue, but only lead to new confrontations” and added to the number of votes against the measure, stating that if approved, “any other developing countries could be targeted anytime in the future.”

China’s posture of altering the present condition of the international community to its own convenience absolutely cannot be allowed. Can it be said that Japan, the U.S. and Europe have done enough to urge other member nations to support the proposal?

China uses its economic power as a shield to strengthen its influence on the Human Rights Council. In a meeting at the end of June 2020, 27 countries voiced opposition to China’s enforcement of its Hong Kong national security law, but 53 others supported it.

Despotic states such as China engage in human rights issues by dismissing international criticism as an attempt at “interference in [a nation’s] internal affairs,” and they obstruct recommendations, investigations and actions that put the country at a disadvantage. Nations that continuously conduct themselves contrary to the primary goal of the Human Rights Council are not qualified to be members. They must be removed from the council at once.

Regarding the Human Rights Council, the U.S. says that “when the United States engages constructively with the Council, in concert with our allies and friends, positive change is within reach.” In the Human Rights Council, Japan must cooperate with the U.S. and Europe and take the leading role for immediate change.