👏 Thanks to @LiechtensteinUN for pushing this important initiative to hold permanent members of UN Security Council accountable for vetoes. It's a step in the right direction.
There's been too much misuse of veto by permanent UNSC members, mostly #Russia & US.
Veto abuse - case 1: #Russia on Feb 26 vetoed UN Security Council resolution demanding that it end its invasion of #Ukraine & withdraw all troops. Under Article 27(3) of UN Charter, Russia, a party to the conflict, should have abstained but did not. 👎news.un.org/en/story/2022/…
Veto abuse - case 2: US has vetoed dozens of resolutions on #Israel & #Palestine. Its most recent was in June 2018.
Recall that @hrw@amnesty@btselem & others have found Israel to be committing crime against humanity of apartheid.
Full list of vetoes by the five permanent UN Security Council members can be found here: un.org/depts/dhl/resg…
(And h/t to @RichardGowan1 for the idea of associating the P5 with "The Usual Suspects" 😅)
Thanks to today's resolution, from now on P5 members who cast a veto in the UN Security Council will have to explain themselves publicly in an open session of the UN General Assembly.
Veto Abuse -- Case 3: #Russia's 16 vetoes on #Syria since 2011 (many with #China joining in) to protect his ally President Assad from scrutiny & accountability for war crimes & likely crimes against humanity (incl. Syria govt's use of chemical weapons). reuters.com/article/us-syr…
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🚨🧵 @hrw reacts to #Trump #UNGA80 speech: He made too many false claims about world affairs to seriously address them. What's serious is Trump’s obvious lack of respect for int'l organizations that promote human rights, like the UN, which the US played a central role in creating
.@hrw's @fborello1: "The UN has always had shortcomings, but it’s essential globally to monitor human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, protect refugees, and promote international accountability."
.@hrw's @fborello1: "Countries should reject out of hand Trump’s nonsensical proposals, like to undermine the global asylum system. The US gov't’s withholding of funds from the UN should energize other gov'ts to step up & fund its lifesaving human rights & humanitarian programs."
🚨🧵 @hrw reacts to #Israel’s latest move against @UNRWA: “The Israeli parliament's appalling decision to ban UNRWA from areas under Israeli control is not only unjustified but risks expanding Israeli authorities’ use of starvation as a weapon of war in #Gaza, a war crime.” 1/x
.@hrw: UNRWA provides lifesaving aid, shelter & education across the Occupied Palestinian Territory & elsewhere. @CIJ_ICJ has repeatedly ordered #Israel to ensure sufficient aid reaches people in Gaza to prevent genocide, with UNRWA as a linchpin of the humanitarian response. 2/x
@hrw @CIJ_ICJ .@hrw: “Not only has #Israel unfairly demonized UNRWA for years and campaigned to shut it down, but it has never produced credible evidence that @UNRWA as an institution has been compromised.” 3/x hrw.org/news/2024/10/1…
🚨 @AustraliaUN delivers tough joint statement to UN General Assembly 3rd Committee on "ongoing concerns about serious human rights violations in #China." Speaking on behalf of 15 countries, Australia noted China authorities' abuses in #Xinjiang & #Tibet. unny.mission.gov.au/unny/241022_UN…
Signatories are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, UK, US.
#Pakistan read out a pro-China statement on behalf of "80 countries" (sic) that basically said stay out of China's business.
For background on #China government's crimes against humanity in #Xinjiang, see this @hrw report: “Break Their Lineage, Break Their Roots”. hrw.org/report/2021/04…
This informal UN Security Council meeting (known in UN parlance as an "Arria formula" meeting) on the importance of accountability for war crimes in #Ukraine will be broadcast live on @UNWebTV here at 3pm EDT Weds 4/27: media.un.org/en/webtv/
.@hrw has had researchers in #Urkaine since #Russia invaded #Ukraine Feb 24. We continue to document abuses & possible war crimes, mostly by Russian forces but also by Ukrainians. See our latest report calling for civilians to be allowed to flee Mariupol. hrw.org/news/2022/04/2…
#Russia has promised "proof" that evidence of Russian atrocities in #Bucha & elsewhere are "fake" and a "staged provocation". This claim by Russia's UN envoy & others has been debunked.
Also see @BBCWorld's excellent fact-checking piece that disproves #Russia's claims that #Bucha atrocities were faked. (Keep in mind that Russia always says these kinds of things are fakes, whether its atrocities in Ukraine or chemical weapons in Syria.) bbc.com/news/60981238
.@DrKathleenPage1: “Precarious #Venezuela health system, hobbled by years of infrastructure decay, shortages in medications and supplies, and severe water shortages, has no capacity to prevent the spread of Covid-19." Tune in at 2pm on @UNWebTV today! hrw.org/news/2020/07/2…