The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva ended its 51st session on Friday after a very intense 4 weeks that brought both ups and downs.
Here’s a quick scorecard...
🧵
Here’s a quick scorecard...
🧵
CHINA: Sadly, the Council voted not to debate the UN High Commissioner’s Xinjiang report, which found that Chinese authorities were committing sweeping violations against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, possibly rising to the level of crimes against humanity.
As I noted in my newsletter last week, many countries were unable to stand up to Beijing’s arm-twisting: hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
Particularly notable was the failure of some Muslim-majority countries to take an interest...
Particularly notable was the failure of some Muslim-majority countries to take an interest...
RUSSIA: By contrast, there was a solid win for victims of abuses in Russia, as the Council voted to establish a special rapporteur on the human rights situation there – something we’ve been advocating for some time.
Most recently: hrw.org/news/2022/10/0…
Most recently: hrw.org/news/2022/10/0…
ETHIOPIA: In other good news, the Council voted to renew the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on #Ethiopia.
As noted in my newsletter last month, this will help keep international focus on atrocities there:
hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
As noted in my newsletter last month, this will help keep international focus on atrocities there:
hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
SRI LANKA: In another victory, the Council voted to extend and reinforce the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Sri Lanka Accountability Project, which goes some way to meeting the demands of local civil society groups.
AFGHANISTAN: In partially positive news, the Council adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the special rapporteur on Afghanistan for one year.
Unfortunately, efforts to also establish an accountability mechanism failed.
Unfortunately, efforts to also establish an accountability mechanism failed.
VENEZUELA: In a strong outcome, Council members passed a resolution to renew the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela for 2 years.
BURUNDI: In one more for the win column, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in #Burundi.
PHILIPPINES: It was disappointing to see no resolution presented on the #Philippines, where, as I noted last week, there’s been no let up in deadly abuses.
hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
YEMEN: In other bad news, this Council session also failed to create an independent international monitoring and reporting mandate on #Yemen.
I know some people like to attack the UN Human Rights Council in a very general way - both rights activists who want it to do more, and abusive governments & their fan-trolls who want it to do less - but every session has ups and downs like this...
And the fact is, it's not the Council itself but the member state governments that sit on it that make it effective - or not.
📢 This thread spins off the lead story in my newsletter today.
📲 Read the whole edition online here: hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
📧 And subscribe to the newsletter here: action.hrw.org/page/36941/sub…
📲 Read the whole edition online here: hrw.org/the-day-in-hum…
📧 And subscribe to the newsletter here: action.hrw.org/page/36941/sub…
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