The United States rejoins the United Nations Human Rights Council after his departure in 2018 under Trump

The chief of US diplomacy criticizes the “disproportionate attention” of the Human Rights Council to Israel

MADRID, October 15 (European press) –

The United States returned to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday, three years after former US President Donald Trump left it in 2018.

“I am grateful for the support of countries around the world for our campaign, and I hope that the United States will once again be a constructive voice working to help advance the Human Rights Council to fulfill its mandate and ensure the values ​​we enjoy and value all people,” emphasized US President Joe Biden, at Statement released by the White House.

Thus, Biden noted the “tipping point in history” facing society today, and stressed that the United States is “ready to work” with its partners and allies “to steer the world toward a more peaceful and prosperous future.”

“Together we will stand up for the rights of everyone, including women and girls, members of the LGTBIQ+ community, members of ethnic and religious minorities, people living with disparities, and members of other minorities,” the US president said.

On the other hand, he noted that they will promote “the accountability of governments that violate human rights” and that they will work “tirelessly” to support various activists and defenders of these basic principles.

“Defending human rights and demonstrating that democracies pay tribute to their people is a fundamental challenge of our time. It is at the heart of my administration’s foreign policy and is at the heart of our identity as a nation and as a people,” settled Biden, who indicated that in December he will convene the Virtual Democracy Summit, where he will seek to sign “a force of Democratic Governance” as the “best and most powerful tool” available to governments.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, noted that this return to the UN would be based on the “firm belief” that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

“The council plays an important role in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms by documenting atrocities to hold perpetrators accountable (…) and provides a forum in which we can have open discussions about ways in which we and our partners can improve,” Blinken said in remarks released by the State Department.

However, he criticized that the body “also suffers from serious flaws”, including “disproportionate interest in Israel” and membership in several countries that have a “terrible” human rights record. He concluded by saying, “We must confront together the attempts to undermine the ideals on which the Human Rights Council was founded.”

Besides the United States, there are 17 other countries including Argentina, Honduras, Paraguay, Finland, Eritrea, Luxembourg, Benin, Qatar, Cameroon, Gambia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Montenegro, India, Lithuania and Kazakhstan. They were appointed to the available seats on the Human Rights Council.