The ongoing 57th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) continues its critical work of promoting and protecting human rights globally. Established in 2006 by the UN General Assembly, the UNHRC replaced the Commission on Human Rights, aiming to address human rights violations and ensure accountability. Based in Geneva, the Council comprises 47 member states, elected by the General Assembly, and meets regularly to discuss pressing human rights issues.
Historical Background and Importance
The creation of the UNHRC marked a significant shift in the global human rights landscape. It was founded to address concerns over the politicization and inefficacy of the earlier Commission, emphasizing a more objective and credible approach to human rights. Since its inception, the Council has served as an essential platform for addressing a wide range of human rights violations, conducting investigations, and holding governments accountable for their actions.
Functions and Aims
The UNHRC’s primary function is to promote universal respect for the protection of all human rights—civil, political, economic, social, and cultural. The Council reviews human rights situations in UN member states through mechanisms like the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), where every nation’s human rights record is assessed periodically. It also responds to urgent crises, commissions fact-finding missions, and offers recommendations to governments.
The Significance of the 57th Session
The 57th session comes at a critical time when global human rights issues such as conflict-related abuses, migration crises, and environmental challenges are at the forefront of international debate. This session is particularly important as it continues the Council’s work in addressing new and emerging threats to human rights, while promoting dialogue, cooperation, and international standards.
The UNHRC serves as a vital institution in the global effort to ensure human dignity, freedom, and justice. Its ongoing work in the 57th session reaffirms the international community’s commitment to uphold human rights for all, in line with the principles of the United Nations.
Politicization of Human Rights
It has been observed that some countries are increasingly politicizing human rights issues, using them as tools to advance their geopolitical agendas. A clear example of this is seen in the selective nature of the United States’ annual human rights reports, which tend to target nations like Russia, China, and a few others that are perceived as political adversaries. While these countries face scrutiny, glaring human rights abuses by other nations, particularly those aligned with U.S. interests, are conspicuously overlooked.
For instance, Israel, widely regarded as one of the most significant violators of human rights throughout modern history, is rarely, if ever, mentioned in U.S. reports. The ongoing oppression of Palestinians, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and repeated violations of international law have been largely ignored. Similarly, India, which has consistently faced accusations of gross human rights violations, particularly in Kashmir and against religious and ethnic minorities, escapes substantial criticism from the U.S. government. Despite India surpassing many nations in terms of human rights abuses, the U.S. remains largely silent, prioritizing strategic alliances over human rights advocacy.
Even within its own borders, the U.S. faces serious human rights concerns. Issues like systemic racial discrimination, police brutality, and the treatment of migrants have reached alarming levels, yet these problems are rarely acknowledged in the same critical manner the U.S. reserves for other nations. This selective focus undermines the credibility of human rights advocacy, revealing a double standard where violations are condemned based on political convenience rather than universal principles.
In light of this, the international community must strive to ensure that human rights are defended impartially and consistently, free from political bias. Selective enforcement and politicization only weaken global efforts to uphold human dignity and justice.
Chinese Stance and global support
Over 100 countries expressed their support in various ways, both jointly and individually, for China’s position on issues related to China’s Xinjiang, Xizang, and Hong Kong regions and opposed the politicization of issues on human rights following statements made by the US and handful of countries which smear China’s human rights situation during the ongoing 57th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council.
The representative from Cuba made a joint statement on behalf of nearly 80 countries during the council, emphasizing sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, in addition to non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries, are the basic norms of international relations, according to a release from the Permanent Mission of China to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The joint statement noted that issues related to Xinjiang, Xizang, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are internal affairs of China. They oppose the politicization of human rights issues and the application of double standards, as well as using human rights as an excuse to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
All parties should adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, follow principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity, and respect the right of the people of each state to choose independently the path under their national conditions.
Ambassador Chen Xu, permanent representative of China to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said the current atmosphere of politicization and polarization in the Human Rights Council is intensifying.
The Human Rights Council should not be a venue for confrontation and pressure, but it should play its role in helping countries build trust and promote cooperation through dialogue and communication, Chen said.
Other representatives also emphasized that all parties should view the human rights conditions in other countries objectively and engage in dialogue and cooperation on human rights issues based on equality and mutual respect. They called for avoiding selective and double standards and jointly resisting the erroneous practices of politicizing, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing human rights issues.
The Chinese delegation also described the real situation of human rights protection in China, exposing the serious human rights violations existing in countries like the US, and urging these countries to effectively protect human rights and contribute more to the international human rights cause.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Wednesday that the support expressed by more than 100 countries at the UN for China once again demonstrates that the politicization of human rights issues by the US and a few other countries is unpopular and destined to fail within the international community.
China urged the US to seriously reflect on and address its own grave human rights issues, including racism, gun violence, social injustice, and violations of immigrants’ rights. Lin further called on the US to safeguard the rights of its citizens, stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, and engage constructively in international human rights cooperation.
