Who defines “human rights” for the world?
Posted by Moonage on 16 May 2006 | Tagged as: International Issues
The new UN Human Rights Commission members are:
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- China
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Jordan
- Malaysia
- Pakistan
- the Philippines
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Britain
- Canada
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- the Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Azerbaijan
- the Czech Republic
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Algeria
- Cameroon
- Djibouti
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Mali
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tunisia
- Zambia
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Cuba
- Ecuador
- Guatemala
- Mexico
- Peru
- Uruguay
Now, some people are lamenting the fact certain countries with horrendous human rights records are on the commission. As human rights abuses are occurring all over the world, particularly in Africa at this time, the UN has basically sat to the side helplessly and morally vacant and more or less watched it occur. Offering minor protection to the victims while allowing the governments ( or lack thereof ) to go unpunished and even unnoticed to some degree. The problem with this commission is not the inclusion of members who don’t respect human rights in the first place, IMO, it’s the fact there are so many seats on this commission. I learned at a very young age that the more people you have making a decision, the less likely you are to reach a decision. Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia wouldn’t be on this list the list weren’t so darned big in the first place. Forty-seven members? What’s the point of that? Cull it to seven. THEN the UN could set standards and enforce them. THEN the UN could assure that if a country was not respecting human rights, they wouldn’t be in a position to impose their lack of concern on the commission.
One sad thing about this commission is it illustrates very graphically the fact that there apparently are not forty-seven countries on this planet that respect human rights.
The even sadder thing about this commission is the world looks to the UN to enforce human rights above anything else it does and hundreds of thousands of people will die illustrating how useless the UN has become in every aspect of world discipline it’s involved in.
The United Nations, as a enforcement agency, has got to go, NOW.
- Heads up to American Phoenix for her excellent article on this issue.
- Technorati United Nations, human rights
1 Comment »
on 16 May 2006 at 1:38 pm 1.American Phoenix
said …
UN elects Cuba, China, Saudia Arabia
On May 9, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly elected Cuba, China, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan, Russia, and Azerbajian, inter alia, to its new Human Rights Council. All of these countries are in serious violation of human rights. The Human Rights