PHL among nations elected to UN Human Rights Council sparking criticism from rights groups

In this image obtained from the UN, conference officers hold up empty ballot boxes before collecting ballots from delegates at the election of new members of the UN Human Rights Council on October 12, 2018 at the UN in New York. – Bahrain, Cameroon and the Philippines were among a number of nations controversially elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, sparking sharp criticism from rights groups. “By putting forward serious rights violators and presenting only as many candidates as seats available, the regional groups risk undermining the council’s credibility and effectiveness,” said New York-based Human Rights Watch. (Photo by Manuel ELIAS / UNITED NATIONS / AFP)

 

(Eagle News) — The Philippines was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday, October 12, along with Cameroon and Bahrain, drawing criticism and rebuke from various rights groups in Europe and North America, and even from former US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley.

The Philippines was represented by incoming foreign affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who is currently the country’s permanent representative to the UN.

The Department of Foreign Affairs announced the Philippines’ victory early Saturday, October 13.

But the Philippines’ election to the UN human rights body was immediately met with controversy, as early on its credibility as a possible member of the human rights council was questioned by various human rights groups and other well-known figures.

Around a third of seats on the 47-member council, based in Geneva, were open for slots lasting from 2019-2022. A 97-vote majority from the 193 nations that make up the UN’s General Assembly is needed for approval.

For the first time since the council was created in 2006, each voting region agreed in advance on 18 candidates to be in the running for 18 seats — removing any competition.

New members Bahrain, Cameroon, the Philippines, Somalia, Bangladesh and Eritrea were elected with between 160 and 178 votes — and immediately drew criticism from activists in Europe and North America dismissing them as “unqualified” due to their human rights records.

“By putting forward serious rights violators and presenting only as many candidates as seats available, the regional groups risk undermining the council’s credibility and effectiveness,” said New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Louis Charbonneau, the group’s UN director, called the vote “ridiculous” and said on Twitter it “makes mockery of (the) word ‘election.'”

At the start of the voting session, the General Assembly’s president, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, noted that every member state is allowed to apply for a seat.

Her spokesman later declined to directly address the criticism, but instead noted: “It’s clear that the world expects that members of international bodies will abide to a certain set of standards of behavior consistent with the bodies they have been elected to.”

Five of the new members were from Africa, five from Asia, two from eastern Europe, three from Latin America and the Caribbean, and three from western Europe.

The United States pulled out of the council in June, calling the organization a “hypocritical” body that “makes a mockery of human rights,” in particular in regard to its stance on Israel.

Nikki Haley, who this week announced her resignation as US ambassador to the UN, said Friday’s vote demonstrates why the US was right to withdraw.

“Yet again, countries with poor human rights records ran uncontested. This lack of standards continues to undermine the organization,” she said.

“The United States will continue to support reforms that would make the Human Rights Council credible.”


(with a report from Agence France-Presse)