US takes seat at UN rights council
GENEVA — The United States will claim its seat at the UN Human Rights Council under the new presidency of Donald Trump, whose election has provoked deep concern over the body's future.
Over its 11-year history, the council has come in for criticism, including allegations that it has, at times, been co-opted by rights abusers who push resolutions attacking their geopolitical rivals, with genuine rights issues marginalized.
But the 47-member panel has had successes — thanks to support from Barack Obama's administration which held a seat on the council for most of his eight-year term, civil society groups say.
Many of the issues prioritized by Obama's UN envoys — including violations in North Korea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and South Sudan — will remain on the agenda when the council opens its main annual session in Geneva on Monday.
Among the headline speakers are UN chief Antonio Guterres and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Trump's State Department has not yet named a replacement for Obama's envoy Keith Harper.
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Much of Trump's international agenda remains murky but rights advocates have warned that early signs are not good for either the council or the broader human rights agenda.
"Clearly 'America First' does not suggest an approach that (prioritizes) multilateral engagement," said John Fisher of Human Rights Watch in Geneva, referring WR 7UXPS V VWDUNO\ GH¿QHG foreign policy doctrine.
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"When the administration has issued an executive order that bans travel from seven mainlyMuslim countries it erodes the US's moral credibility and ability to engage in initiatives around the UN," Fisher told AFP.
Trump's travel ban has been blocked in court.
Fisher also highlighted Trump's moves curbing rights for transgender people and his "stereotyping and scapegoating" of some migrants.
"I think one of the key challenges that the US will face is to demonstrate that it applies at home the same human rights and principles that it applies to others," he said.