India has been elected with the largest number of votes to the newly formed UN Human Rights Council.
NEW DELHI: India has been elected with the largest number of votes to the newly formed UN Human Rights Council, securing 173 votes out of 190 members of the General Assembly.
The first meeting of the council will be in Geneva on June 19. China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bangladesh and Iran have also been voted to the new council.
Many human rights activists are critical about the inclusion of Saudi Arabia and China, both regarded as violaters. The Human Rights Council has now replaced the earlier human rights commission, mainly because of US opposition to it.
The Bush administration has been pushing for UN reforms and had in the past plenty of rude comments about the working of the UN bodies. Washington was unhappy that some of the worst violaters of human rights and those who were firmly opposed to the US like Cuba, Iran and even Iraq were prominent members of the commission. Will the new council work better ?
“Not the way it is going. Shows once again that the UN electoral process allows the worst kind of offenders to be part of the body. The only saving grace is the decision to include a review every five years of the record of member nations. If that is effectively carried out maybe something there is some hope yet,” says Tapan Bose, human rights activist who has often criticised the Indian government over violations in Kashmir.
Asked whether this council will also take up human rights violations by powerful nations like the US, Bose said : “You know the US has replaced God. Who can question God.”
Indian diplomats are projecting this as a major victory.
“This was a recognition of India’s diplomatic standing in the comity of nations today and its commitment to promotion and protection of human rights. It is also a reflection of the success that India has had with its diplomatic demarches made in New York and through the Indian missions abroad to the members of the United Nations,’’ foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna said on Wednesday.
The Bush administration wanted a much smaller council, perhaps with just about 25 members, who would have their sittings regularly and push nations violating the human rights charter change their ways.
However it is easier said than done. Even the US with his political and economic lout was not able to force the General Assembly to have a smaller council. The US has been very critical of large 47 member body which was finally agreed on by member states.
The new Council, will hold no fewer at least three sessions each year for a total period of no less than ten weeks. The Council will also be able to hold special sessions when necessary through a request by a Member of the Council with the support of one-third of the membership of the Council.
The new body has 13 members from Africa and Asia, 13 from Latin America and Caribbean, 8 from Eastern Europe, 6 for Western Europe and 7 for others including US, Canada, Israel. Indian diplomats claim New Delhi played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between western democracies and third world countries over the issue.
India is happy to be part of a new body which will lay the ground rules for its future workings. Unfortunetly for India, in the draw of lots to determine the tenure of members, India will have just one year.
“Our role will be to carry all members along. There will be no finger pointing. The approach will be participatory and the emphasis will be not just political rights, but cultural and economic rights as well,’’ said a senior Indian official.
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