GENEVA,– Despite a recent pledge by a Dutch-led coalition of 47 nations, today’s election for 15 seats on the U.N.’s highest human rights body will install up to 10 more non-democracies in a mostly uncontested race, which may prompt U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley to determine that her June warning before the council—to stop electing “the world’s worst human rights offenders”—has been flouted.
In a detailed study released today by UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental human rights organization, finds that 7 out of 16 candidates have poor records and fail to qualify according to the UN’s own basic membership criteria: Afghanistan, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Qatar. The council already counts Saudi Arabia, Burundi, China, Cuba, Venezuela, and UAE as members.
