Explanation of Vote by John F. Sammis, Deputy Representative to ECOSOC, on the Third Committee Resolution, "Report of the Human Rights Council," November 15, 2011

John F. Sammis
United States  Deputy Representative to ECOSOC 

New York, NY

November 15, 2011

AS DELIVERED

 

The United States does not see the benefit of this resolution.

 

While the United States remains concerned about the Human Rights Council's disproportionate focus on Israel, there have been significant improvements over the past year in the Council's ability to serve as a multilateral forum for promoting and protecting human rights.  Some of the HRC's noteworthy accomplishments include: an historic resolution on LGBT human rights, an OIC-led resolution that promotes religious tolerance, Commissions of Inquiry on Cote d'Ivoire, Libya, and Syria, a new Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and cooperative technical assistance resolutions on Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen among others.

 

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