A Critic on the UN in Darfur
Here is my second blog entry on the United Nations Association's "People Speak" Weblog from today.
Why so Quiet on Darfur?
As the world's current greatest human rights humanitarian crisis, and likely the first genocide of the 21st Century, confronting Darfur may be the biggest test for the new Human Rights Council. However, many of the States in the Council have negative voting records in the UN General Assembly in regards to Sudan and the situation in Darfur, and some (Algeria, China, Pakistan, and Russia) were the only members of the Security Council to abstain on previous resolutions to address Darfur. Will they now take action and assume responsibility for holding the Sudanese government responsible? To this point, the Human Rights Council has been noticeably silent on the issue of Darfur, with the special sessions purely focused on Israel and the conflict with Lebanon and the Palestinians. While the UN struggles to get the Sudanese government to accept peacekeepers, the Human Rights Council has not used its leverage and the tactics at its disposal to encourage Sudan to help end the abuses in Darfur. Is this the first sign that the political nature that led inertia in the Human Rights Commission has carried over to the new Human Rights Council? If the Human Rights Council does not take action during its second session, which began today in Geneva, it may have already rendered itself irrelevant in the fight to protect human rights. Based upon past precedent, it could be argued that the Council is unlikely to do anything and will continue business as usual. However, the Secretary-General criticized the Human Rights Council at the opening of their second session for focusing all of the attention on the Middle East while the situation in Darfur continues to get worse. In addition, Western countries have pledged to bring up the issue of Darfur everytime Israel is raised by the Arab block, and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued a strong rebuke of the Sudnaese government. These actions should spur the necessary action by the Council and save it from being rendered useless only a few months into its existence
Why so Quiet on Darfur?
As the world's current greatest human rights humanitarian crisis, and likely the first genocide of the 21st Century, confronting Darfur may be the biggest test for the new Human Rights Council. However, many of the States in the Council have negative voting records in the UN General Assembly in regards to Sudan and the situation in Darfur, and some (Algeria, China, Pakistan, and Russia) were the only members of the Security Council to abstain on previous resolutions to address Darfur. Will they now take action and assume responsibility for holding the Sudanese government responsible? To this point, the Human Rights Council has been noticeably silent on the issue of Darfur, with the special sessions purely focused on Israel and the conflict with Lebanon and the Palestinians. While the UN struggles to get the Sudanese government to accept peacekeepers, the Human Rights Council has not used its leverage and the tactics at its disposal to encourage Sudan to help end the abuses in Darfur. Is this the first sign that the political nature that led inertia in the Human Rights Commission has carried over to the new Human Rights Council? If the Human Rights Council does not take action during its second session, which began today in Geneva, it may have already rendered itself irrelevant in the fight to protect human rights. Based upon past precedent, it could be argued that the Council is unlikely to do anything and will continue business as usual. However, the Secretary-General criticized the Human Rights Council at the opening of their second session for focusing all of the attention on the Middle East while the situation in Darfur continues to get worse. In addition, Western countries have pledged to bring up the issue of Darfur everytime Israel is raised by the Arab block, and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued a strong rebuke of the Sudnaese government. These actions should spur the necessary action by the Council and save it from being rendered useless only a few months into its existence
posted by Dr. Michele R. Lyons at 5:53 PM
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