Is China Undermining Human Rights At The United Nations?

(Council On Foreign Relations)

Experts are warning that China is quietly working to weaken the United Nations’ commitment to human rights. If it succeeds, they say, the international human rights system could become even less capable of protecting victims and holding governments accountable.

What’s happening?

China is one of forty-seven countries meeting in Geneva for the second of three UN Human Rights Council sessions this year. Created in its current form in 2006, the council is the United Nations’ only forum for human rights dialogue among governments. Reporting to the UN General Assembly, it launches fact-finding missions, establishes commissions to investigate specific situations, and issues resolutions that call on states to take action against rights violations, though its decisions, unlike the Security Council’s, are not legally binding. The Human Rights Council also gives individuals and organizations the opportunity to call attention to human rights issues.

Experts are increasingly worried about Beijing’s approach to the council. During the current session, which runs until July 12, China has already tried to deflect criticism of its arbitrary detention of more than a million Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. The province’s vice governor, for example, defended the so-called reeducation camps in a speech to the council. Human rights advocates have criticized UN officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, for their silence on Xinjiang, and for giving China a platform to spread what they call propaganda.

Delegates from Beijing also disrupted a discussion on Hong Kong during this month’s session, twice interrupting pro-democracy activist and singer Denise Ho. Read more