All nations, even the US, can improve their human rights record
- Targets of criticism in the annual US state department human rights review did not miss the opportunity to highlight a degree of hypocrisy by calling out American lapses and abuses during a session of the UN human rights council
The United States generally has a proud record of defending human rights. Sadly its credentials bear increasing stains from lapses and abuses at home. It was called out, if not called to account, on these counts during a recent session of the United Nations human rights council.
The US withdrew from the council two years ago over alleged bias against its ally Israel. But like other UN members it remains subject to the council’s universal periodic review process, during which member states are peer-reviewed by other nations on how they can improve their human rights record.
Targets of American criticism in the annual US state department human rights review did not miss the opportunity to highlight a degree of hypocrisy. Examples abound and more so under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Critics have long pointed up continued community and institutional racism and police violence against African Americans, and a growing wealth gap in a very rich country. To those, more recently, we can add the cruel separation of illegal migrant children from their families.
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Perhaps history will reserve its harshest judgment for the Trump administration’s lax response to the Covid-19 public health crisis, which at times amounted to refusal to accept reality, if not outright denial of it in terms of examples set by Trump and other leaders. Many believe that it is a result of this that the US has the world’s highest pandemic death toll.
Human rights are inseparable from the operations of multinational humanitarian institutions under the UN banner. The two most relevant at the moment are the Paris agreement on a global effort to limit climate change, and the World Health Organization. Washington, the main funder of the WHO, has withdrawn from both. Such isolationism and unilateralism does not sit well with a claim to the high moral ground on human rights.
No country can claim its human rights could not be improved. If it is to reclaim the high ground, the US must recognise that the task begins at home, not just with criticising others.
