Denmark will join the UN Human Rights Council
UN general assembly has today elected Denmark, Austria and Italy to join the UN Human Rights Council. Hence, from 2019, Denmark will be entering the most important forum in the world when it comes to human rights discussions.
"Being a member of the council, Denmark is given a voice with far greater impact than today. Denmark will have the opportunity to influence decisions of the council and will discuss human rights with many of the world's countries, "says Jonas Christoffersen, director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The UN Human Rights Council is often criticised for, on one hand, to overlook major human rights violations within its own members, and, on the other hand, almost automatically criticise Israel every time the council is assembled. This contributed to the USA’s decision to leave the Human Rights Council earlier this year.
The UN Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council was established 15 March 2006 and replaced the former Human Rights Commission. The council has 47 members: 13 from Africa, 13 from Asia, 6 from Eastern Europe, 8 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 7 from Western Europe. A majority of the members of the general assembly elects all members.
Despite the imbalance – or perhaps rather because of it – Jonas Christoffersen believes that it is important that Denmark enters the UN Human Rights Council.
"We do not achieve anything by not being a part of the conversation with the undemocratic voices. When you assemble the world's countries, with all their differences, you land in a cross field of political interests. What is the point if everyone just talks with those they agree with? An UN for democrats and an UN for dictatorships does not do anything good for the world nor for human rights," says Jonas Christoffersen.
Jonas Christoffersen believes that being a member of the Human Rights Council, Denmark has the opportunity to influence the development of the council and its critique. He also points out that Denmark participating actively in the so-called universal periodic review can make a difference. The universal periodic review is a mechanism by which member states of the UN have their human rights standards and performance examined.
"Members of the Human Rights Council, and soon also Denmark, will have the opportunity to lead diplomatic conversations with all countries in the world about human rights. This also applies to those countries that do not put much emphasis on human rights today," says Jonas Christoffersen.
Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré