US eyes rejoining UN Human Rights Council

The administration of new US President Joe Biden is preparing to reengage with the UN Human Rights Council, Report informs, referring to the Associated Press.

US officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a senior US diplomat in Geneva will announce on Feb. 8 that Washington will return to the Geneva-based body as an observer to seek election as a full member.

The decision is likely to draw criticism from conservative lawmakers and many in the pro-Israel community.

One senior US official said the Biden administration believed the Council must still reform but that the best way to promote change is to ‘engage with it in a principled fashion.’ The official said it could be ‘an important forum for those fighting tyranny and injustice around the world’ and the US presence intends to ‘ensure it can live up to that potential.’

Washington in 2018 announced its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, motivating this decision with the organization’s biased attitude towards the US and Israel. The statement came after the Council adopted a series of resolutions condemning the actions of the Jewish state.