“If we work closely with our allies and friends, we can hold the countries with the worst human rights records to account in the @UN Human Rights Council,” Blinken said in a Tweet on Monday morning. “American leadership matters.”
The US did not enter into talks with the council under President George W. Bush, although the Obama administration did cooperate with the council. Every U.S. administration since the founding of the council has been critical of the council’s position on Israel, including demands for the nation to withdraw from Palestinian territories.
Blinken said in the statement that the council could work to promote the rights of women, LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups, as well as freedom of expression and assembly.
“We recognize that the Human Rights Council is a flawed body that needs to reform its agenda, membership and focus, including its excessive focus on Israel,” Blinken said in a statement released Monday morning. “However, our withdrawal in June 2018 did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but created a vacuum of American leadership that used countries with authoritarian agendas to their advantage.”