UN CHR must reform itself or risk irrelevance

Amnesty International

By failing to act promptly and effectively, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights risks becoming irrelevant, said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, on the eve of the 60th session of the Commission, which begins on 15 March.

"The Commission is the pre-eminent human rights body within the UN. It was created to uphold human rights and denounce violations wherever they occur. But instead, time and time again, the Commission has behaved in a highly fractious, self-interested, politically expedient manner, turning a blind eye to human rights violations and allowing perpetrators to operate with impunity," said Ms Khan.

"Countries with appalling human rights records, such as Algeria, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Zimbabwe, have escaped serious scrutiny, while the scandalous situation of detainees held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has not even made it to the Commission's agenda."

"We challenge the Commission to reform itself by establishing transparent and objective criteria for selecting the countries it will scrutinise, and by putting in place a more effective system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation by States of the Commission's recommendations," said Ms Khan.