People visit "The Development of China's Human Rights in the New Era" exhibition at the UN Geneva headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Nov. 6, 2018. The exhibition, jointly sponsored by the Permanent Mission of China to UN in Geneva and the State Council Information Office of China, features more than 100 pictures and 10 micro-videos on progress in China's human rights situation. File Photo: Xinhua
By Liu Xin and Fan Lingzhi
However, Chinese experts on human rights said that the appointment of the Chinese official was made jointly by member states in the Asia-Pacific region and the US politicians’ move would affect the UN organization’s independence.
On April 1, China was appointed to a seat on the consultative group of the UN Human Rights Council. Minister Jiang Duan from China’s mission in Geneva was nominated and confirmed by the Asia regional grouping and will hold the seat until March 2021, according to a release from the UN Human Rights Council.
On March 7, US senator John Cornyn, along with some other senators including Marco Rubio, sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressing opposition to the appointment of Jiang.
The UN gives seats to many regional groups in its branches to maintain a balance. Members of the consultative group are selected jointly by countries in a regional group, Mao Junxiang, an expert on human rights from Central South University, told the Global Times.
“Jiang’s nomination showed that member states in the Asia-Pacific region recognize China’s work in human rights fields, as well as Jiang’s individual performance in his position,” Mao said.
“Although the US is one of the UN Security Council’s permanent member states, it is not a member of the UN Human Rights Council. It withdrew from the organization in 2018. The UN is an independent international organization, not an affiliate of the US government,” said Mao.
According to the Diplomat, the consultative group, the body to which China was just appointed, is charged with recommending candidates to fill positions according to the mandates of the Special Procedures, the Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Expert Mechanism on the Right of Development.
The panel consists of five ambassadors, each representing one of the five UN regional groups, and facilitates the appointment of experts on issues of freedom of speech and religion; water and sanitation; housing; food; health; poverty; and conditions in countries such as Cambodia, Iran, Myanmar, and North Korea.
Mao noted what the US politicians have done is to interfere with the Human Rights Council’s independence and the move also showed the US is putting its unilateralism above the multilateralism of the UN.
“If the UN Human Rights Council yields to the US’ request, it would be a shame for the international community,” said Mao.
In response to the US senators’ request to investigate China’s increasing influence on the international organization, Mao said that it is a fact that China’s influence on international organizations is increasing, which shows China respects the multilateralism of the international community and tries to play an active role.
