Skip Links
U.S. Department of State
U.S. Public Diplomacy and the War of Ideas  |  Daily Press Briefing | What's NewU.S. Department of State
U.S. Department of State
SEARCHU.S. Department of State
Subject IndexBookmark and Share
U.S. Department of State
HomeHot Topics, press releases, publications, info for journalists, and morepassports, visas, hotline, business support, trade, and morecountry names, regions, embassies, and morestudy abroad, Fulbright, students, teachers, history, and moreforeign service, civil servants, interns, exammission, contact us, the Secretary, org chart, biographies, and more
Video
 You are in: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs > Bureau of Public Affairs: Press Relations Office > Press Releases (Other) > 2006 > May 
Press Statement
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 11, 2006


United Nations Human Rights Council Elections

The United States notes the election of new Human Rights Council members on May 9. We reiterate our commitment to working cooperatively with Member States to make the Council as effective as possible in promoting human rights. The United States will engage with the Council to safeguard and expand human rights around the world.

While the Council as a whole is an improvement over the former Commission on Human Rights, a number of those elected lack a genuine commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights. At the same time, we are pleased that the international community has chosen not to elect some candidates that have very poor human rights records, such as Iran and Venezuela.

These elections represent the first test of the credibility and effectiveness of this new Council. The next test will be whether or not the Council can take effective action in the coming months to address serious human rights problems around the world. The Council will have the opportunity to prove itself when it meets in June. It must do all within its power to see to it that the world’s vulnerable populations are protected and their rights enhanced, promoted and institutionalized.

2006/481

Released on May 11, 2006

  Back to top

U.S. Department of State
USA.govU.S. Department of StateUpdates  |  Frequent Questions  |  Contact Us  |  Email this Page  |  Subject Index  |  Search
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.
About state.gov  |  Privacy Notice  |  FOIA  |  Copyright Information  |  Other U.S. Government Information

Published by the U.S. Department of State Website at http://www.state.gov maintained by the Bureau of Public Affairs.