US Mission Geneva

The Council took robust action to address the ongoing carnage in Syria, beginning with a high-level urgent debate during the Council’s opening week.

Adoption of this resolution must be followed by sustained commitment. At a time when violence and discrimination against members of religious minorities is all too common.

Today, on the session’s final day, Council members came together in their strongest show of unity yet to demand end to the violence by the Assad regime.

Explanation of U.S. Vote on “Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”

US will work constructively with like-minded delegations to adopt fair and well-reasoned resolutions at the UN that speak to the issues of economic, social and cultural rights and are consistent with our own laws and policies.

We support the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living, including food, as recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

We welcome the focus on adequate housing in the context of disasters, and note that this is a challenge that affects all countries, including the United States.

We believe that the resolution before us is not an appropriate means of achieving these goals. The Human Rights Council is a body made up of Member States, and should not attempt to instruct the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on internal matters like staffing.

Let me be clear that the US opposition to this resolution is not an endorsement of the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights, which the United States does not recognize. We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, including in the occupied Golan Heights.