Donald Trump has strong words for countries with human rights violations that sit on the United Nations panel to combat those abuses - even though some of those countries are friends of the US.
During his first speech to the United States General Assembly, the President said it is an “embarrassment” that there are countries on the UN human rights panel that have themselves committed atrocities. While Mr Trump did not mention specific countries, there are US allies on that panel who the President has previously been hesitant to condemn.
“It is a massive source of embarrassment for the United Nations that some governments with egregious human rights records sit on the UN Human Rights Council,” Mr Trump said Tuesday in New York.
That council is composed of 47 members. The current members include Saudi Arabia, a US ally that Mr Trump has heaped praise upon during international visits in spite of their abysmal human rights record. Another
“We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship,” the President said in Saudi Arabia in May during his first trip abroad as president.
Mr Trump’s embracement of Saudi Arabia isn’t in itself a break from previous policy — Barack Obama and George W Bush also fostered somewhat close relationships with the country — but it was notable because the President appeared uninterested in making even symbolic gestures about human rights. Mr Obama, for instance, met with a leading women’s rights advocate when he took a similar trip, and repeatedly mentioned democracy and human rights during addresses to the Muslim world. Mr Trump was mostly mum, though made fleeting reference to women’s rights.
Another notable US ally on the human rights council is Qatar, which has been flagged by watchdog groups for exploiting foreign labourers, and for arcane punishments for crimes including stoning.
Both of those countries have sealed billion dollar deals with the Trump administration for weapons sales. The administration signed a $12 billion deal with Qatar for a fleet of F-15 fighter jets in June. The administration also approved a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia in May worth more than $110 billion.
