Condemning the United Nations decision to appoint China a seat on its Human Rights Council.

Bill: 116-hres-919
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17]
Introduced: 2020-04-10
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia

China

Human rights

International organizations and cooperation

United Nations
Latest action: action_date: 2020-04-10
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-04-10
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution condemns the United Nations decision to appoint China a seat on its Human Rights Council and demands serious human rights reform. </p>

tv_txt: IV 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 919 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 10, 2020 Mr. Steube submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Condemning the United Nations decision to appoint China a seat on its Human Rights Council.

Whereas, on April 1, 2020, China was appointed to a United Nations Human Rights Council panel; Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been criticized for being influenced by countries widely perceived as having poor human rights records; Whereas China rejected recommendations made by the Human Rights Council related to human rights activists, extrajudicial detention, freedom of belief, freedom of expression, and the rights of ethnic minorities; Whereas some countries called on China to ensure greater protections of the rights of ethnic minorities; Whereas China violated basic privacy rights by spying on its own people; Whereas during the COVID–19 outbreak, China further suppressed religion in the country by destroying places of worship or placing them under heavy surveillance; Whereas in 2018, the United States left the Council; Whereas in 2018, the Department of State released its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, highlighting China for engaging in some of the worst human rights violations; Whereas former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the Council a protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias ; Whereas former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley tweeted that China was appointed on Wednesday to a UN Human Rights Council panel where it will play a key role in picking the world body’s human rights investigators—including global monitors on freedom of speech, health, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detention. You can’t make this up! ; Whereas United States Government senior officials have expressed concerns about the completeness and timeliness of information China is reporting on COVID–19; and Whereas China’s failure to be transparent with global leaders about the outbreak has cost thousands of lives: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns the United Nations decision to appoint China a seat on its Human Rights Council; (2) demands serious reform if the United States is going to remain in the United Nations and provide funding to countries that ignore basic human rights; and (3) holds China and the United Nations accountable for human rights violations.