Related Materials

Download Testimony
Other

No documents currently available

Hearings & Briefings

**REVISED** The United States Government’s Relationship with the U.N. Human Rights Council

Hearing Tuesday, October 25, 2011 2 PM Cannon 210

This hearing will take place at 2 PM on 10/25/2011, in Cannon 210.
The hearing is open to members of Congress, congressional staff, the media and the interested public.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011
2 PM
Cannon 210
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the United States government’s relationship with the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHR Council) is comprised of 47 member states whose representation is apportioned equitably among all geographic regions. The council was established in March 2006 as a successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which had been widely criticized for ineffectiveness and bias. The United States initially opposed the new body, doubting that any significant changes would come from a new structure. The U.S. government announced that it would not seek a seat on the council, and that its engagement with and funding for the council would be limited. In 2009, however, the U.S. government decided to run for a seat on the council, won the election, and joined the council that May. Since then, the U.S. government has actively advanced its human rights agenda at the council as well as challenged and mitigated the entity’s shortcomings.

This hearing will examine the current interaction between the U.S. government and the UNHR Council. Both U.S. government and NGO witnesses will outline successes, identify problems, and propose solutions to advance U.S. human rights and foreign policy interests at the UNHR Council.
The following witnesses have been invited to testify:

Panel I
• Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Dan Baer, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State (ADDED)

Panel II
• Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Directory, Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution
• Peggy Hicks, Global Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

If you have any questions, please contact Colleen Costello (Rep. McGovern) or Wendy Sneff (Rep. Wolf) at 202-225-3599, or send an email to tlhrc@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC

Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC

 

Contact the Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

+1-202-225-3599
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance or whenever practicable.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

Commission Updates

Sign up to receive Commission updates, hearing schedules, and the latest news.



Unsubscribe from Commission Updates