UPDATE 2 - US returning to UN Human Rights Council as observer

UPDATES WITH UN SECRETARY-GENERAL GUTERRES’ REACTION

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The US on Monday announced that it will re-engage with the UN Human Rights Council as an observer.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said then-President Donald Trump's 2018 decision to leave the body "did nothing to encourage meaningful change, but instead created a vacuum of US leadership, which countries with authoritarian agendas have used to their advantage."

Then-US State Secretary Mike Pompeo accused the UN forum of having an “anti-Israel bias,” adding that the “worst human rights offenders” were sitting on the council.

The US is returning as an observer because the council, which is based in Geneva, consists of 47 members, some of whom are elected each year in the UN General Assembly in New York.

"When it works well, the Human Rights Council shines a spotlight on countries with the worst human rights records and can serve as an important forum for those fighting injustice and tyranny," Blinken said in a statement.

"To address the Council’s deficiencies and ensure it lives up to its mandate, the United States must be at the table using the full weight of our diplomatic leadership," he added.

The first to welcome the US announcement was Julian Braithwaite, the UK ambassador to the UN in Geneva.

"Just how important it is for members of the United Nations to engage in the Human Rights Council and how much stronger the organization can be with that full engagement [of the US]," Braithwaite said.

He also announced that the UK, together with the EU and the support of 19 additional council members, has submitted a request for a special session on the human rights implications of last week’s military coup in Myanmar.

"This is in response to the state of emergency imposed in Myanmar and the arbitrary detention of democratically elected politicians and civil society by the military. This has grave implications for human rights in the country," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the US decision, saying: "The United Nations looks forward to hearing the crucial voice of the United States across the Council’s urgent work."

*Michael Hernandez in Washington contributed to this report