US set to rejoin UN Human Rights Council

The United States is set to rejoin the United Nations Human Rights Council that former president Donald Trump withdrew the country from.

The UN General Assembly elected the US on Thursday to serve as a member of the Council. The organization deals with human rights issues around the world. The country’s three-year term begins in January.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the path towards the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms will be filled with challenges. He said, “The United States commits to continue this steadfast pursuit, at every opportunity, with any and all countries that will join us.”

Trump pulled the US out of the Council in 2018, due to what he called the organization’s chronic bias against Israel. After President Joe Biden took office, the US returned to the Council as an observer. But observers cannot vote.

The Biden administration apparently wants to highlight its efforts to tackle human rights issues, such as the situation in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the tightening of controls on dissidents in Russia.