Coleman Says "No Money for the HRC"

Senator Norm Coleman (R MN) introduced last week a bill to pull funding from the Human Rights Council. Citing (among other concerns) the Council's discriminatory focus on Israel, negligence in recognizing genocide in the Sudan, and lack of free democracies in its membership, Coleman's S. 1698 bars funding for the Council for up to two years. The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but amended with a provision that the President could ignore it in the interest of national security. Similar legislation has been put forth in the House as well.

Is it a good idea to pull funding from the Council? Whatever legitimacy this body had left will certainly be gone after it loses the financial support of the U.S. The U.S. could do more to promote human rights through the UN as a voting and active member of the Council than a non-member with no financial interest. While the Council's actions this year leave little to support, I would hate to see it fully abandoned by the U.S., especially so soon after its creation. The U.S. can do more to promote human rights across the world by staying involved with the Council and working to improve it than by pulling its funding and further losing our legitimacy as global leaders for freedom and human rights.