World News UN votes in favor of new human rights body

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly March 15 to replace the United Nations' discredited human rights body with a new Human Rights Council.

The results of the vote: 170 in favor, three abstentions, and four against - including the United States, which said that not enough was done to prevent abusive countries from becoming members.

A year ago, Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed replacing the widely criticized and highly politicized Human Rights Commission, which has allowed some of the worst-offending countries to use their membership to protect one another from condemnation.

The Human Rights Council, approved March 15, is a watered-down version of Annan's vision. But the secretary general still called it "historic," and human rights groups welcomed its creation.

The Human Rights Council will meet more frequently and periodically review the rights records of all U.N. member states for the first time.

Provisions have also been made to respond with greater speed to human rights emergencies.

国連に人権理事会発足へ

国連総会で15日、人権委員会に替えて、人権理事会を設立することを採択した。

Shukan ST: March 24, 2006

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