Ineffective UN “Human Rights Council” Votes To Neuter Itself

So, tell me again why we continue to prop up the farce of the corrupt and inept United Nations? Now their useless "Human Rights Council" has effectively - hell, literally - neutered itself. It has voted new rules that effectively ban the appointment of expert UN observers to specific countries to monitor human rights violations. And the first beneficiaries of the new ban on monitors?

Cuba and Belarus.

"There is an agreement on a text which covers completely the institutional arrangements" for the functioning of the council, Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico told journalists.

"It is the beginning of a new era for the United Nations and a new culture in dealing with human rights."

Negotiations had gone down to the Monday 2200 GMT deadline set by the UN General Assembly. Eleventh hour disputes included conflicts over the rights monitors and a demand by China for an increase in the threshold for passing a country-specific resolution to a two-thirds majority.

Despite being opposed to the dropping of the rights monitors, one diplomat said Monday they were an acceptable "price to pay" for Western countries anxious to see the council's survival.

As part of the compromise, the 47 nations on the council agreed that current rights monitors "could continue serving, provided they have not exceeded the six's years term limit," according to the text.

Under that rule, 10 country rights monitors had their mandates renewed. Only monitors for Belarus and Cuba were not renewed, as they have served over six years.

The experts or "rapporteurs" on human rights, who probe allegations of abuse in particular countries or examine areas of concerns such as torture, are regarded as the eyes and ears of the United Nations' system of human rights protection.

"Decisions to create, review or discontinue country mandates should also take into account the principles of cooperation and genuine dialogue aimed at strengthening the capacity of member states to comply with their human rights obligations," said the new rules.

Western countries had strongly opposed China's demand for two-thirds majority for country-specific resolutions, and according to diplomats Beijing withdrew its demand, instead securing tougher language for action on such resolutions.

"Proposers of a country resolution have the responsibility to secure the broadest possible support for their initiative (preferably 15 members), before action is taken," read the new rules.

Western countries — who account form only a minority of the council's members — had vowed to uphold the independence of the rapporteurs, while African, Islamic and other nations had sought to impose further controls.

According to Western diplomats, the new rules will make it virtually impossible to appoint new experts to monitor human rights in specific countries.

Yes, indeedy. A whole new era has dawned. Where the inept UN will exponentially increase its ineptitude to truly astronomical levels. These are the people who want to control economies in the West - despite the rampant fraud in their "carbon mitigation" schemes. These are the corrupt gang of thieves who stole gobs of money in the oil-for-food scam in Iraq. And now they are the people who will turn a blind eye to the depredations of the worst regimes on the planet.

Tell me again why Turtle Bay isn't a condo development right now. Or better yet, a landfill. It seems a more fitting - and safer for the planet - use of that real estate.