The reelection of the United States to the United Nations Human Rights Council was a positive development in a largely disappointing election by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) yesterday, in which seven countries with poor human rights records—Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela—were also elected.
"Assessing the 2012 UN Human Rights Council Elections” evaluates the 18 candidates running for seats on the UN Human Rights Council to determine if they meet the UN’s stated criteria that members must “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.”
Press freedom has experienced a disturbing decline in several Latin American countries in the past decade, said Karin Karlekar, project director of the Freedom of the Press survey, at a July 9 event hosted by Freedom House and the American Task Force Argentina.
Senator Robert Menendez expressed concern with the state of media freedom in Latin America at a panel hosted by Freedom House, and reiterated his concerns at a press conference with Senator Marco Rubio.
Freedom House works to enhance civil society’s efforts to promote political participation and to strength democratic institutions in order to improve democratic governance.
