This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
Published on June 20, 2020, the UN Human Rights Council's vote on a resolution focusing on policing and race in the US has been met with criticism from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo defended the recent discussion on race relations in America as a sign of a healthy democracy, saying it 'marks a new low' for the council.
He argued that the council should focus on systemic racial disparities in member countries such as Cuba and China, rather than singling out the US.
The council's decision to vote on the resolution was prompted by protests in the US following the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of police.
However, a specific mention of racism and police brutality in the US was removed from the resolution, sparking outrage from rights groups.
These groups accused Washington and its allies of lobbying heavily to revise the text, a charge to which the US mission in Geneva declined to respond.
The US had withdrawn from the council in 2018 and was not present on the day of the vote.
In a statement, Pompeo said, 'If the Council were serious about protecting human rights, there are plenty of legitimate needs for its attention, such as the systemic racial disparities in places like Cuba, China and Iran.'
