Will County Gazette

The United States can best serve the people of the world by remaining on the United Nations Human Rights Council, Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and James McGovern (D-MA) told President Donald Trump in a letter recently.

“We must create a deliberative discourse within the Council that forces nations to look at their own human rights record with objective scrutiny, which will then better qualify them to defend or decry the actions of other countries,” Hultgren and McGovern wrote. “Similarly, we have a responsibility to persuade governments with strong human rights records to serve on the Council in order to boost its credibility.”

Hultgren and McGovern are co-chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. While they acknowledged that the council has displayed inconsistencies in the past and disproportionately targeted Israel, the only way for things to get better is to continue on the council, they said.

“We urge you to consider the vital role the United States has to strengthen the mandate of the Council,” Hultgren and McGovern wrote. “This body is entrusted by the nations of the world with the responsibility to protect and promote human rights.  Engagement on the Council remains our best path forward to safeguarding human rights, peace, and security for both American citizens and those across the globe.”