Number: RL33608
Title: The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress
Authors: Luisa Blanchfield, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: Congress maintains an ongoing interest in the credibility and effectiveness of the Council in the context of both human rights and broader U.N. reform. In Divisions J, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act, 2008, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110- 161), for example, Congress prohibits U.S. contributions to support the Human Rights Council unless (1) the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that funding the Council is "in the national interest of the United States" or (2) the United States is a member of the Council. Due to the nature of U.N. budget mechanisms, withholding Council funds would be a largely symbolic gesture and may have little or no effect on the Council's operational work.
Pages: 32
Date: July 31, 2008