South Africa celebrates Human Rights Day on 21 March. But do all African countries think and act the same way when it comes to international human rights issues? Do they vote as a bloc in the United Nations Human Rights Council? And what can we learn from a deep dive into their conduct at the HRC?
Dr Eduard Jordaan, Associate Professor in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University, has written and edited a number of recent SAIIA reports on the activities and voting records of African countries in the HRC. He will share his views about the patterns and priorities that this analysis brings to light. At times, the results defy expectations and explode myths about African governments’ attitudes and commitment to human rights.
There will be short responses by Dewa Mavhinga, Southern Africa Director with the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, and Dr Suzanne Graham, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Her doctoral thesis focused on South Africa’s voting behaviour in the United Nations, 1994-2008.
See here for the 2017 and 2018 reports:
African States at the UN Human Rights Council in 2017
African States at the UN Human Rights Council in 2018
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