Too little, too late: HRW criticizes UN Human Rights Council
In a July 27th BBC News article, Steve Crawshaw, spokesman for Human Rights Watch, offered harsh criticism of the new UN Human Rights Council, established in 2006 to replace the Human Rights Commission: "I think it would be crazy to say that it has not been a disappointing year… We really hoped that the new council would move things forward radically. It has, to be honest, failed to do so," stated Crawshaw. As NGO Monitor reported in our June 2007 Digest, other HRW officials are actively defending their support of the UNHRC. HRW’s Global Advocacy Director, Peggy Hicks, claimed that the UNHRC still can be more effective than the old Commission and that the inclusion of Israel on the permanent agenda should not be viewed negatively because "in principle, at least, the council can scrutinize both Israeli and Palestinian behavior."