Skip to content
Donate Now
  • Donate Now
  • logo
  • logo
  • News
  • Fundraising
    • Fundraising
    • Crowdfunding
    • Development
    • Donor Retention
  • Philanthropy
    • Philanthropy
    • Foundations
    • Grantmaking
    • Online Giving
  • Management
    • Management
    • Board Governance
    • Finance
    • Leadership
    • Technology
  • Policy
    • Policy
    • Activism
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Taxes
  • Webinars
    • Premium Webinars
  • Magazine
  • Opinion
    • Editor’s Notes
    • The Cohen Report
    • Dr. Conflict
    • The Nonprofit Ethicist
    • Unraveling Development
    • Voices from the Field
  • Store
  • Donate Now

  • Subscribe
  • Member Log in
  • Manage Subscription
Link to subscription form
  • News
  • Fundraising
    • Fundraising
    • Crowdfunding
    • Development
    • Donor Retention
  • Philanthropy
    • Philanthropy
    • Foundations
    • Grantmaking
    • Online Giving
  • Management
    • Management
    • Board Governance
    • Finance
    • Leadership
    • Technology
  • Policy
    • Policy
    • Activism
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Taxes
  • Webinars
    • Premium Webinars
  • Magazine
  • Opinion
    • Editor’s Notes
    • The Cohen Report
    • Dr. Conflict
    • The Nonprofit Ethicist
    • Unraveling Development
    • Voices from the Field
  • Store
  • My Menu

Tillerson’s Downplaying of Human Rights Report: A Signifier to Civil Society Worldwide?

By Anna Berry Anna Berry | March 6, 2017
Share30
Tweet
Email
Share4
34 Shares

By Cogiati (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

March 3, 2017; Department of State

The U.S. State Department issued its annual report tracking human rights abuses worldwide on Friday, highlighting both ongoing crises like the brutal war on drugs in the Philippines as well as long-simmering conflicts including Israeli-Palestinian relations, and China’s position on Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Given that the 41st annual Human Rights Reports were issued by the Trump administration, the rollout naturally included some controversy, which centered on the decision by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson not to hold an official unveiling.

“Our values are our interests when it comes to human rights. The production of these reports underscores our commitment to freedom, democracy, and the human rights guaranteed to all individuals around the world,” Tillerson said in a preface to the reports.

Critics argued that his absence gave the report less attention, as Reuters reported, with only an anonymous U.S. official answering reporters’ questions by phone instead of the usual press conference. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) even tweeted:

For 1st time in a long time @StateDept #humanrights report will not be presented by Secretary of State. I hope they reconsider.

The administration’s commitment to human rights was already under fire, after news recently emerged that the U.S. was considering leaving the United Nations’ Human Rights Council under new Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley.

Will America’s future role as a policeman of the world change under President Trump? It’s still too soon to tell.

Here are a few items of note in the reports, which cover nearly 200 countries and territories:

  • Haaretz reported that the Human Rights Reports devoted one of the largest number of pages—second only to China—to the human rights situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and abuses by both sides. The coverage was also the largest for any country in the Middle East.
  • Many media sources noted that the report rightly critiqued the Philippines, where police and vigilantes killed more than 6,000 suspected drug dealers and users since July under President Duterte.
  • Iran rejected the report, while Taiwan’s president called for reforms after the country was criticized for exploiting migrant workers.

While the reports are always a good benchmark on human rights around the world, many countries are justified in pointing a finger back at America, which doesn’t exactly have a perfect record. From the UN declaring the Flint water crisis a violation of human rights to our history of racial discrimination called out by world, there is no shortage of work to be done both here and abroad.—Anna Berry

Share30
Tweet
Email
Share4
34 Shares

About Anna Berry

Anna Berry

Anna Berry is a writer and editor with more than a decade of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and communications. She has covered international civil society, human rights, and the media, among other topics, for Nonprofit Quarterly since 2016.

  • More by Anna

Read Next

  • UN Report Issues Call to Prosecute Myanmar Military Leaders for Genocide

    Belatedly, the United Nations has recommended prosecution of military officials in Myanmar for carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya.

Popular Posts

  • The 2019 Gates Letter: What Surprises Them Scares Us
  • Scaling Social Justice: A Latinx Immigrant Worker Co-op Franchise Model
  • Green New Deal Bill Introduced in Congress
  • Mission Haiku: the Poetry of Mission Statements
  • Special Message: The Risk to Democracy in Trump’s National Emergency
  • Cash Flow in the Nonprofit Business Model: A Question of Whats and Whens

Write for NPQ

  • Our Mission
  • Advertise
  • Board of Directors
  • Foundations and Funders
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • NPQ Staff
  • Contact Us
  • Press Release
  • Donors
  • Newsletters
  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy

  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy

Back to top ↑

To Access the Full Article, Please Login or Subscribe

Can't Login?

Register a New Account Forgot Password

Continue Reading