NGOs Criticize UN Human Rights Council 

According to an October 15, 2007 UN Watch report, the President of the International Commission of Jurists concluded in a review that the new UN human rights body has shown “no significant improvements to date.” Human Rights Watch also criticized the work of the committee — Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, remarked that, "There’s a lot going on at the council, but if you stand back, it isn’t amounting to anything." This view stands in stark contrast with HRW’s Global Advocacy Director, Peggy Hicks’ June 2007 statement that the UNHRC "has the potential to be far more effective than the commission" and that the inclusion of Israel as the only country on the Council’s permanent agenda should not be viewed negatively because "in principle, at least, the council can scrutinize both Israeli and Palestinian behavior."