The announcement that the United States will seek to join the United Nations Human Rights Council in May is perhaps the last chance for the organization charged with “strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.”

B’nai B’rith International hopes the Obama administration will make it a top priority to eliminate the council’s fixation on Israel, and to eliminate the annual special review of Israel, the only nation singled out in this way.

Without a major overhaul, the Human Rights Council will continue with its unacceptable and unproductive business as usual, with some of the world’s biggest human rights abusers preventing real action on the most pressing global human rights issues.

It is incumbent upon the U.S. government to parlay its renewed credibility on the world stage into true and lasting reform of what has the potential to be an instrument that truly promotes and protects human rights. Created just three years ago, the Human Rights Council has fallen far short of its mission.

As a non-governmental organization involved in the U.N. since its inception, and the only Jewish group with an office devoted exclusively to U.N. affairs, ensuring an effective institution to oversee human rights around the world is a priority. A B’nai B’rith International delegation just returned from Geneva, where it monitored the 10th session of the Human Rights Council. That session, much like its nine predecessors, demonstrated its Israel-obsession by passing five resolutions targeting the Jewish state.

B’nai B’rith International is hopeful that by working from within the system, the United States can help transform the Human Rights Council from an ineffective, biased organization, into one that can make a much needed difference in the lives of so many around the world.