Speaking with One Voice? European Union Co-ordination on Human Rights Issues at the United Nations*

Abstract

This article analyses the extent to which the EU acts cohesively and effectively within the UN General Assembly Third Committee and the Commission on Human Rights. There is considerable evidence of increasing EU ‘output’ at the UN since the early 1990s, but there are serious limits to EU unity posed by conflicting national interests and the persistent desire of Member States to act independently at the UN. Furthermore, the energy required to reach internal agreements restricts the EU's influence within the wider UN system.