On the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, two senators will honor their late colleague, Sen. John McCain, by establishing in his name a commission devoted to the promotion of the rights enshrined in that document.
The John S. McCain III Human Rights Commission will conduct briefings and hearings to raise awareness of international human rights violations and work with the executive branch, nongovernmental organizations and other entities to develop various initiatives within the Senate, according to the resolution written by Sens. Chris Coons, a Democrat of Delaware, and Thom Tillis, a Republican of North Carolina. The new commission will be led by two co-chairs representing both parties.
Coons and Tillis will introduce the resolution on Monday, Human Rights Day, which is celebrated every December 10.
“Senator McCain was a remarkable man who used his role in the Senate to advocate for human rights and to stand up for people around the world who were denied basic freedoms,” Coons said in a statement. “He embodied our country’s values and understood the critical role of the United States in promoting human rights across the globe.”
In a statement, Tillis added that the commission would “carry on John McCain’s legacy of shining a light on human rights abuses across the world and building bipartisan coalitions to take action.”
After serving Arizona in Congress for 35 years, McCain died in August.