Theater of the absurd at the UN: The non-governmental organization UN Watch sharply criticized Western countries after it claimed they enabled the election of states with problematic human rights records to key positions in UN bodies dealing with the issue. The group’s executive director, Hillel Neuer, voiced strong criticism, saying earlier in the week that “appointing China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to oversee human rights activists is like putting Al Capone in charge of fighting organized crime.”
According to the organization, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which comprises 54 member states, recommended appointing Iran to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination — a body that influences policymaking on human rights, women’s rights, disarmament and counterterrorism. Such recommendations are typically approved automatically by the UN General Assembly.
In addition, the council elected — without opposition — China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and Sudan to the UN’s NGO Committee, a key body that oversees the activities, accreditation and access of thousands of human rights and civil society organizations to the UN system. The United States was the only country to oppose the appointments, describing Iran, Cuba and Nicaragua as “unfit” for such roles.
UN Watch called on democratic countries, including Canada, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland and Austria, to explain why they supported the move. According to Neuer, the result will give dictatorships a majority on the committee, potentially enabling them to block independent organizations that criticize human rights abuses and to approve groups aligned with their own regimes.
Neuer also warned that the move could undermine the ability of pro-democracy activists to defend vulnerable populations and operate within UN frameworks. He further accused Western countries of having “betrayed their principles and undermined the rules-based international order.” Ahead of the vote, about 70 human rights and civil society organizations warned against selecting those countries, but their warnings went unheeded.
UN Watch describes itself as “monitoring UN performance by the yardstick of its own Charter.” The organization holds special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and is affiliated with the UN Department of Global Communications. It also monitors the human rights records of countries seeking seats on the UN Human Rights Council, many of whose members have faced criticism over their own records.