Syria is an elected member of the UNESCO executive board, and in 2011 was also elected -- after the Assad regime's massacre of its citizens already began -- to two of its human rights committees: the
Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, which rules on individual human rights complaints against governments, and meets today and tomorrow; and the 23-member
Committee on Non-governmental Partners, which oversees the work of human rights groups, and meets tomorrow.
In a response today to a question by UN Watch, David Killion, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s strong objection to Syria’s participation in the UNESCO Committee on Conventions and Recommendations stating, “It is indefensible for the Syrian regime to be allowed to stand as a judge of other countries’ human rights records while it systematically violates the human rights of its citizens, commits acts of sexual violence against women and children, and murders its own people.”
UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer saluted the U.S. for speaking out, and urged France, Germany, the UK, and the EU to similarly condemn Syria's "obscene" membership on the committee, and to take concrete action to remove it. Neuer also called on UN chief Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO director Irina Bokova "to use their moral voice to spur action."
"Now that both the OIC and the Arab League have removed Assad's regime from their organizations, there is simply no longer any excuse -- morally or politically -- for UNESCO to insist on keeping Assad's regime on a human rights committee that is charged with helping victims worldwide. It's time for UNESCO to stop legitimizing a government that mercilessly murders its own people," said Neuer.
Ambassador Killion also told UN Watch that “The Assad regime has repeatedly acted to silence the voice of the Syrian people and to repress independent media attempting to report on its misdeeds. The regime’s brutality has sparked a humanitarian crisis, causing innocent suffering and senseless tragedy. This is a regime willing to exact collective punishment on innocent communities, import fighters from Iran and Hizbollah to help carry out its evil deeds, and destroy the country and its heritage for the sake of its own survival."
After UNESCO elected Syria to its human rights committee in November 2011, UN Watch launched a campaign to reverse the decision, prompting the US and Britain to initiate a March 2012 debate at UNESCO. However, while a resolution was adopted censuring Syria's violations -- a welcome first for UNESCO -- the promised call to oust the regime from UNESCO's human rights panel was excised.
Last year UN Watch received
notice from the British Foreign Office that it would seek to cancel Syria’s “abhorrent” membership. In an email to UN Watch, the UK said it “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation. We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.”
The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called “this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.”
Paris insiders say that UNESCO diplomats from non-democratic regimes are afraid to create a precedent of ousting repressive governments.
"However, now that the Arab League recently removed Assad's regime, we must take advantage of the new political momentum. It's time for Britain to uphold its pledge and demand Syria's expulsion," said Neuer.
"The Assad regime's ongoing membership calls into question the credibility of UNESCO's mission to promote human rights, and Syria's membership is a lingering stain upon the reputation of the UN as a whole. By maintaining Assad in a position of global influence on human rights, UNESCO is sending absolutely the wrong message. It an unconscionable insult to the suffering people of Syria."
Timeline: The UN Watch Campaign to Expel Syria from UNESCO
Nov. 11 - By a consensus decision, UNESCO's 58-member executive board, including major democracies, elects Syria to two human rights committees, ratifying the Arab group's nomination.
Nov. 23 -
UN Watch launches campaign urging democracies to reverse Syria's election after story is first reported in the U.S. by FoxNews.com. UN Watch obtains a renunciation by UNESCO director Irina Bokova of of the Assad regime's election. UN Watch's protest is reported by CNN's
Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,
Fox News, and the
Tribune de Genève.
Dec. 2 - In testimony before the UN Human Rights Council plenary, UN Watch formally calls on UNESCO to "cancel its recent decision to elect Syria to two separate committees that deal with human rights. Even the head of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, concedes that this is wrong. Her spokesperson told UN Watch:
'Given the developments in Syria, the director-general does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the committees.' " UN Watch submits the UNHRC condemnation of Syria to UNESCO, requesting Syria be expelled forthwith.
Dec. 15 -
UN Watch launches campaign of of 55 parliamentarians, human rights groups and religious groups calling on UNESCO to reverse the election of Syria, and sends appeal to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and UK Foreign Minister William Hague.
Jan. 6 -
UN Watch receives notice from the British Foreign Office that it will seek to cancel Syria’s “abhorrent” membership. In an email to UN Watch, the UK said it “deplores the continuing membership of Syria on this committee and does not believe that Syria’s presence is conducive to the work of the body or UNESCO’s reputation. We have therefore joined with other countries in putting forward an item for the first meeting of the Executive Board at which we will seek to explicitly address Syria’s membership of the body.” The UK also expressed hope that other members of the executive board will join London in ending what it called “this abhorrent [and] anomalous situation.”
Al Arabiya,
Fox News and the
Jerusalem Post report the story.
Jan. 25 -
UN Watch reveals an exclusive copy of the motion, memo and member states seeking to condemn and expel Syria. The story is reported by the
New York Times, AP, Reuters, and Bloomberg News, and covered in
The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune,
Le Figaro, and many other newspapers.
March 8 - Despite vigorous efforts led by the U.S. and Britain, UNESCO's board votes 35-8 to reject move to expel Syria, but under pressure agrees for the first time to censure the Assad regime.
Click for resolution. The text "Invite[d] the Director General to report on the implementation of the present decision and on the consequences of the current situation concerning UNESCO’s activities and tasks," which the U.S. appeared to cite as evidence that the membership issue would be revisited.
March 8 -
Statement by U.S. Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador David Killion:
"The United States is profoundly disappointed that this resolution does not call for the outright removal of Syria from the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations – something for which we have repeatedly called for. We agree with Director-General Bokova that, given the actions of the Assad regime, it is not clear how Syria can contribute to the work of the committee. We hope that UNESCO will revisit Syria’s membership following the UNESCO's Director General’s report on Syria.... We look forward to further action by this committee to address Syria’s membership on the Committee on Conventions and Recommendations."
