UN Watch

Scandal: Switzerland Nominates Top Qaddafi Supporter to UN Human Rights Council

GENEVA, Aug. 13 - Switzerland has nominated the founding spokesman of the "Muammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize" for a position on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a move already drawing sharp controversy.

NGO Applauds UK & Canada for Protesting Mugabe’s UN Tourism Summit

GENEVA, – The non-governmental advocacy group UN Watch welcomed reports that Britain and Canada will not be sending any representatives to a global UN tourism conference being hosted by Zimbabwe later this month.

NGO: UN must condemn Iranian incitement to religious hatred

GENEVA, August 5 -- The Geneva-based non-governmental organization UN Watch today send the following letter appealing for UN chief Ban Ki-moon and human rights commissioner Navi Pillay to condemn the latest incitement to religious hatred and to the elimination of Israel by leaders of Iran and Hezbollah.

UPDATED: Iran’s Rouhani must be condemned by UN for today’s “ugly incitement”

GENEVA, -- A Geneva-based human rights group urged UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the world body's human rights commissioner Navi Pillay to immediately condemn the Iranian regime's incitement to religious hatred in describing Israel today as "a sore" that "has been sitting on the body of the Islamic world for many years." (Source: updated NYT translation.)

UN announces Nov. 12th for Human Rights Council elections, releases names of candidates

• UN Watch calls on U.S., EU & UN’s Ban to end silence over “rogues gallery”
• China’s bid claims “unremitting efforts for promotion of human rights”

GENEVA, — The UN has announced that elections for 14 influential seats on its Human Rights Council will be held on November 12th, with the world body for the first time confirming UN Watch’s report from earlier this month that candidates include China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and other regimes criticized for widespread human rights abuses.

One year after suspicious death of Cuba’s top dissident, 125 leaders urge U.N. to investigate

Signatories include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, European Parliament VP, former presidents & foreign ministers, ambassadors, human rights activists and dissidents GENEVA, -- Marking the first anniversary of the suspicious deaths of top Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya and activist Harold Cepero, more than 100 public figures from around the world today called on the highest officials of the United Nations to launch an international and independent investigation. (See full text below.)

Confirmed: Iran, Syria Running for U.N. Rights Council

GENEVA, -- Reuters has just confirmed UN Watch's exclusive report from yesterday (see below) that Iran and Syria are running for seats on the UN's highest human rights body.

“List of Shame”: World’s Worst Abusers Running for UN Human Rights Council Seats

GENEVA, -- As a United Nations meeting is today set to hear live campaign pitches (webcast link) from the UK, France and other democracies running for seats on the world body's Human Rights Council, the Geneva-based non-governmental human rights group UN Watch revealed its "List of Shame" -- naming some of the world's worst abusers who are also running in the Nov. 2013 election and expected to win seats: Algeria, Chad, China, Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam. Though unconfirmed, reportedly Iran and Syria may also be running. Click here for full chart of candidates (PDF).

UN Chief Again Slams Richard Falk, “Vehemently Disagrees” with 9/11 Conspiracy Theory

GENEVA, – After UN Watch exposed UN official Richard Falk's latest support for the 9/11 conspiracy theory in his interview with “Truth Jihad Radio”, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dissociated himself from Falk once again. See full story below from the Washington Free Beacon.

UN’s Falk gives voice to 9/11 conspiracy theory; host’s website blames “Zio-Nazis”

GENEVA, – Controversial UN human rights official Richard Falk has once again given voice to the 9/11 conspiracy theory, in an interview with “Truth Jihad Radio”, sparking calls for the world body’s highest officials to rebuke his “inflammatory” and “offensive” comments.

U.S. Rejects Top UN Official’s Bid to Expel Watchdog NGO, Says Richard Falk is ‘Unfit to Serve

• UN Watch: “We do not take this lightly: the UN has suspended NGOs for criticizing the wrong regimes”

GENEVA, – America's envoy to the UN Human Rights Council, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, has demanded the resignation of one of its top officials, saying Richard Falk's attempt to investigate and potentially shut down a UN-accredited NGO could "threaten the independent voice of civil society at the United Nations."

Turkish Raid: UN Rights Council Called to Investigate

GENEVA, – In reaction to this morning’s brutal Turkish police action that targeted peaceful protesters and journalists, creating scenes of chaos on the streets of Istanbul, a Geneva-based human rights group is demanding an urgent debate of the United Nations Human Rights Council, now in session, in a letter (see full text below) sent today to Council President Remigiusz Achilles Henczel, and UN rights chief Navi Pillay.

How to combat antisemitism at the UN

This article by Anne Bayefsky originally appeared on The Jerusalem Post. It is opening week of another session of the UN’s top human rights body, the UN Human Rights Council, and antisemitism will once again be promoted around the globe via an organization built on the ashes of the Jewish people and sworn to hatred’s eradication.

Syria & UN Health Assembly Join to Slam Israel

GENEVA, – The annual assembly of the UN's World Health Organization held a special debate today criticizing Israel -- the only specific country on the organization's agenda -- with Syria demanding urgent action on "inhuman Israeli practices" that target "the health of Syrian citizens.”

North Korean Defector Wins Human Rights Award

The award will be presented at UN Watch's 20th anniversary gala dinner, where Shin will address ambassadors, NGO activists and UN officials.

Iran to chair U.N. disarmament conference

GENEVA, – Iran will chair the United Nations’ most important disarmament negotiating forum during the panel’s May session, which opened today, sparking calls by an independent monitoring group for the U.S., the EU, and UN chief Ban Ki-moon to protest. Click here for UN website.

UN’s Richard Falk Again Calls Boston Attack “Resistance” to U.S. “Military Undertakings”

UN Watch Welcomes News of Israel’s Expected Return to UN Rights Council

UN Watch today welcomed news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a diplomatic initiative, with the help of Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, to return to the UN Human Rights Council, and called on the 47-nation body to ensure its success by removing provisions that both Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan criticized as discriminatory against the Jewish state. (See quotes at bottom.)

Fraud: Cuba Uses 454 Front Groups to Subvert Today’s UN Review of its Human Rights Record

Also: Syria, Iran, North Korea took the floor today to sing Havana's praises GENEVA, – Today's UN review of Cuba's rights record was tainted by "massive fraud" committed by the regime's use of an unprecedented 454 front groups to officially register 93 statements praising Havana's policies and practices, as revealed exclusively in a new report today by UN Watch entitled "How Cuba Hijacked its UPR."

Update: Nominee for Top Human Rights Prize Acknowledges “My Anti-Israel Tweets”

GENEVA, – In response to new revelations, a top contender for the world's premier human rights prize -- one of three Final Nominees selected by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and eight other NGOs -- today acknowledged having posted "anti-Israel tweets." See UN Watch's original release here.