There has been a slew of accusations coming from the Government Accountability Project (GAP) – a US based whistleblower NGO – against the UN and in particular the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The latest piece by Bea Edwards is entitled “Trouble at UN OHCHR: Investigate the High Commissioner” (9 February 2017). While I am most supportive of the OHCHR and its successive high commissioners including the current incumbent who has been vocal and courageous in taking on powerful adversaries [see: https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/zeid-raad-al-hussein/ and especially https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2016/09/14/un-high-commissioner-for-human-rights-states-may-shut-my-office-out-but-they-will-not-shut-us-up/], I have to admit that there are some worrying aspects, especially the latest accusation that a senior official “made a habit of providing the Chinese Government with the names of Chinese human rights activists who applied for accreditation to the sessions of the Human Rights Council before they traveled to Geneva“. UN Watch – known for its anti UN bias – took this issue and even linked it to the death of Cao Shunli [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/tag/cao-shunli/]. The High Commissioner issued on 2 February 2017 a forceful statement entitled “UN rights office categorically rejects claims it endangered NGOs” (see http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21139&LangID=E). In this statement it says that “Chinese authorities, and others, regularly ask the UN Human Rights Office, several days or weeks prior to Human Rights Council meetings, whether particular NGO delegates are attending the forthcoming session. The Office never confirms this information until the accreditation process is formally under way, and until it is sure that there is no obvious security risk.” I give both document below but must say that the UN statement leaves open the possibility that Governments are given the names of those who intend to attend before they have left their country. Read the rest of this entry »
Posts Tagged ‘UN Watch’
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights under pressure for providing names of human rights defenders
February 10, 2017At UN, Saudi Arabia receives praise for Protecting “Women’s Rights”!
October 23, 2013Although extreme right-wing media and NGOs who are basically against the UN should not be given more airing than they deserve, one has to admit that the UN makes it sometimes very easy for them to portray it as out of touch with reality. The following excerpt from FrontPage Magazine shows why:
“Today’s United Nations punchline has been brought to you by billions of your tax dollars. It’s your money. You deserve a good laugh. As the UN Human Rights Council [the UPR] scrutinized Saudi Arabia’s domestic rights record this morning… out of 95 countries who took the floor, 82 praised Saudi Arabia. Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based human rights group UN Watch, said the country is poised to win a seat on the Human Rights Council. “A country whose legal system routinely lashes women rape victims rather than punish the perpetrators should not have been praised effusively by members of the UN’s top human rights body,” said Neuer. “Instead the world should have addressed the Saudi regime’s use of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, such as flogging, amputations and eye-gouging.” But look at who lined up to praise Saudi human rights.
Afghanistan: “We commend Saudia Arabia as they continue to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights…”
Palestine: “We take notice of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to protect and promote human rights…”
Somalia: “Saudi Arabia maintains a high priority for protection and promotion of human rights…”
Libya: “Saudi Arabia continues to strengthen human rights and promote them and this deserves our appreciation…”
Mauritania: “We commend Saudi Arabia for always seeking to strengthen human rights…We commend Saudi Arabia in terms of the progress on guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms, socioeconomic progress, participation of women at all levels and participation in society.
China: “We appreciate efforts made to protect the rights of children and to have dialogues of religious tolerance…”
Pakistan: commended “laudable steps taken by Saudi Arabia to promote and protect the rights of children and women…”
The procedure of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) has indeed in-built idiocies like these. On the other hand there is also criticism possible (which was not reported here, of course, see Voice of America link below), while big countries like China, Russia, India and the US, who are otherwise not often subject of public discussion in the UN human rights proceedings, now get their turn as shown in the reports on the current consideration of China in the UPR.
via At UN, Pakistan Praises Saudi Arabia for Protecting “Women’s Rights” | FrontPage Magazine.
Related articles
- Rights Groups Criticize Saudi Arabia Ahead of UN Review (voanews.com)
Egyptian HRD and MEA Nominee, Mona Seif, under attack
May 3, 2013As readers of this blog know I would have readily reported on any developments surrounding the MEA especially since the Final Nominees 2013 were announced recently. A few days ago a controversy arose around the nomination of Mona Seif, the courageous Egyptian human rights defender who was selected because of her campaign against military trials for civilians. UN Watch, an NGO affiliated to the American Jewish Committee, and famous for its strident monitoring of anything that smacks of criticism of Israel, accused Mona Seif of being a terrorist sympathizer on the basis of 3 older tweets in which she strongly defended the right of Palestinians to resist Israeli occupation. The organisation started a twitter campaign to have Mona recalled as nominee.
Mona Seif, Egypt – Final Nominee MEA 2013
The problem is that I am – in a personal capacity – the Chair of the Jury which is composed of ten of the world’s leading human rights NGOs (see list http://www.martinennalsaward.org). I am a non-voting chair whose only role is to facilitate the process and I do not participate in the selection. The board of the Martin Ennals Foundation also has no role in the selection as the Statutes provide for a fully independent Jury. Only the NGOs on the Jury can vote on the recipient of the MEA. Still, I feel that my capacity of Chair of the Jury obliges me to show restraint in speaking out.
UN Watch: simply anti UN and anti Pillay – NGOs should Watch Out
January 23, 2013Today’s post, praising the Office of the High commissioner for Human Rights, lead a reader to draw my attention to the continuing attacks by UN Watch. In a recent post (9 January this year) I had already urged Human Rights Watch to take more and more publicly distance from this other NGO, but reading the website of UN Watch I realize that in fact all human rights organizations should take distance instead of being lured into signing up for an ad-hoc critical statement that suits them at that moment.
As an example I refer to the statement by UN Watch in May 2012 criticizing the extension of Mrs Pillay’s mandate. In an effort to make it sound as if a whole range of NGOs share UN Watch’s horror of this excellent High Commissioner it makes the assertion that “UN Watch is among more than 38 human rights groups that have “questioned Pillay’s record in taking on the most powerful blocs and repressive regimes“. In fact the questioning was done by a group of mostly unknown groups and – worse – the criticism only related to the High Commissioner’s (admittedly disappointing) decision not to attend the reception in Oslo for Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo back in 2010. I have severe doubts that all of the NGOs agreed with the sweeping statement regarding Pillay’s record!
To get an idea of who the groups in question are I have reproduced the far from impressive the list below. If any feel that they do not want to be associated with this rabid and manipulating anti-UN NGO they should stand up and be counted! The prevalence of pro-Israel and anti-Cuba groups is remarkable in itself.
Hillel C. Neuer
Executive Director
United Nations Watch
Switzerland
Art Kaufman
Director
World Movement for Democracy
United States
Tashi Albertini
President
Associazone TicinoTibet
Switzerland
Abdurashid Abdulle Abikar
Chairman
Center for Youth and Democracy
Somalia
Nguyên Lê Nhân Quyên
Vietnamese League for Human Rights in Switzerland
Ted Brooks
Executive Director
Committee for Peace and Development Advocacy
Liberia
Benjamin Abtan
SOS Racisme
Bernard Schalscha
Secrétaire général
Collectif Urgence Darfour
Ulrich Delius
Asia Desk
Society for Threatened Peoples
Germany
Shomik Chaudhuri
Vice President
Institute of International Social Development
India
Carlos E. Tinoco
Consorcio Desarrollo y Justicia, A.C.
Venezuela
Peter Hesse
Director, Fondation Peter Hesse (www.solidarity.org)
Germany
Logan Maurer
Regional manager
International Christian Concern (www.persecution.org)
United States
Dr. Theodor Rathgeber
Forum Human Rights
Germany
Rene Wadlow
Representative to the UN, Geneva
Association of World Citizens
Switzerland
Natalia Taubina
Director
Public Verdict Foundation
Russia
Sylvia G. Iriondo
President
Mothers and Women against Repression (MAR por Cuba)
Nataliya Gourjii
Executive Director
Charitable Foundation ROKADA
Ukraine
Elena Bevilacqua
Director of Headquarters
International Union of Notaries (U.I.N.L.)
John Suarez
International Secretary
Directorio Democratico Cubano
Omar Lopez
Human Rights Director
The Cuban American National Foundation
United States
Klaus Netter
Main Representative, UN Office in Geneva
Coordinating Board of Jewish Organizations
Switzerland
Volodymyr Yavorskyy
Executive Director
Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
Jean Stoner
NGO Representative
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
United States
Zohra Yusuf
Council Member
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Heng-Hao (Leo) Chang
Secretary General
International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations
Sharon Gustafson
President
International Council of Jewish Women
Dr. Yael Danieli
Senior Representative to the United Nations
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Thomas Leys
President
International Federation of Liberal Youth
Do Hoang Diem
Chairman
Viet Tan
Vietnam
Alim A. Seytoff
Vice-President
Uyghur American Association
Bhawani Shanker Kusum
Secretary and Executive Director
Gram Bharati Samiti
India
Francois Garaï
Representative
World Union of Progressive Judaism
Mamadi Kaba
President
RADDHO
Guinee
Dieudonné Zognong
Fondation Humanus
Cameroon
Dickson Ntwiga
Executive Director
Solidarity House International
Amina Bouayach
President
Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH)
Amaya Valcarcel
International Advocacy Coordinator
Jesuit Refugee Service
Italy
The website of UN Watch – quite smart, well-organised and with plenty of videos – is there for all to see: http://blog.unwatch.org/index.php/category/navi-pillay/
Related articles
- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: a real human rights actor (thoolen.wordpress.com)
UN Watch and Human Rights Watch – two very different animals but how clear does one make it?
January 9, 2013Phyllis Bennis, a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam, wrote in her blog through Al-Jazeera, on 9 January 2013, a very informative piece under the title: “Human Rights Watch: Time to stand with human rights defenders” with the provocative byline: It is disappointing to see HRW’s unwillingness to stand with those who are working to promote and defend human rights.
The full article one should certainly read at: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/01/20131781532514238.html but what matters here is the policy question to what extent a (decent) NGO (i.c. HRW) should take to task another (very biased) NGO (i.c. UN Watch).
In short, the pro-Israeli, UN-bashing UN Watch discovered that the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, US lawyer Richard Falk, was still ‘on the Board’ of HRW. HRW quickly replied that he was only a member of HRW’s local support committee in Santa Barbara, California, where he lives and that it was an oversight that he still held this honorary position and that it was rectified (“longstanding policy, applied many times, that no official from any government or UN agency can serve on any Human Rights Watch committee or its Board. It was an oversight on our part that we did not apply that policy in Richard Falk’s case several years ago when he assumed his UN position”). UN Watch of course cried victory implying that Falk was expelled an enemy of human rights or because he is anti-Semitic.
The author of the blog finds fault with HRW’s meek response that did indeed not amount to a strong defense of Richard Falk’s credentials, impartiality and expertise. Should HRW not have made clear that substantively it stands with Richard Falk, that he was removed for technical reasons only and would be welcomed back as soon as he ceases to be UN Rapporteur? These are policy question that each NGO should answer for itself but in the context of UN Watch’s obsession to undermine the work of the UN in general and Richard Falk in particular a more robust stance would have been useful. I think that the similarity – even confusion – in name should also have led HRW to take a tougher public stand.
Phyllis Bennis concludes with: “Given his Middle East staff’s consistent work, there is no question that Ken Roth and the HRW board understand that human rights criticism of Israeli occupation is well-grounded in fact, and that such criticism remains a crucial element in changing the public, media and policymaking discourse in the United States. If we are ever to have any hope of changing US government policy in Palestine-Israel towards one grounded in human rights and international law, consistent human rights criticism and a willingness to stand with human rights defenders like Richard Falk when they face attack, remain crucial tools – for all human rights activists, including the leadership of Human Rights Watch.”
Related articles
- Richard Falk removed from Human RIghts Watch committee (jta.org)
- Watch Human Right Watch – A Tribute to Prof Richard Falk (thepeoplesvoice.org)
- Human Rights Watch boots UN Palestinian rights official from one of its panels (timesofisrael.com)
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 