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'''UN Watch''' is a Geneva-based [[NGO]] whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter and to promote human rights.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm Mission & History], UN Watch</ref> As a non-governmental organization active in UN bodies, it works to encourage [[United Nations]] adherence to the objectives of the UN Charter and to prevent actions inconsistent with those principles.
'''UN Watch''' is a Geneva-based [[NGO]] which describes itself as "at the forefront in the struggle against anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias at the UN".<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6DEB65DA-BE5B-4CAE-8056-8BF0BEDF4D17%7D/UNW_INTERNSHIP_APP+FAQ_2_8_10.DOC UN Watch: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)]</ref> The organization has ties to the [[American Jewish Committee]],<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article-print/2007/08/31/103934/rubinsteinapartheid ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'': British Zionists drop Ha’aretz columnist]</ref> one of the oldest [[Jewish]] [[advocacy]] organizations in the [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.jewishquarterly.org/article.asp?articleid=170 Speaking to Power: Nathan Abrams assesses the changing fortunes of Commentary magazine], ''Jewish Quarterly''.</ref>. The group has spoken out about perceived [[anti-Zionism]] at the [[United Nations]],<ref>[http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/international_news/pro-israel_activists_set_to_do_battle_at_durban_ii/11889 ''Jewish Times'': Pro-Israel Activists Set To Do Battle At Durban II]</ref><ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2008/09/08/110272/pillaydurban ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency'': U.N. rights chief praises Durban II]</ref><ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101794922&ft=1&f=1001 ''National Public Radio'': Zionism Debate Clouds U.N. Racism Forum]</ref> while the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|U.N. Human Rights Council]] has urged the organization "to observe some minimum proper conduct and language" in some of its "inadmissible" commentary.<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3381839,00.html UN Watch director: Rights Commission is tool of despots to demonize Israel]</ref> The group opposed [[Barack Obama]] awarding [[Mary Robinson]] the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom|Medal of Freedom]] for her human rights work, though a group of [[Israel]]i [[human rights]] groups said it did not see plausible reason to deny her the award.<ref name=JPRob />


==Founding==
==History==
===Founding===
UN Watch was founded in 1993 under the chairmanship of [[Morris B. Abram]]. Abram served as the Chairman of the United Negro College Fund and President of Brandeis University. Abram was active in community affairs as President of the American Jewish Committee (1963-1968); Chairman of the National Conference of Soviet Jewry (1983-1988); and Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (1986-1989).<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1286149/k.6F41/Founder_Morris_B_Abram.htm ''UN Watch'': Founder: Morris B. Abram]</ref> Abram was also a former [[US]] civil rights leader with Martin Luther King, Jr., prosecutor in the [[Nazi]] war criminals at the [[Nuremberg Trials]] in Germany, and vice chairman of the [[United States Civil Rights Commission]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Abram supported the UN as an institution. In 1999, Abram delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress on the subject of the Treatment of Israel by the United Nations in which he said "UN Watch categorically supports the UN as an indispensable institution. The US should pay its past dues to the UN as a matter of national honor and in recognition of the UN's importance. In spite of the UN's flaws, it is inconceivable that the US withhold support from the only truly global organization in such an interdependent world."<ref name="abram1999">[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=1949507 THE TREATMENT OF ISRAEL BY THE UNITED NATIONS. PREPARED TESTIMONY OF AMBASSADOR MORRIS B. ABRAM BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS JULY 14, 1999], UN Watch, 1999-07-14</ref>
UN Watch was founded in 1993 under the chairmanship of [[Morris Abram]], a former [[US]] civil rights leader with Martin Luther King, Jr., prosecutor in the [[Nazi]] war criminals at the [[Nuremberg Trials]] in Germany, and vice chairman of the [[United States Civil Rights Commission]].


==Status==
===Current Status===
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UN Watch participates actively at the UN as an accredited NGO in Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). It is affiliated with the American Jewish Committee, a NGO established in 1906, which was a pioneer advocate of the UN Charter's inclusion of international human rights guarantees, and the creation of the post of a High Commissioner of Human Rights.[http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.5018439/k.A04B/Human_Rights.htm]
The organization has a staff of six.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/48fdece221.html United Nations Human Rights Council: United Nations Watch]</ref> UN Watch had 110 members in 2007, geographically distributed as follows: 56% from Europe, 38% from North America, and 4% from Oceania. UN Watch’s newsletter on UN issues now
reaches nearly 5,000 subscribers around the world.<ref name=QuadRepo>[http://esa.un.org/coordination/ngo/session/views/viewer.asp?Document=E/C.2/2007/2/Add.18&Number=4&view=2007_C2_Add_18_e.pdf&jumpto=4&session_db=..%5Cdb%5CPrevious_Sessions%5C2007_Session.mdb UN: Quadrennial reports 2002-2005 submitted through the Secretary-General pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31]</ref> In 2009, the group had slightly over 300 followers on [[Twitter]].<ref>[http://twitter.com/hillelneuer Twitter: Hillel Neuer]</ref> Commentary from the group has appeared in ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'',<ref>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1257770042395&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ''Jerusalem Post'': Gold vs Goldstone]</ref> [[FoxNews]],<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,553720,00.html ''FoxNews'': U.S. Taxpayers Pay Millions to Keep Despots Safe at U.N.]</ref> [[Jewish Telegraphic Agency|JTA]],<ref>[http://jta.org/news/article/2009/03/12/1003667/un-watchdog-slams-religious-dafamation-resolution ''JTA'': U.N. watchdog slams religious defamation resolution]</ref> and others.<ref>[http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2009-05/2009-05-06-voa33.cfm?moddate=2009-05-06 ''Voice of America'': UN Human Rights Council Candidates Raise Concerns]</ref><ref>[http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/04/speaking_truth_to_the_un_human_rights_council.html ''Washington Post'': Guest Voices: Speaking Truth to the UN Human Rights Council]</ref>
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==Issues==
===Darfur===
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UN Watch is an advocate at the United Nations for human rights victims in Darfur.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=2607541&ct=4318441], UN Watch.</ref><ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=2607541&ct=3963169], UN Watch</ref> UN Watch chaired the NGO Activist Summit For Darfur in 2007.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1286087/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={53BA537F-51B9-4A28-A0E8-EFD638A9B470}&notoc=1]. UN Watch.</ref> UN Watch challenged [[Sudan]] in 2007 for its rejection of human rights experts in Darfur.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3677507], UN Watch</ref> UN Watch justice for child victims in Darfur in 2005.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1748005], UN Watch</ref>


===Human Rights Campaigns===
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UN Watch participates at the UN as an accredited NGO in Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). It is affiliated with the American Jewish Committee, a NGO established in 1906, which was a pioneer advocate of the UN Charter's inclusion of international human rights guarantees, and the creation of the post of a High Commissioner of Human Rights.<ref>[http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ijITI2PHKoG/b.5018439/k.A04B/Human_Rights.htm]</ref>
UN Watch cooperates with non-governmental organizations around the world in order to protect and promote the principles of the UN Charter. In 2004 UN Watch intervened on behalf of victims of torture and censorship in [[Cote d'Ivoire]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Cuba]], [[Nepal]], [[Myanmar]], and [[Pakistan]].<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1748035], UN Watch</ref> UN Watch also spoke out for the [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] victims of [[Syria]]n political assassinations.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1715217], UN Watch</ref>


===Defending Arab Rights in Iran===
UN Watch has participated in the following UN activities: the Commission on Human Rights, a Panel Discussion on the United Nations and the Middle East, a Panel Discussion on Proposals to Reform the Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Working Group on Minorities. A UN Watch seminar in Geneva featured a tour of the Palais des Nations, a visit to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, attendance at a meeting of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) with briefings from the Committee's Vice Chair.<ref name=QuadRepo />


UN Watch has advocated for ending persecution of Arabs in Iran, delivering several interventions before the UN Human Rights Council for their rights, as well as for the persecuted Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis, Sunni Muslims, and Baha'i.[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=4471297 Speech for Arab rights in Iran][http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=3950831 2007 HRC speech] [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1289203/apps/s/content.asp?ct=7065793 8 June 2009 UNHRC speech, "Human rights situations that require the council’s attention"]
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==Board and Funding==
Current board members include:<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm ''UN Watch'': Missing and History]</ref>
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*[[Alfred H. Moses]], Attorney, former US Ambassador to Romania and Presidential Emissary for the Cyprus Conflict, Special Counsel to President Jimmy Carter <ref>[http://www.cov.com/amoses/]</ref>. Former [[American Jewish Committee]] president.<ref name="ajc.org">http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=872349&ct=872849</ref>
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*[[Per Ahlmark]], former [[Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden]]
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*[[Irwin Cotler]], international human rights advocate, Canadian [[Member of Parliament]] since 1993, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, known as "Counsel for the Oppressed"
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*[[David A. Harris]], Executive Director of the [[American Jewish Committee]]
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*[[Max Jakobson]], former Finnish Ambassador to the United Nations
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*[[Ruth Wedgwood]], international human rights law scholar, Johns Hopkins University


===Combating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias===
UN Watch is funded by private individual donations and charitable foundations.<ref name=QuadRepo />
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UN Watch has been outspoken in supporting Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]]'s declared goal of ending the UN's perceived imbalanced treatment of Israel,<ref>[http://www.forward.com/articles/9702/]</ref> which UN Watch believes consumes a disproportionate amount of the UN's time and resources, preventing it from addressing other compelling needs around the world. UN Watch is active at the UN in combating anti-Semitism and what it calls the selective and politicized treatment of Israel by many UN bodies.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/yiisa/videos.htm</ref> On March 23, 2007, UN Watch's Hillel Neuer asked the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] (UNHRC) why it failed to address pressing humanitarian situations around the world, instead devoting 100 percent of its resolutions to scapegoating Israel. The UNHRC President, [[Luis Alfonso De Alba]] of Mexico, responded by threatening to "remove from the record" the testimony, and said he would not "express thanks for that statement... I will not tolerate any similar statements in the Council."<ref>[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121990 UN Council Chief Doesn't Like Message, Threatens Messenger - Politics & Government - Israel News - Arutz Sheva<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3698367 Testimony at the UN], UN Watch</ref> It became the most written-about NGO speech in the history of the United Nations, earning praise from the editorial and opinion pages of the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'', the ''[[New York Sun]]'',<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/article/51521 ‘I Will Not Express Thanks' - March 30, 2007 - The New York Sun<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> the ''[[Washington Times]]'', Canada's ''[[National Post]]'', Italy's ''[[Il Foglio]]'' and numerous other newspapers in Canada, Australia and around the world. Major blogs that praised the speech included ''Commentary'', ''Foreign Policy'', ''Atlantic Monthly'' magazine, and the on-line magazine ''Slate'', which reported on the speech's blog coverage in its "Today's Blogs" column.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/2163090/ Watch Out - By Michael Weiss - Slate Magazine]</ref>


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==Issues==
===Sexual exploitation===
UN Watch has worked with the World YWCA and the World Alliance of YMCAs to publish a statement against sexual exploitation and child pornography. "Today far too many children are sexually exploited and abused causing life-long damage. More than two million children are exploited in the multibillion-dollar sex industry each year and 1.2 million children are trafficked annually", the statement said.<ref>[http://www.ymca.int/uploads/media/Statemen_on_Violence_against_children_2006_01.pdf YMCA: Joint NGO Statement on Sexual Exploitation and Child Pornography]</ref>


===Darfur===
==Supporters==
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UN Watch chaired the NGO Activist Summit For Darfur in 2007.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1286087/apps/nl/content2.asp?content_id={53BA537F-51B9-4A28-A0E8-EFD638A9B470}&notoc=1]. UN Watch.</ref> UN Watch challenged [[Sudan]] in 2007 for its rejection of human rights experts in Darfur.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3677507], UN Watch</ref> UN Watch justice for child victims in Darfur in 2005.<ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1748005], UN Watch</ref>


===Kofi Annan===
===Combating perceived anti-Zionist bias at the U.N.===
The work of UN Watch has often been praised by the United Nations itself. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “I deeply appreciate the valuable work performed by UN Watch. I believe that informed and independent evaluation of the United Nations’ activities will prove a vital source as we seek to adapt the Organization to the needs of a changing world. I can promise you that I will pay close attention to your observations and views in the years ahead.”<ref> Kofi Annan letter to Ambassador Morris B. Abram, Chairman of UN Watch, January 30, 1997, [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm]</ref> <ref> Kofi Annan letter to Ambassador Morris B. Abram, Chairman of UN Watch, January 30, 1997, [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm]</ref>
UN Watch supported former Secretary General [[Kofi Annan]]'s declared goal of ending the UN's perceived imbalanced treatment of Israel.<ref>[http://www.forward.com/articles/9702/]</ref>


Kofi Annan praised UN Watch founder Ambassador Abram as someone who “proved himself a global citizen of the first rank.” Annan added: “I say this even as head of an organization which has been on the receiving end of some sharp criticism from UN Watch, Morris's current passion. Don't get me wrong. We don't agree with everything Morris says, but we can take it.” <ref> Kofi Annan tribute to UN Watch founder, UN Press Release SG/SM/7260, December 15, 1999, [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.2148793/k.E748/Kofi_Annan_Honors_UN_Watch_Founder_Morris_Abram.htm]</ref>
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UN Watch is active at the UN in combating perceived anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, and what it calls the selective and politicized treatment of Israel by many UN bodies.<ref>http://www.yale.edu/yiisa/videos.htm</ref> On March 23, 2007, UN Watch's Hillel Neuer, speaking to the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] (UNHRC), charged "the despots who run this Council couldn’t care less about Palestinians, or about any human rights. They seek to demonize Israeli democracy, to delegitimize the Jewish state, to scapegoat the Jewish people." The UNHRC President, [[Luis Alfonso De Alba]] of Mexico, responded by threatening to "remove from the record" the testimony, and said "would not "express thanks for that statement... I will not tolerate any similar statements in the Council. The way in which members of this Council were referred to, and indeed the way in which the council itself was referred to, all of this is inadmissible."<ref>[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121990 UN Council Chief Doesn't Like Message, Threatens Messenger]</ref><ref>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3698367 Testimony at the UN], UN Watch</ref> Subsequently, the ''[[New York Sun]]'',<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/article/51521 ‘I Will Not Express Thanks' - March 30, 2007 - The New York Sun<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and the on-line magazine ''Slate'', in its "Today's Blogs" column,<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/2163090/ Watch Out - By Michael Weiss - Slate Magazine]</ref> reported on the incident. The Human Rights Council stated that the remarks were never actually stricken from the record.<ref>[http://www.un.org/News/ossg/hilites/hilites_arch_view.asp?HighID=807 United Nations: Highlight of the Noon Briefing]</ref>


===United Nations Office at Geneva===
===Opposition to Robinson Medal of Freedom===
Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Statement paid tribute “to the valuable work of UN Watch in support of the just application of values and principles of the United Nations Charter and support for human rights for all.” <ref> United Nations Office at Geneva Director-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Statement Delivered at Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, March 16, 2006, [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm]. </ref>
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson, the first female [[President of Ireland]] and the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] from 1997 to 2002, was awarded a Medal of Freedom for her "attention to international issues as Honorary President of Oxfam International, and Chairs the Board of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI Alliance)". In giving the award, President Barack Obama said the recipients "saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/president-obama-names-medal-of-freedom-recipients/ White House: President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients, 16 Agents of Change to Receive Top Civilian Honor]</ref> Though U.N. Watch, AIPAC, and the European Jewish Congress fiercely opposed providing her the award, a group of Israeli human rights groups said "as leaders of a sector within Israeli civil society that monitors and often criticizes government and military policy for violating human rights, we do not see such actions as plausible reason for denying Mrs. Robinson the award."<ref name=JPRob>[http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418590999&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter ''Jerusalem Post'': Despite critics, White House honors Robinson]</ref>


===Agence France Presse, Neue Zurcher Zeitung and other Major News Agencies===
“Ms. Robinson worked tirelessly not only for her country but to protect the human rights of all citizens. From her work as a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to her position now as President of Realizing Rights, the organization she founded, Ms. Robinson has remained a constant and committed voice in the human rights debate and has exemplified what it means to lead a life of service,” said Rep. Michael E. McMahon, a Member of the European Subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.<ref>[http://mcmahon.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=456:mcmahon-congratulates-medal-of-freedom-recipient-mary-robinson&catid=85:press-releases-july-2009&Itemid=160 Congressman Michael E. McMahon: McMahon Congratulates Medal of Freedom Recipient Mary Robinson]</ref> “President Robinson shares my concern for what is taking place in Africa,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said.<ref>[http://durbin.senate.gov/showRelease.cfm?releaseId=264055 U.S. Senate: Durbin welcomes former President of Ireland Mary Robinson to Capitol Hill]</ref>
News organizations have praised UN Watch’s special contribution to truth and human rights. According to The New Republic, “UN Watch is a truth-telling organization.” <ref> The New Republic Online, June 18, 2007, [https://www.tnr.com/blog/the-spine/un-truth-telling] </ref> Agence France Presse reported that “UN Watch is a non-governmental organization that champions human rights worldwide.” <ref> Agence France Presse, May 18, 2007, [http://www.data.minsk.by/belarusnews//052007/114.html]</ref> <ref> Agence France Presse praises UN Watch, “NGOs say five nations unfit to serve on UN rights body,” May 6, 2008, [http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQys9g2BgfcCRuQJoyEjphZGZbpA]</ref>


Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung praised UN Watch for its “meticulous” reporting. <ref> Markus Häfliger, “Zieglers Libyen-Connection,” NZZ am Sonntag, June 25, 2006, [http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6DEB65DA-BE5B-4CAE-8056-8BF0BEDF4D17%7D/NZZ_250606a.pdf] </ref>Claudia Rosett, former reporter with the Wall Street Journal, praised “the stalwart and invaluable UN Watch.” <ref> National Review Online, June 20, 2007, [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NWZlZmYwY2ZkNWMyYTMyNjhmYTdkNGU1OTY3ZTM4MmI=] </ref>
==Reception history==
Commenting on the Hillel Neuer's incident at the UN Human Rights Council, the Guardian wrote "The martyrdom of Hillel Neuer is now played up in all the usual suspect neocon places, from the Wall Street Journal's editorial page to the New York Sun and Canada's National Post." "UN Watch refers to this speech as being censored.. Which is odd, because the clip it is linking to on YouTube actually comes from a UNTV webcast", the report continued.<ref>Ian Williams, "[http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ian_williams/2007/04/it_was_a_makemyday_event.html Casting the First Stone]," Guardian "Comment is Free" blog, April 4, 2007.</ref>


==Critics==
Andrew Sullivan, of ''The Atlantic'', has classified UN Watch as a "hard neocon group".<ref>[http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/10/war-crimes-are-war-crimes.html ''The Atlantic'': War Crimes Are War Crimes]</ref>


A blog on the New Republic described the organization as "a truth-telling organization.” <ref>[https://www.tnr.com/blog/the-spine/un-truth-telling The New Republic Online, June 18, 2007]</ref> Claudia Rosett, a journalist-in-residence with the conservative thinktank [[Foundation for Defense of Democracies]], praised “the stalwart and invaluable UN Watch.” <ref>[http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NWZlZmYwY2ZkNWMyYTMyNjhmYTdkNGU1OTY3ZTM4MmI= National Review Online, June 20, 2007]</ref>


UN Watch has been criticized by the governments of Iran and Cuba. In September 2009, Iran rejected statements forwarded by UN Watch in the Human Rights Council as "unsubstantiated".<ref> Europe News: [http://europenews.dk/en/node/26514 "Iran attacks UN Watch for exposing its abuses"]. September 2009.</ref> In January 2008, the Cuban representative in the UNHRC called UN Watch a "false organization" and intimated it received "lucrative" funding from the [[CIA]] and [[Mossad]]. The Cuban delegate also criticised UN Watch for failing to denounce the "concentration camp" in [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]].<ref> UN Report[http://digg.com/world_news/UN_Watch_Exposes_Moral_Inversion_Cuba_Lashes_Out "Cuba lashes out at UN Watch for criticizing Castro's single-candidate elections"]. January 2008.</ref>
UN Watch has been criticized by the governments of Iran, Libya{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}, Cuba, Pakistan{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}, Sri Lanka, Sudan{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}, Algeria{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}, and their supporters. In September 2009, Iran attacked UN Watch in the Human Rights Council after an Iranian human rights activist on behalf of UN Watch exposed abuses of the Ahmadinejad government. <ref> Europe News: [http://europenews.dk/en/node/26514 "Iran attacks UN Watch for exposing its abuses"]. September 2009.</ref> In January 2008, after UN Watch told the Council about the single-candidate elections in Cuba, the representative of the Fidel Castro government lashed out at the human rights organization. The Cuban regime's delegate intimated his government would use its membership on the 19-country UN Committee on NGOs in New York to go after UN Watch. <ref> UN Report[http://digg.com/world_news/UN_Watch_Exposes_Moral_Inversion_Cuba_Lashes_Out "Cuba lashes out at UN Watch for criticizing Castro's single-candidate elections"]. January 2008.</ref> In June 2009, Cuba and Sri Lanka attacked UN Watch for criticizing their policy of mutual praise in order to hide human rights abuses.
<ref> UN Human Rights Council: [http://blog.unwatch.org/?p=390 "Sri Lanka and Cuba attack human rights NGOs"]. June 2009 </ref> Hamas and Hezbollah supporters have also attacked UN Watch, including Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, a documented member of the "Spinwatch" front organization who defends Hezbollah as a "non-violent...resistance movement" and praised its leader Hassan Nasrallah as a "modest Shia cleric [who] is a living legend," whose "pronouncements are invariably thoughtful, nuanced and carefully worded [and] grounded in fact," and for having a "reputation for saying only what he means and promising only what he is able to deliver."<ref>"Muhammad Idrees Ahmad praises Hezbollah terrorist group," Atlantic Free Press, May 6, 2008 [http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/reviews/3864-there-will-be-blood-book-review-by-muhammad-idrees-ahmad.html] </ref> Likewise, left-wing blogger Ian Williams, who once praised the election of Hamas as "a victory,"<ref>[http://deadlinepundit.blogspot.com/2006/01/what-has-oslo-ever-done-for-us.html]</ref> has attacked UN Watch on several occasions. <ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/04/itwasamakemydayevent Casting the first stone (The Guardian, April 4, 2007)]</ref>


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==Board Members==
Former anti-apartheid campaigner and journalist Ian Williams has written in [[The Guardian]] that the main objective of UN Watch "is to attack the United Nations in general, and its human rights council in particular, for alleged bias against Israel". Williams criticises UN Watch for failing to denounce Israeli transgressions against the human rights of Palestinians.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/04/itwasamakemydayevent Casting the first stone (The Guardian, April 4, 2007)]<br>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2008/apr/22/ian.williams Ian Williams Profile]</ref>
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*[[Alfred H. Moses]], Attorney, former US Ambassador to Romania and Presidential Emissary for the Cyprus Conflict, Special Counsel to President Jimmy Carter <ref>[http://www.cov.com/amoses/]</ref>. Former [[American Jewish Committee]] president. <ref name="ajc.org">http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=872349&ct=872849</ref>
⚫
*[[Per Ahlmark]], former [[Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden]]
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*[[Irwin Cotler]], international human rights advocate, Canadian [[Member of Parliament]] since 1993, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, known as "Counsel for the Oppressed"
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*[[David A. Harris]], Executive Director of the [[American Jewish Committee]]
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*[[Max Jakobson]], former Finnish Ambassador to the United Nations
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*[[Ruth Wedgwood]], international human rights law scholar, Johns Hopkins University


UN Watch has been called a "front group for the [[American Jewish Committee]] established to pressure the United Nations against a critical stance on Israel" by [[Spinwatch|SpinWatch]].<ref>Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Paul de Rooij and David Miller. SpinWatch: [http://www.spinwatch.org/-articles-by-category-mainmenu-8/62-international-politics/4998-un-watch-front-group-for-the-american-jewish-committee ''UN Watch: Front Group for the American Jewish Committee'']. 8 June 2008.</ref>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:Human rights organizations]]
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[[Category:Organizations established in 1993]]
[[Category:Non-governmental organizations based in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Non-governmental organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Non-governmental organizations of Europe]]
[[Category:United Nations relations]]


[[de:UN Watch]]
[[de:UN Watch]]

Revision as of 10:12, 17 November 2009

UN Watch is a Geneva-based NGO whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter and to promote human rights.[1] As a non-governmental organization active in UN bodies, it works to encourage United Nations adherence to the objectives of the UN Charter and to prevent actions inconsistent with those principles.

History

Founding

UN Watch was founded in 1993 under the chairmanship of Morris Abram, a former US civil rights leader with Martin Luther King, Jr., prosecutor in the Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials in Germany, and vice chairman of the United States Civil Rights Commission.

Current Status

UN Watch participates actively at the UN as an accredited NGO in Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). It is affiliated with the American Jewish Committee, a NGO established in 1906, which was a pioneer advocate of the UN Charter's inclusion of international human rights guarantees, and the creation of the post of a High Commissioner of Human Rights.[21]

Issues

Darfur

UN Watch is an advocate at the United Nations for human rights victims in Darfur.[2][3] UN Watch chaired the NGO Activist Summit For Darfur in 2007.[4] UN Watch challenged Sudan in 2007 for its rejection of human rights experts in Darfur.[5] UN Watch justice for child victims in Darfur in 2005.[6]

Human Rights Campaigns

UN Watch cooperates with non-governmental organizations around the world in order to protect and promote the principles of the UN Charter. In 2004 UN Watch intervened on behalf of victims of torture and censorship in Cote d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan.[7] UN Watch also spoke out for the Lebanese victims of Syrian political assassinations.[8]

Defending Arab Rights in Iran

UN Watch has advocated for ending persecution of Arabs in Iran, delivering several interventions before the UN Human Rights Council for their rights, as well as for the persecuted Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis, Sunni Muslims, and Baha'i.Speech for Arab rights in Iran2007 HRC speech 8 June 2009 UNHRC speech, "Human rights situations that require the council’s attention"

Combating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias

UN Watch has been outspoken in supporting Secretary General Kofi Annan's declared goal of ending the UN's perceived imbalanced treatment of Israel,[9] which UN Watch believes consumes a disproportionate amount of the UN's time and resources, preventing it from addressing other compelling needs around the world. UN Watch is active at the UN in combating anti-Semitism and what it calls the selective and politicized treatment of Israel by many UN bodies.[10] On March 23, 2007, UN Watch's Hillel Neuer asked the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) why it failed to address pressing humanitarian situations around the world, instead devoting 100 percent of its resolutions to scapegoating Israel. The UNHRC President, Luis Alfonso De Alba of Mexico, responded by threatening to "remove from the record" the testimony, and said he would not "express thanks for that statement... I will not tolerate any similar statements in the Council."[11][12] It became the most written-about NGO speech in the history of the United Nations, earning praise from the editorial and opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, the New York Sun,[13] the Washington Times, Canada's National Post, Italy's Il Foglio and numerous other newspapers in Canada, Australia and around the world. Major blogs that praised the speech included Commentary, Foreign Policy, Atlantic Monthly magazine, and the on-line magazine Slate, which reported on the speech's blog coverage in its "Today's Blogs" column.[14]


Supporters

Kofi Annan

The work of UN Watch has often been praised by the United Nations itself. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “I deeply appreciate the valuable work performed by UN Watch. I believe that informed and independent evaluation of the United Nations’ activities will prove a vital source as we seek to adapt the Organization to the needs of a changing world. I can promise you that I will pay close attention to your observations and views in the years ahead.”[15] [16]

Kofi Annan praised UN Watch founder Ambassador Abram as someone who “proved himself a global citizen of the first rank.” Annan added: “I say this even as head of an organization which has been on the receiving end of some sharp criticism from UN Watch, Morris's current passion. Don't get me wrong. We don't agree with everything Morris says, but we can take it.” [17]

United Nations Office at Geneva

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Statement paid tribute “to the valuable work of UN Watch in support of the just application of values and principles of the United Nations Charter and support for human rights for all.” [18]

Agence France Presse, Neue Zurcher Zeitung and other Major News Agencies

News organizations have praised UN Watch’s special contribution to truth and human rights. According to The New Republic, “UN Watch is a truth-telling organization.” [19] Agence France Presse reported that “UN Watch is a non-governmental organization that champions human rights worldwide.” [20] [21]

Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung praised UN Watch for its “meticulous” reporting. [22]Claudia Rosett, former reporter with the Wall Street Journal, praised “the stalwart and invaluable UN Watch.” [23]

Critics

UN Watch has been criticized by the governments of Iran, Libya[citation needed], Cuba, Pakistan[citation needed], Sri Lanka, Sudan[citation needed], Algeria[citation needed], and their supporters. In September 2009, Iran attacked UN Watch in the Human Rights Council after an Iranian human rights activist on behalf of UN Watch exposed abuses of the Ahmadinejad government. [24] In January 2008, after UN Watch told the Council about the single-candidate elections in Cuba, the representative of the Fidel Castro government lashed out at the human rights organization. The Cuban regime's delegate intimated his government would use its membership on the 19-country UN Committee on NGOs in New York to go after UN Watch. [25] In June 2009, Cuba and Sri Lanka attacked UN Watch for criticizing their policy of mutual praise in order to hide human rights abuses. [26] Hamas and Hezbollah supporters have also attacked UN Watch, including Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, a documented member of the "Spinwatch" front organization who defends Hezbollah as a "non-violent...resistance movement" and praised its leader Hassan Nasrallah as a "modest Shia cleric [who] is a living legend," whose "pronouncements are invariably thoughtful, nuanced and carefully worded [and] grounded in fact," and for having a "reputation for saying only what he means and promising only what he is able to deliver."[27] Likewise, left-wing blogger Ian Williams, who once praised the election of Hamas as "a victory,"[28] has attacked UN Watch on several occasions. [29]

Board Members


References

  1. ^ Mission & History, UN Watch
  2. ^ [1], UN Watch.
  3. ^ [2], UN Watch
  4. ^ [3]. UN Watch.
  5. ^ [4], UN Watch
  6. ^ [5], UN Watch
  7. ^ [6], UN Watch
  8. ^ [7], UN Watch
  9. ^ [8]
  10. ^ http://www.yale.edu/yiisa/videos.htm
  11. ^ UN Council Chief Doesn't Like Message, Threatens Messenger - Politics & Government - Israel News - Arutz Sheva
  12. ^ Testimony at the UN, UN Watch
  13. ^ ‘I Will Not Express Thanks' - March 30, 2007 - The New York Sun
  14. ^ Watch Out - By Michael Weiss - Slate Magazine
  15. ^ Kofi Annan letter to Ambassador Morris B. Abram, Chairman of UN Watch, January 30, 1997, [9]
  16. ^ Kofi Annan letter to Ambassador Morris B. Abram, Chairman of UN Watch, January 30, 1997, [10]
  17. ^ Kofi Annan tribute to UN Watch founder, UN Press Release SG/SM/7260, December 15, 1999, [11]
  18. ^ United Nations Office at Geneva Director-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Statement Delivered at Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, March 16, 2006, [12].
  19. ^ The New Republic Online, June 18, 2007, [13]
  20. ^ Agence France Presse, May 18, 2007, [14]
  21. ^ Agence France Presse praises UN Watch, “NGOs say five nations unfit to serve on UN rights body,” May 6, 2008, [15]
  22. ^ Markus Häfliger, “Zieglers Libyen-Connection,” NZZ am Sonntag, June 25, 2006, [16]
  23. ^ National Review Online, June 20, 2007, [17]
  24. ^ Europe News: "Iran attacks UN Watch for exposing its abuses". September 2009.
  25. ^ UN Report"Cuba lashes out at UN Watch for criticizing Castro's single-candidate elections". January 2008.
  26. ^ UN Human Rights Council: "Sri Lanka and Cuba attack human rights NGOs". June 2009
  27. ^ "Muhammad Idrees Ahmad praises Hezbollah terrorist group," Atlantic Free Press, May 6, 2008 [18]
  28. ^ [19]
  29. ^ Casting the first stone (The Guardian, April 4, 2007)
  30. ^ [20]
  31. ^ http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=872349&ct=872849

Further reading

External links

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