Appeal by 100 NGOs for WHO to Remove James Chau as Goodwill Ambassador

JOINT APPEAL FOR THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO
REMOVE JAMES CHAU AS GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

Sent on 3 June 2020 to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and all UN Member States.

We, the undersigned human rights activists and members of civil society, appeal to the World Health Organization for the removal of James Chau as Goodwill Ambassador.

WHO Goodwill Ambassadors are appointed to “raise awareness of important health problems and solutions” around the world.

In 2016, then WHO chief Margaret Chan—whose candidacy was officially and strongly backed by China—decided to appoint China Central Television’s James Chau as a Goodwill Ambassador.

However, Mr. Chau has a record of purveying propaganda for Beijing as a television presenter of government-sanctioned news. As reported by The New York Times, Chau broadcast the forced confession of Peter Humphrey, a British private investigator who was arrested in 2013 on charges of illegally obtaining and selling Chinese citizens’ data. Mr. Humphrey was drugged, chained to a chair, locked in a cage and forced to read a confession—which was then presented to the world as legitimate news by Mr. Chau.

During the current Coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Chau has exploited his WHO title to lend international authority to his whitewashing of China’s troubling response to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Armed with his U.N. badge of legitimacy, Mr. Chau has been articulating a one-sided narrative portraying Beijing as heroic, on Twitter, Weibo, YouTube and the broader web since the beginning of the outbreak. 

Not one of Mr. Chau’s statements on China’s response to the pandemic mentions how the Chinese Communist Party purged the public sphere of dissent, censored news reports, harassed citizen journalists, shut down news sites and summoned Dr. Li Wenliang to a middle-of-the-night interrogation for sounding the alarm in Wuhan.

In light of the above, it is clear that Mr. Chau is entirely unfit to represent the World Health Organization, whose constitution speaks of the “fundamental rights of every human being.”

The WHO is under pressure after repeatedly lavishing praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping and his regime for their “seriousness,” “transparency” and “leadership” in handling the pandemic. Mr. Chau is complicit in pushing this false narrative. 

To begin to restore the WHO’s credibility, we call on you to take action to ensure the immediate removal of James Chau from his position as Goodwill Ambassador.      

Sincerely,

1. Hillel Neuer, United Nations Watch, Switzerland
2. Oke Omagbitse, Alpha O Centre For Malaria Prevention and Control, Nigeria
3. S M Islam, Rural Mother & Child Health Care Society, Bangladesh
4. Elvis Wepngong, Organization for Gender, Civic Engagement & Youth Development, Cameroon
5. Sylvanus Murray, Advocacy Initiative for Development, United States
6. Sybil Nmezi, Generation Initiative for Women and Youth Network, Nigeria
7. Eric Ndubueze Ufom, Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities International, United States
8. Anantharaj Karunakaran, Child Care Consortium, India
9. Pierrette J Cazeau, Haiti Cholera Research Funding Foundation, United States
10. Stan Henkeman, Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, South Africa
11. Yusuf Adama, Organisation National des Donneurs de Sang Benevole, Cameroon
12. Aristide Jean François Zongo, Association Burkinabè pour la Survie de l’Enfance, Burkina Faso
13. Ulrich Delius, Society for Threatened Peoples, Germany
14. Banding Gassama, Cause Première, Senegal
15. Platon Nozadze, South Caucasus Office on Drugs and Crime, Georgia
16. Humenuc Lucica, Romanian Independent Society of Human Rights, Romania
17. Petru Botnaru, Terra-1530, Moldova
18. Nathaniel Odudele, African Heritage Foundation, Nigeria
19. Noma Eloundou Damien, Respect Cameroon, Cameroon
20. Taz Mukorombindo, Canterbury Business Association, New Zealand
21. Muhamad Aslam, Peace Foundation, Pakistan
22. Toyokatsu Habata, International Shinto Foundation (ISF), United States
23. Ariella Rosita King, Ariel Foundation International, United States
24. Jenifer White, Project 1948, Bosnia and Herzegovina
25. Mohamed Hassan, Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Committee, United States
26. Fareed Ullah Khan, Participatory Rural Development Society, Pakistan
27. Davy Koller, Österreichischer Bundesverband – Österreichische Lebens – und Rettungs – Gesellschaf, Austria
28. Visaka Dharmadasa, Association of War Affected Women, Sri Lanka
29. Rudolph C. Bester, Memory Trees Corporation, United States
30. Datuk Agung Sidayu, Yayasan Pendidikan, Indonesia
31. Patrick Spencer, Cork Forest Conservation Alliance, United States
32. Romuald Djivoessoun, Autre Vie, Benin
33. Karen Dunham, Living Bread International Church, United States
34. Mostafa Nuruzzaman, Shushilan, Bangladesh
35. Anjum Raza Mattu, Insan Dost Association, Pakistan
36. Aisha Ahmed, Murna Foundation, Nigeria
37. Abul Kashem Sheikh, Kathak Academy, Bangladesh
38. Benedicta Assagba, Credo Action, Togo
39. John Incoom, Future Hope International, Ghana
40. Anne Herzberg, Institute for NGO Research, Israel
41. Jean Paul Laurent, Unspoken Smiles Foundation, United States
42. Rose Ngalula, Action Commaunitaire Femme et Enfant, Democratic Republic of Congo
43. Walid Maalouf, The American Lebanese Renaissance Partnership, United States
44. Appolinaire Zagabe, Pleaders of Children and Elderly People at Risk, Democratic Republic of Congo 
45. Mamadou Sarr, l’Association Nationale des Partenaires Migrants, Senegal
46. Guy Antoine Dze Nguesse, Cercle d’Initiative Commune pour la Recherche, l’Environnement et la Qualité, Cameroon
47. Tameem Mohammed, Human Rights Observers, India
48. Dr. Sherry Dingman, Fang Protective Services, United States
49. Djepang Yvonne Armande, Association pour la Promotion de la Lutte Contre les Violences Faites aux Femmes et la Participation au Développement de la Femme Africaine, Cameroon
50. George Ochieng Odalo, Slum Child Foundation, Kenya
51. Huwayada Mohamed Ibrahim Ali, South Sudanese Women Christian Mission for Peace, Sudan
52. Gia Gaspard Taylor, Network of Rural Women Producers, Trinidad and Tobago
53. Malik Jamil, Children Education & Welfare Society, Pakistan
54. Masanori Kaneko, Shunichi Fujiki, Japan
55. M. Aravinda Babu, OISCA, India
56. Mazi Jideofur Umeh, Ugonma Foundation, Nigeria
57. P.A. Surendran, Consumers Association, India
58. Dr. Rachel Nisbet, International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance, Switzerland
59. Chandan Kumar Sarkar, Research and Empowerment Organization, Bangladesh
60. Okezie Kelechukwu, Neighbourhood Environment Watch Foundation, Nigeria
61. Kennady Pulipati, Redemption Research for Health and Educational Development Society, India
62. Narender Kumar, Shivi Development Society, India
63. Albert Konan Koffi, Observatoire International pour la Non Violence – Communes des Nations pour la Paix, France
64. Alfred Oscar Boffi, Fundación Democratica Italo Americana, Argentina
65. Newman Enyioko, Integrity and Transparency Promotion Initiative, Nigeria
66. Thomas Chen, STUF United Fund, United States
67. Edgar N. Alegre, Global Academy Institute of Technology Foundation Inc., Philippines
68. Lukman Adefolahan, 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth and Women Initiative, Nigeria
69. Dr. Vinod Shah, Janaseva Foundation Pune, India
70. Asir Gill, Computer Literacy, Shelter Welfare RawalPindi, Pakistan 
71. Doubade Issaya Issac, Association National de Coopération pour le Développement du Cameroun, Cameroon
72. Shola Mese, Shola Mese Foundation, Nigeria
73. Josephine Agbo-Nettey, Integrated Development in Focus, Ghana
74. Moka Wakassa Gabriel, Fuondation Kalipa for Development, Democratic Republic of Congo
75. Bharat Gauba, Shoobh Group Welfare Society, India
76. Mohamed Al Shami, Alliance Internationale pour la Défense des Droits et des Libertés, France
77. Ngan Tonye François Simon Pierre, Association des Ressortissants et Amis d’Eseka, Cameroon
78. Sudaba Shiraliyeva, Women and Modern World Social Charitable Centre, Azerbaijan 
79. Nasser Amin, The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession, Egypt
80. Salma Oussama Mahamat, Association pour le développement Culturel, Chad
81. Azra Gul, Pak Women, Pakistan
82. Brian Bond, Edmund Rice International, Switzerland
83. Pierre Félix Kandolo, Agence pour le Développement Intégré au Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
84. Alan Goldsmith, Jewish Renaissance Foundation, United States
85. Roshan Sapota, Union C, Nepal
86. Churchill Butalia, Alliance for Development and Population Services, Kenya
87. Erold Elcius, Organisation Constelle Pour Le Developpement Economique et Social de la Commune des Gonaives, Haiti
88. Julia de Cadenet, World Protection for Dogs and Cats in the Meat Trade, United Kingdom
89. Alex Gowen, The Fishermen (Aid for Orphaned Children), United States 
90. Obuesi Phillips, Community Agenda for Peace, Nigeria
91. John Okyere, Alliance Creative Community Project, Canada
92. Souad Talsi, Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women Centre, United Kingdom
93. Thierry Valle, Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience, France
94. Francis Komi Akpa, Partage et Action en Synergie pour le Développement, Togo
95. Abdoullah Bayzar, Internationale Gemeinschaft für die Unterstützung von Kriegsopfern e.V., Germany
96. Moka Wakassa Gabriel, Fondation Kalipa pour le Développement, Democratic Republic of Congo 
97. Gian Franco Massaro, Federation Internationale des Donneurs, Italy
98. Teh Francis Yai, Goodness and Mercy Missions, Cameroon
99. Godwin Osung, Godwin Osung International Foundation, Nigeria
100. Sandheep Ahuja, Operation ASHA, India