Is the UN living up to its founding principles ?

This UN Watch database monitors the actions and composition of key UN bodies, highlighting the pernicious elevation of dictatorships to high positions, and the world body’s peculiar obsession with scapegoating Israel.

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Dictatorships on UN bodies

Absurdly, repressive regimes are routinely elected to key UN bodies mandated to protect human rights (Human Rights Council), promote women’s rights and gender equality (UN Women & Commission on the Status of Women), promote education and protect freedom of the press (UNESCO), and oversee the work of human rights groups (Committee on NGOs).

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Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is responsible for ensuring protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and addressing human rights violations, including “gross and systematic violations.” Its work is supposed to be guided by principles of “universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity.”

Members

Burundi
China
Cuba
Eritrea
Qatar
Somalia
Sudan
Algeria
Bangladesh
Cameroon
Kazakhstan
Kuwait

Percentage of Non-democracies

64%

Percentage of Non-democracies

Non-democracies

7 Problems with the Human Rights Council

Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women is the 45-nation intergovernmental body that is exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

At its annual two-week session, representatives of UN member states, civil society organizations and UN entities gather to discuss progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Members

China
Cuba
Egypt
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Afghanistan
Algeria
Bangladesh
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lebanon
Mauritania

Percentage of Non-democracies

56%

Percentage of Non-democracies

Non-democracies

3 Problems with the Commission on the Status of Women

Committee on NGOs

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is a 19-nation standing committee of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), established in 1946. It accredits and oversees the work of non-governmental human rights groups at the UN, and has the power to grant and suspend their UN credentials.

Members

China
Cuba
Eritrea
Pakistan
Turkey
Zimbabwe
Algeria
Bahrain
Cameroon
Nicaragua
Armenia
Chile

Percentage of Non-democracies

74%

Percentage of Non-democracies

Non-democracies

3 Problems with the Committee on NGOs

UN Women

UN Women is a UN agency of 2,000 employees, working in a global network of country offices, dedicated to women’s equality and empowerment. It supports UN member states in setting global standards for achieving gender equality. The 41-nation Executive Board governs the operational activities of UN Women and provides it with operational policy guidance.

Executive Board Members

China
Egypt
Eritrea
Qatar
Turkey
Zimbabwe
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Gabon
Turkmenistan

Percentage of Non-democracies

56%

Percentage of Non-democracies

Non-democracies

3 Problems with UN Women

UNESCO

UNESCO’s mandate is to promote peace through education, science, and culture, and is most famous for its world heritage designations.

UNESCO also has a human rights committee (Committee on Conventions and Recommendations), that rules on individual human rights complaints where a government is alleged to have violated freedom of speech, opinion, thought, conscience, assembly or association. The 58-nation Executive Board is responsible for the overall management of UNESCO, including its program of work and budget.

Executive Board Members

China
Cuba
Egypt
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Angola
Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Djibouti
Gabon

Percentage of Non-democracies

61%

Percentage of Non-democracies

Non-democracies

3 Problems with UNESCO

Members of UNESCO Executive Board (207)

Human Rights Council47
- Burundi
- China
- Cuba
- Eritrea
- Qatar
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Algeria
- Bangladesh
- Cameroon
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- United Arab Emirates
- Vietnam
- Albania
- Argentina
- Belgium
- Benin
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Dominican Republic
- Finland
- France
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Ivory Coast
- Japan
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Netherlands
- Paraguay
- Romania
- South Africa
- United States
Commission on the Status of Women43
- China
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Bangladesh
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Lebanon
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Sri Lanka
- Argentina
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Cape Verde
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- India
- Israel
- Ivory Coast
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Mali
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Netherlands
- Panama
- Portugal
- Romania
- South Korea
- Spain
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Ukraine
- Zambia
Committee on NGOs19
- China
- Cuba
- Eritrea
- Pakistan
- Turkey
- Zimbabwe
- Algeria
- Bahrain
- Cameroon
- Nicaragua
- Armenia
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Georgia
- India
- Israel
- Liberia
- United Kingdom
- United States
UN Women Executive Board41
- China
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Qatar
- Turkey
- Zimbabwe
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Gabon
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Australia
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Finland
- Gambia
- Germany
- Guyana
- India
- Ivory Coast
- Japan
- Kenya
- Latvia
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Poland
- Senegal
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Ukraine
- United States
UNESCO57
- China
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- Angola
- Bangladesh
- Burkina Faso
- Djibouti
- Gabon
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Nigeria
- Oman
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Vietnam
- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Chile
- Congo
- Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- France
- Germany
- Grenada
- Haiti
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Japan
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Mozambique
- Paraguay
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- St. Lucia
- Tanzania
- United Kingdom
- United States

UN resolutions disproportionately condemn Israel

Key UN bodies that pronounce themselves on human rights and international law — including the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the Commission on the Status of Women — fail to uphold founding UN principles of equality and universality. The numbers alone reveal the UN’s irrational obsession with one nation. Even those who deem Israel deserving of criticism cannot dispute that this amounts to an extreme case of selective prosecution. When universal standards are applied so selectively, they cease to become standards at all. And by disproportionately focusing on Israel to such an extreme degree, the UN neglects the plight of millions of human rights victims around the world. The data here shows a selection of countries. For information on others, please visit the Country Info page shown on the menu.

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General Assembly Condemnatory Resolutions: 2015 - present
- 0
  Israel
- 0
  Iran
- 0
  North Korea
- 0
  Syria
- 0
  Myanmar
- 0
  Russia
- 0
  United States
- 0
  China
- 0
  Cuba
- 0
  Qatar
- 0
  Libya
- 0
  Turkey
- 0
  Pakistan
- 0
  Venezuela
- 0
  Zimbabwe
Human Rights Council Condemnatory Resolutions: 2006 - present
- 0
  Israel
- 0
  Syria
- 0
  North Korea
- 0
  Iran
- 0
  Cuba
- 0
  Eritrea
- 0
  Sudan
- 0
  Venezuela
- 0
  China
- 0
  Russia
- 0
  Pakistan
- 0
  Qatar
- 0
  Saudi Arabia
- 0
  Turkey
- 0
  Zimbabwe
World Health Organization Condemnatory Resolutions: 2015 - present
- 0
  Israel
- 0
  Iran
- 0
  Saudi Arabia
- 0
  Yemen
- 0
  Pakistan
- 0
  Syria
- 0
  Qatar
- 0
  Turkey
- 0
  Mauritania
- 0
  Egypt
- 0
  Jordan
- 0
  Morocco
- 0
  Lebanon
- 0
  Mali
- 0
  Chad

Tone of UN resolution

What makes UN resolutions on Israel different from virtually every other country-specific resolution is that they are suffused with political hyperbole, selective reporting, and the systematic suppression of any countervailing facts that might provide balance in background information or context. By contrast, resolutions on other countries tend to be diplomatic, deferential and often contain praise. For example, even Human Rights Council resolutions on a perpetrator of atrocities such as Sudan—at the time when its now-former president, Omar al-Bashir, was wanted for genocide by the International Criminal Court—routinely included language praising and commending Khartoum, and urging international aid funds for its government.

"Commends the hosting by the Sudan of more..." (A/HRC/RES/39/22).

"Condemning all violations of human rights and of international..." (A/HRC/RES/37/37).
"Welcoming the announcement of the President of Burundi..." (A/HRC/RES/39/14).

"Condemns in the strongest terms the widespread..." (A/HRC/RES/S-21/1).
"Acknowledging the participation of North Korea in the..." (A/HRC/RES/37/28).

"Strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli military operation..." (A/HRC/RES/S-9/1).
"Welcoming the action taken by Eritrea to protect..." (A/HRC/RES/38/15).

"Deploring the plight of millions of Palestine refugees..." (A/HRC/RES/37/34).
"Notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the Government of the DRC..." (A/HRC/RES/39/20).

"Expressing grave concern at the continuing violation of [IHL]..." (A/HRC/RES/40/23).
"Welcomes the adoption by the Government of Belarus..." (A/HRC/RES/38/14).

"Condemns the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli..." (A/HRC/RES/S-28/1).
"Welcomes the positive developments in Myanmar towards..." (A/HRC/RES/37/32).

"Expressing grave concern at the continuing construction by Israel of the wall..." (A/HRC/RES/40/24).
"Welcoming the successful rehabilitation of reintegration of former ..." (A/HRC/RES/S-11/1).

"Deploring the announcement by the Israeli occupying authorities..." (A/HRC/RES/40/21).

"As secretary general of the United Nations, I consider that the state of Israel needs to be treated as any other state. I have already had the opportunity to show that I'm ready to abide by that principle even when that forces me to take some decisions that create some uncomfortable situations."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

April 2017
"Decades of political maneuverings have created a disproportionate volume of resolutions, reports and conferences criticizing Israel. In many cases, rather than helping the Palestinian cause, this reality has hampered the ability of the UN to fulfill its role effectively."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

December 2016
"Supporters of Israel feel that it is harshly judged, by standards that are not applied to its enemies — and too often this is true, particularly in some UN bodies."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

September 2006
"The intense focus given to some of Israel's actions, while other situations sometimes fail to elicit the similar outrage [has] given a regrettable impression of bias and one-sidedness."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

December 1999
"[The UN Human Rights Commission has been] increasingly undermined by its declining credibility and professionalism. In particular, States have sought membership of the Commission not to strengthen human rights but to protect themselves against criticism or to criticize others. As a result, a credibility deficit has developed, which casts a shadow on the reputation of the United Nations system as a whole."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

March 2005

Key UN data on countries

Find out how your country votes on Israel, how many times it has been criticized by the UN, and on which UN human rights bodies it currently serves.

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Year	% of Non-democracies
2024	64%
2023	70%
2022	67%
2021	61%
2020	52%
2019	53%
2018	54%
2017	53%
2016	62%
2015	57%
2014	52%
2013	49%
2012	57%
2011	62%
2010	51%
2009	53%
2008	51%
2007	47%

Is the UN living up to its founding principles ?

Dictatorships on UN bodies

Human Rights Council

Members

Commission on the Status of Women

Members

Committee on NGOs

Members

UN Women

Executive Board Members

UNESCO

Executive Board Members

Members of UNESCO Executive Board (207)

Committee on NGOs19 China Cuba Eritrea Pakistan Turkey Zimbabwe Algeria Bahrain Cameroon Nicaragua Armenia Chile Costa Rica Georgia India Israel Liberia United Kingdom United States

UN resolutions disproportionately condemn Israel

General Assembly Condemnatory Resolutions: 2015 - present

Human Rights Council Condemnatory Resolutions: 2006 - present

World Health Organization Condemnatory Resolutions: 2015 - present

Tone of UN resolution

Key UN data on countries

Take a stand for justice

Members (47)

Free 17

Partly Free 17

Not Free 13

Members (43)

Free 19

Partly Free 15

Not Free 9

Members (19)

Free 5

Partly Free 5

Not Free 9

Executive Board Members (41)

Free 18

Partly Free 10

Not Free 13

Executive Board Members (57)

Free 22

Partly Free 18

Not Free 17

Freedom House

Select a Country

Americas 35

Europe 47

Oceania 14

Middle East and North Africa 20

Africa 48

Asia 29

Select a Country

Americas 35

Europe 47

Oceania 14

Middle East and North Africa 20

Africa 48

Asia 29

Human Rights Council Historical Data

Percentage of Non-Democracies by Year

Longest-Serving Dictatorships

Committee on NGOs19

China

Cuba

Eritrea

Pakistan

Turkey

Zimbabwe

Algeria

Bahrain

Cameroon

Nicaragua

Armenia

Chile

Costa Rica

Georgia

India

Israel

Liberia

United Kingdom

United States