GENEVA, February 28, 2020 — The same Syrian government now indiscriminately bombing four million of its own civilians in Idlib was elected to a senior post on a United Nations committee in charge of upholding fundamental human rights in opposing the “subjugation, domination and exploitation” of peoples.
The 24-nation forum seeks to “decolonize,” among other places, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.
A watchdog group is criticizing UN chief Antonio Guterres for his blessings delivered last Friday before the 24-nation committee, which counts Iran, China, and Russia among its members, as it reelected by acclamation the genocidal Syrian regime’s UN representative Bashar Ja’afari to a leadership post.
“I cannot stress enough my personal and sincere commitment to your work, which I continue to follow closely,” said Mr. Guterres to the forum. “I will remain alongside you as you make another push to eradicate colonialism once and for all… I wish you every success for this 2020 session.”
UN Watch, the Geneva-based human rights group, is calling on Mr. Guterres, U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft, and the EU’s UN ambassadors to condemn the world body’s “absurd and morally obscene” election of Syria to a UN committee that is supposed to protect people from abuse — a propaganda victory that is already being trumpeted by the Assad regime.
1/ The Syrian regime now indiscriminately bombing 4 million of its own civilians in Idlib was elected to a senior post on a United Nations committee in charge of upholding fundamental human rights in opposing the “subjugation and exploitation” of peoples. https://t.co/xHYWTyzsCE
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) February 28, 2020
Syrian ambassador Bashar Ja’afari was re-elected as Rapporteur, February 21, 2020.
The election of Syrian ambassador Bashar Ja’afari took place last Friday in the 2020 opening session of the UN’s Special Committee on Decolonization.
Chile and India Failed to Vote Like Democracies
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, said that Chile should be “ashamed” for joining the consensus vote, as should India. Both democracies sit on the 24-nation committee that elected the Assad regime’s candidate by acclamation.
UN Chief’s Moral Obligation to Speak Out
“It is incomprehensible for the UN on one day to lament the Syrian regime’s killing and wounding of hundreds of thousands of Syria, and its deadly bombings in Idlib that have forced 1 million civilians to flee and children to freeze to death, and to then hand this gift of false legitimacy to the mass murderer Bashar al-Assad,” said Neuer.
“Today’s UN vote only helps the Assad regime portray itself a UN human rights arbiter. That’s an insult to Syria’s victims,” said Neuer. “Morally, Mr. Guterres should do the right thing and at the very least condemn the decision.”
Precedent: UNESCO Chief Criticized Syria’s Election in 2013
Although UN secretary-generals often insist that they cannot speak on elections conducted by member states, actions taken by other high UN officials prove otherwise.
For example, when Syria was elected to a UNESCO human rights committee in 2013, Irina Bokova, the head of UNESCO, went on record to say that the election was wrong.
Her spokesperson said: “Given the developments in Syria, the director-general does not see how this country can contribute to the work of the committees.”
This and other rare but important statements demonstrate that UN officials can act as the world’s moral voice when a UN committee makes obscene decisions —electing a regime that commits mass murder—which only cast a shadow on the reputation of the UN as a whole.”
Syria trumpeted a propaganda victory when a similar miscarriage of justice occurred in 2013:
“The re-election of Dr. Al-Jafari, according to many analysts and observers, is yet another recognition by members of the Committee of the Syrian important and key role.”
Decolonization Committee
Committee sessions debate the future of places such as Gibraltar, the Falklands, Bermuda, French Polynesia and New Caledonia.
It is mandated to uphold fundamental human rights in opposing the “subjugation, domination and exploitation” of peoples.
There are 17 territories still before the anti-Western committee, and most do not want independence — which is only one of the reasons the committee, dominated by third-world nations, is often criticized as a costly irrelevance.
The 17 territories still listed as colonies by the committee are American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falklands, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Guam, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos, St. Helena, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Western Sahara.
Corruption & Exotic Travel
The committee, which spoke of its upcoming “Pacific regional seminar,” is notorious for holding regional seminars in tropical islands—”alternately in the Caribbean and the Pacific”— at considerable expense.
Madeleine K. Albright, as U.S. representative at the United Nations in the late 1990s, called these expenditures “frivolous and unneeded.”
15/ The UN decolonization committee, which spoke of its upcoming “Pacific regional seminar,” is notorious for holding regional seminars in tropical islands—alternately in the Caribbean and the Pacific—at considerable expense. https://t.co/f22G0EqcoF
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) February 28, 2020
At the time, activities of the committee were investigated by the United Nations inspector general, Karl T. Paschke, who concluded that money was being squandered.
UN Watch is urging U.S. ambassador Kelly Craft to speak out against the travesties of justice worked by this anachronistic and corrupt committee.
They also approved an offer by the delegation of Indonesia to host the
Special Committee’s Pacific Regional Seminar from 5 to 7 May 2020…
