UN Watch was quoted by media outlets around the world in April 2026 on numerous topics, including the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nomination to the UN’s Committee for Program and Coordination, which meets next month to shape policy on women’s rights, human rights, disarmament, and terrorism prevention.
Featured in Fox News, “Iran Secures UN Role With Backing From UK, France, Canada, Australia as US Stands Alone,” April 13, 2026:
The decision drew sharp criticism from UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog group. Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital: “By their cynical actions at the UN, major Western states have betrayed their own human rights principles, severely undermining the rules-based international order that they claim to support.” “We note that the EU states clearly had another option. They did take action in recent years to stop Russia from getting elected to similar bodies, and so we deeply regret that they failed to do the same now to stop the election of serial violators such as Iran, China, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.” “We salute the United States for their moral clarity and leadership in objecting to the election of the Islamic Republic of Iran and other brutal regimes.” Neuer warned the composition of the NGO committee could allow authoritarian governments to influence which organizations are accredited, potentially sidelining independent human rights groups. “This means dictatorships will have a majority on the committee in order to deny United Nations accreditation to independent organizations that call out their human rights violations, and to accredit more fake front groups created by the regimes,” he said.
Featured in The Jerusalem Post, “UN Watch Demands Democracies Explain Election of Human Rights Abusers to UN Positions,” April 12, 2026:
UN Watch demanded an explanation on Saturday from democratic countries for why they’d allowed “serial abusers of human rights” to be elected to key positions in the United Nations…The democratic countries currently on ECOSOC are the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, and Austria. UN Watch has said that the US is the only state to object to some of the countries elected to the committee, calling Iran, Cuba, and Nicaragua “unfit.” “Appointing China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia to oversee the work of human rights activists is like putting Al Capone in charge of fighting organized crime,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “It’s truly indefensible and puts lives at risk.”
Quoted in the National Post, “Canada backing Iran at the UN betrays what Carney stood for at Davos,” April 16, 2026:
Hillel Neuer, the Canadian lawyer who heads-up the UN Watch non-governmental organization in Geneva, said Anand’s defence was “misleading.” He explained that the 54-nation Economics and Social Council (ECOSOC), of which Canada is a member, is split into five regional groups, which are allocated a certain number of seats on committees. If there is a closed slate – that is, seven candidates for seven seats in the Asia group – there is typically no vote and the nations are acclaimed.
Quoted in the Toronto Sun, “Canada and the World Lose if Iran Wins,” April 15, 2026:
Prime Minister Mark Carney knows this, so when it comes to setting foreign policy, perhaps Canada could be a little less silent when the United Nations appoints Iran, as reported by UN Watch, to a committee shaping “policy on women’s rights, human rights, disarmament and terrorism prevention.”
Featured in Ynet News, “UN Advances Iran, Cuba, China to Key Human Rights Bodies,” April 12, 2026:
Theater of the absurd at the UN: The non-governmental organization UN Watch sharply criticized Western countries after it claimed they enabled the election of states with problematic human rights records to key positions in UN bodies dealing with the issue. The group’s executive director, Hillel Neuer, voiced strong criticism, saying earlier in the week that “appointing China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia to oversee human rights activists is like putting Al Capone in charge of fighting organized crime.”
Featured in Israel Hayom, “This Is No Joke: The UN Has Determined That Iran Will Monitor Its Women’s Rights Policy,” April 11, 2026:
“In their cynical actions at the UN, key Western states have betrayed their own human rights principles, severely undermining the rules-based international order they claim to uphold.” “We note that Western countries have acted in recent years to prevent Russia from being elected to similar ECOSOC bodies, and we deeply regret that they did not do so this time to block the election of serial violators such as Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia and Sudan,” said Neuer.
Quoted in i24 France, “UN: Iran Appointed to a Body Linked to Women’s Rights, Criticism From NGOs,” April 11, 2026:
Iran’s appointment to a United Nations body linked to women’s rights and human rights policies has sparked critical reactions, notably from the NGO UN Watch. The organization called on democratic states to explain their position following this appointment, which took place within the framework of the Programme and Coordination Committee (PCC), attached to the UN Economic and Social Council.
Quoted in Periodista Digital, “Spain Supports Iran in Key UN Committee on Women and Human Rights,” April 13, 2026:
The NGO UN Watch, dedicated to monitoring UN activities, issued a statement this Friday denouncing that democracies like Spain elect “repeat human rights violators” to high-ranking positions. Hillel Neuer, its director, has demanded explanations from the governments involved.
Quoted in the Epoch Times, “China, Cuba and Iran Join Key UN Human Rights Bodies,” April 11, 2026:
The appointment was criticized by UN Watch, the independent Geneva-based non-governmental organization that monitors the United Nations. On April 10, the NGO asked France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, and Australia to explain “why they participated in the election of repeat human rights abusers to key positions within UN bodies that oversee human rights.”
Featured in the Times of Israel, “Reporter Who Profiled UN’s Albanese Deletes Social Media After ‘Jewish Lobby’ Posts Surface,” April 1, 2026:
Politico Europe published a profile about Albanese and the sanctions yesterday, calling the 2014 Jewish lobby comment “a term that recalled racist theories about global Jewish conspiracies.” The comment was first exposed by The Times of Israel. UN Watch, a nonprofit watchdog group, finds X comments from the same year by the reporter who wrote the article. The reporter, Karl Mathiesen, wrote, “Can someone explain the US reluctance to stand up to Israel? Is it the Jewish lobby? How powerful can it be?” Another user responded with a dollar sign, to which Mathiesen said, “Okay, gotcha. But where exactly does that transaction occur? Banks? Stock markets?”
Quoted in JNS, “Waltz Criticizes ‘Fawning Celebrity Profile’ of US-Sanctioned Albanese,” April 6, 2026:
Separately, the Politico Europe article drew scrutiny after UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog group, highlighted past social media posts by its author, Karl Mathiesen, including a 2014 tweet in which Mathiesen asked, “Can someone explain the U.S. reluctance to stand up to Israel? Is it the Jewish lobby? How powerful can it be?” Mathiesen later deleted his X account.
Quoted in The Jewish Chronicle, “Observers Baffled as UK Nominates Iran for UN Human Rights Committee,” April 13, 2026:
Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, a non-governmental organisation that monitors the UN, said: “By their cynical actions at the UN, major Western states have betrayed their own human rights principles, severely undermining the ruled-based international order that they claim to support.”
Featured in JNS, “Husband of Francesca Albanese Constrained at World Bank Due to Sanctions on Wife,” April 10, 2026:
According to court filings, Cali wrote that the World Bank informed him in October that his position as senior country economist for Syria was suspended some three months from his starting date, and that he would have to leave the World Bank’s Middle East/North Africa division by this July. He attributed the decision in part to outside pressure, including advocacy by the watchdog group U.N. Watch.
Quoted in All Israel News, “UN Faces Backlash for Nominating Iran, China to Key Human Rights Roles,” April 12, 2026:
The nominations, which are typically approved automatically by the UN General Assembly, drew sharp criticism from UN Watch, a Geneva-based monitoring group, which warned they could undermine protections for civil society worldwide. The slate was backed by several democracies, including Canada, France, the United Kingdom and Australia. “Appointing China, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia to oversee the work of human rights activists is like putting Al Capone in charge of fighting organized crime,” stated Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “It’s truly indefensible and puts lives at risk.”
Quoted in Iton Gadol, “The World Turned Upside Down: Iran Is Selected for a Key UN Committee That Defines Policies on Human Rights, Disarmament, and Terrorism,” April 11, 2026:
One of the most resounding criticisms came from UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization that closely monitors states’ performance within the multilateral system. They described the decision as a “disgrace,” arguing that Iran’s human rights record conflicts with the committee’s mandate.
Quoted in Il Giornale, “Francesca Albanese and Her Husband Are Posing as Victims of a System: ‘We Suffer From Stomach Ulcers and Chronic Headaches,'” April 8, 2026:
Trouble for Francesca Albanese ‘s husband? So it would seem, according to the well-known Canadian lawyer and head of the NGO “UN Watch,” Hillel Neuer. According to him, Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Calì ,”filed a complaint in the US court: ‘On August 12, UN Watch pressured the World Bank to terminate my employment. On October 22, World Bank management informed me that my position as an economist for Syria was suspended and that I would be forced to leave my position.'”
Quoted in Caliber, “Iran elected to UN Committee for Programme, Coordination,” April 11, 2026:
However, the United States and Israel strongly opposed Iran’s election, citing concerns over its human rights record and its alleged support for terrorism. In a similar vein, UN Watch, a watchdog organisation monitoring the UN’s effectiveness, condemned the appointment, calling it a “disgrace.”
