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 on WION News, “UK PM Keir Starmer Faces Backlash Over UN Vote As Iran Joins Key Committee,” April 12, 2026:
Key Quote:
UN Watch has demanded an explanation from democratic countries for why they’d allowed ‘serial abusers of human rights’ to be elected to key positions in the United Nations. The U.N. watchdog has said that the U.S. is the only state to object to some of the countries elected to the committee, calling Iran, Cuba, and Nicaragua ‘unfit.’ The watchdog warned that this could allow countries accused of rights abuses to block independent organizations and promote state-backed narratives.
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:
“To be clear, Canada joined the consensus in endorsing Iran and others, and it was not obliged to,” said Hillel Neuer. He added that putting “serial abusers” at the helm of human rights at the UN is “like putting Al Capone in charge of fighting organized crime.”
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, told Fox News Digital the vote reflects what he described as a broader erosion of institutional credibility at the United Nations. “This is part of a disturbing trend,” Neuer said. “Iran has been accumulating senior roles across the U.N. system, from human rights bodies to key committees. Each appointment chips away at the credibility of international institutions, reinforcing the perception that political deal-making outweighs basic standards of conduct.”
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.”
Quoted in the National Post, “FIRST READING: Canada Says It Didn’t Endorse UN Iran Appointment (Except It Did),” April 21, 2026:
Quoted in CTV, “Critics Call Out Ottawa for Not Contesting Iran Joining UN Nuclear Weapons Conference,” April 29, 2026:
UN Watch, a group that primarily advocates for Israel, noted that Canada and most of its allies did not contest that move. The U.S. delegation was the only one to push back against Iran’s nomination on April 8…UN Watch says Canada did have an opportunity to call a vote, but did not speak out.
Quoted in El Español, “Iran’s Women, Trapped in a ‘Hostile Triangle’: The Future That Awaits the 1.6 Million Displaced Women After the Conflict,” April 16, 2026:
Hillel Neuer, director of UN Watch, called the decision “outrageous” and “indefensible ,” arguing that granting this power to regimes that are “serial violators” of these guarantees betrays the principles of Western democracies and puts the lives of activists fighting from within at risk.
Quoted in the Toronto Sun, “EDITORIAL: Canada Now a Paper Tiger on Human Rights,” April 16, 2026:
But Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, said Canada and other countries failed to use other means available to them to express their opposition to the nomination, which will be formally decided in November.
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 Breitbart, “U.N. Gives Iran Seat on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Panel,” April 28, 2026:
U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Iran’s vice-presidency at the NPT conference was “part of a disturbing trend,” which also included Iran’s absurd nomination on April 13 to a U.N. body concerned with human rights, women’s rights, and counterterrorism. “Iran has been accumulating senior roles across the U.N. system, from human rights bodies to key committees. Each appointment chips away at the credibility of international institutions, reinforcing the perception that political deal-making outweighs basic standards of conduct,” Neuer warned.
Quoted in Il Giornale, “Trouble at the Albanese Household. Her Husband Has Been Removed, and She’s Losing Her Mind,” April 17, 2026:
The request to take action against Calì originated with a letter sent by the NGO to the World Bank on August 12 (copying US Secretary of State Marco Rubio). In the letter, as Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, recounts, “we asked the World Bank to hold Massimiliano Calì accountable for extremist political conduct that flagrantly violates its duty to act responsibly in public statements and to avoid compromising the World Bank’s neutrality and causing reputational risk.”
Quoted in Libero Quotidiano, “Francesca Albanese, the World Bank Suspends Her Husband,” April 17, 2026:
At the eleventh point of his very long thread on X, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, takes the win, but counters: “We applaud the World Bank for finally taking action against Calì. But it’s not enough to remove him from this top post. After blatantly violating the World Bank’s code of conduct for over a decade, and promoting jihadist terrorism, he should be completely removed and fired.” Calì—given name: Massimiliano—is the husband of Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the “situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.”
Quoted in Il Tempo, “Francesca Albanese, the World Bank Suspends Her Husband and She Loses Her Temper: ‘Vile,'” April 18, 2026:
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, reiterated: “We have asked the World Bank to hold Massimiliano Calì accountable for political conduct that violates his duty to act responsibly in public statements,” in order to “avoid compromising the World Bank’s neutrality and causing reputational risks.” Albanese’s husband, however, did not sit idly by and sued in US federal court, complaining that “UN Watch pressured the World Bank to terminate my employment,” so much so that “on October 22, Bank management informed me that my position as Country Economist for Syria was suspended and that I would be required to leave the department by July 2026,” or “three years before my original termination date of June 2029.”
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?”
Featured 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.”
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.'”
Mentioned in The Jerusalem Post, “UNRWA’s West Bank Schools Drop to Four-Day Weeks over Funding Issues, UN Agency Confirms to ‘Post,’” April 26, 2026:
The decline in donations coincides with the ongoing public criticism by Israel and organizations like UN Watch on its failures to weed out Hamas from its personnel and facilities. Throughout the war in Gaza, the IDF uncovered terror hubs in UNRWA schools and headquarters, and members of UNRWA’s staff were found to be members of Hamas and/or involved in the October 7 massacre.
Mentioned 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 Il Giornale D’Italia, “Iran Elected Vice-Chair of the UN Commission on Social Development and Women’s Rights. Abbas Tajik: ‘We Promote Equality,'” April 16, 2026:
Electing Iran to head a commission dedicated to democracy, women’s rights, and nonviolence is a ” mockery ,” denounced Hillel Neuer ,executive director of UN Watch. “This is a regime that brutalizes women because they don’t cover their hair and that has just massacred tens of thousands of civilians in two days,” Neuer said. He added that governments had the option to block the nomination but chose not to act. ” EU states know how to prevent abusive regimes from obtaining these seats—they did so in the recent past with Russia—but this time, with Iran, they have chosen silence and complicity,” he added.
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 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.”
