Twitter Facebook-f Youtube Instagram
Search
Close this search box.

UN Watch Triggers Urgent Procedure to Stop Francesca Albanese’s U.N. Reappointment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2025

UN Watch Triggers Urgent Procedure to Stop Francesca Albanese’s U.N. Reappointment

Watchdog Chief Silenced in U.N. Plenary While Exposing Alleged Antisemitism

Geneva, March 27, 2025 – In a dramatic escalation at the United Nations Human Rights Council today, UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer personally handed a formal demand letter to Council President Ambassador Jürg Lauber, invoking an urgent procedure to prevent the reappointment of Francesca Albanese as the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories.

The move follows a stormy session yesterday (click for video) in which Neuer was twice interrupted and ultimately silenced while attempting to speak out against Albanese during the Council’s plenary debate. The events underscore growing concerns about bias and censorship within the UN system and mark a pivotal moment in the international campaign to hold Albanese accountable for a pattern of alleged antisemitic and extremist remarks.

“I was silenced today, but the truth will not be,” Neuer told reporters after the session. “France, Germany, Canada, and the U.S. have all condemned Francesca Albanese for antisemitism, and the Netherlands just announced they oppose renewing her term. If the U.N. shuts down those voices in favor of protecting one of its own, then this is no longer a council for human rights—it’s a platform for hate.”

The demand letter filed by UN Watch outlines what it calls Albanese’s “persistent and egregious non-compliance” with the UN’s Code of Conduct for special mandate-holders. Her current term is due to expire on April 1, and the Council is expected to deliberate imminently on whether to renew her mandate.

“This is a test of the Council’s integrity,” said Neuer. “Ms. Albanese has repeatedly violated the most basic duties of her position. She has used her UN title to spread hate, to legitimize terror, and to distort history. The evidence is overwhelming. Her reappointment would signal to the world that antisemitism is not only tolerated at the UN—it is rewarded.”

During his censored statement on Wednesday, Neuer attempted to cite statements from multiple democracies denouncing Albanese’s rhetoric. These included:

  • France, which condemned her denial of the antisemitic nature of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre as “scandalous” and “a disgrace.” France called on the Council to “draw all consequences” from Albanese’s “hate speech and antisemitism.”

  • Germany, which called her comments “appalling” and “a disgrace” and said they went against everything the United Nations stands for.

  • Canada, which denounced Albanese for “Holocaust distortion.”

  • The United States, whose then-ambassador to the UN said “unfit for her role.”

  • The Netherlands, which yesterday announced: “The Cabinet does not support Ms. Francesca Albanese’s possible reappointment.”

“They let the PLO spew slander against me but shut down my microphone when I cited the words of France, Germany, Canada, and the United States,” said Neuer. “What is more ‘disrespectful’—reporting that democracies have condemned Albanese, or allowing a UN-accredited delegate to accuse a human rights defender of being a Mossad agent?”

The interruption came after Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khraishi interrupted with a “point of order” to stop Neuer’s remarks and accused him of being affiliated with Israeli intelligence—a claim that was not challenged by the UN session’s presiding officers. Neuer attempted to continue by citing precedent for raising concerns about mandate-holders, but was cut off again and denied the opportunity to conclude.

Meanwhile, other speakers were allowed to accuse Israel of “genocide” and “apartheid” without reprimand.

The formal complaint delivered to the UNHRC today by UN Watch catalogs numerous violations by Albanese, including:

  • Repeated statements that echo antisemitic conspiracy theories and Holocaust distortion.

  • Public comments justifying violence against Israeli civilians.

  • Dissemination of false claims sourced from Hamas, including during and after the October 7 attacks.

  • Failure to correct those claims even after they were debunked by credible sources.

  • Routine use of inflammatory and dehumanizing language inconsistent with UN standards.

UN Watch’s October 2024 report, “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” was submitted as supporting evidence and includes dozens of examples of statements made by Albanese that, according to the NGO, violate her obligations under the UN’s Code of Conduct.

“Special Rapporteurs are supposed to be independent, impartial, and objective,” said Neuer. “Instead, Ms. Albanese has become a megaphone for extremism. She is in contempt of the UN’s code of conduct, and there must be consequences.”

The letter was also sent to the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. UN Watch is calling on democratic governments to speak up in the coming days to ensure that Albanese’s mandate is not renewed.

“The credibility of the UN is on the line,” said Neuer. “If Francesca Albanese remains in her post after everything she’s said and done, then the message is clear: the UN system no longer defends universal human rights—it protects those who abuse them, those who pervert human rights by justifying terrorism.”

Share

Recent

Your Voice at the United Nations

UN Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to holding the United Nations accountable to its founding principles. UN Watch is funded entirely by charitable donations

Keep in touch

newsletter SIGN-uP
Twitter Facebook-f Youtube Instagram

Support

make a donation
UN Watch