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'''UN Watch''' is , a Geneva-based lobbying group set up by , was founded in 1993 to monitor the performance of the [[American Jewish Committee]] (AJC) to pressure United Nations against taking and with a critical stance stated mission of promoting human rights, but with an prime emphasis on Israel. UN Watch earlier tried to hide its [[Israel Lobby]] link when one the coverage of Israeli violations of its employees Leon Saltiel wrote Spinwatch.org claiming 'complete independence' from the AJChuman rights.(email reproduced on the 'Discussion' page) However this It is belied by an accredited non-governmental organization with the press release on the AJCs website which noted that UN Watch is to become 'fully integrated' into the AJC. the release concluded::Eighteen months ago, the [[American Jewish Committee]] ECOSOC and has affiliate status with the [[World Jewish Congress]] reached an agreement, approved by the international board of [[UN Watch]], to transfer full control of the organization to AJC, an agreement that went into effect on January 1, 2001DPI.{{ref|AJC}}

UN Watch is an accredited non-governmental organization with the UN ECOSOC It has been founded and has affiliate status with funded by the UN DPIAmerican Jewish Committee since 2001. UN Watch led the largest NGO coalition at the UN Human Rights Council special session on Darfur in December 2006.

==ActivitiesNexus to AJC==Ian Williams, a journalist covering the UN for many years and former president of the United Nations Correspondents Association, summarizes UN Watch's role::UN Watch is an organisation whose main purpose is to attack the United Nations in general, and its human rights council in particular, for alleged bias against Israel.<ref>Ian Williams, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/apr/04/itwasamakemydayevent Casting the first stone], Guardian, 4 April 2007.</ref>

*Monitor UN activities, resolutions, or official statementsWatch has been funded by the [[American Jewish Committee]] since 2001.*Promote human rightsIt claims to have 'complete independence' from the AJC.*Forming coalitions with non-governmental organizations <ref>Leon Saltiel [[UN Watch email to enforce human rights protection and combat anti-SemitismSpinwatch on 'Inaccuracies'|Inaccuracies]] email to Spinwatch, 3 July 2006.</ref>

However, a press release from its site notes that UN Watch is to become 'fully integrated' into the AJC. The release concludes::Eighteen months ago, the [[American Jewish Committee]] and the [[World Jewish Congress]] reached an agreement, approved by the international board of UN Watch, to transfer full control of the organization to AJC, an agreement that went into effect on January 1, 2001.<ref>AJC Media Release, "[http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=History=849241&ct=866815 UN Watch, AJC Seal Partnership]", ''American Jewish Committee'', 4 January 2001</ref>

UN Watch was established in 1993 under the chairmanship of [[Morris Abram]], a pioneer leader in the civil rights movement with [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], president of the [[United Negro College Fund]], and Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. Its board includes leading [[human rights]] scholars and statesmen. :UN Watch is an accredited non-governmental organization that monitors the performance of the United Nations according to the yardstick of its own Charter. Areas of concern include strengthening the role of democracies within the UN and ensuring the equal treatment by the UN of its member states. At the United Nations, UN Watch has been at the forefront in the fight against anti-Semitism and against the UN’s discriminatory treatment of Israel.[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jsn99/message/448]  == UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and The main activities of UN Watch == *Monitor UN Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]] said the following about UN Watch: "I deeply appreciate the valuable work performed by UN Watch. I believe activities, resolutions, or official statements that informed and independent evaluation of the United Nations' activities will prove a vital source as we seek are construed to adapt the Organization to the needs be critical of a changing worldIsrael. I <ref>This can promise you that I will pay close attention to your observations and view in the years ahead." [[Image:NeuerAnnan_low_res.JPG|right|thumb|Neuer and Kofi Annan]] ==UN Watch campaigns== UN Watch cooperates with non-governmental organizations around the world in order to protect and promote the principles of the UN Charter. In 2004 UN Watch intervened on behalf of victims of torture and censorship in [[Cote d'Ivoire]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Cuba]], [[Nepal]], [[Myanmar]], and [[Pakistan]]. [http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1748035] UN Watch also spoke out for the [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] victims be confirmed through a perusal of [[Syria]]n political assassinations. [http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1715217] ===Darfur===UN Watch is among the leading advocates at the United Nations for human rights victims in Darfur. [http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=2607541&ct=4318441][http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=2607541&ct=3963169] UN Watch chaired the NGO Activist Summit For Darfur in 2007. their [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.12860871316871/apps/nl/content2k.asp?content_id={53BA537F-51B9-4A28-A0E8-EFD638A9B470}&notoc=1] UN Watch challenged [[Sudan]] in 2007 for its rejection of human rights experts in Darfur. [http:8F03//www.unwatch.org/sitePress_Releases/apps/nl/content2newsletter2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3677507press releases] UN Watch justice for child victims in Darfur in 2005. [http:<//www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=1748005]ref> In August 2007, UN Watch director [[Hillel Neuer]] was *Lobby for the keynote speaker at the Save Darfur Canada rally in Montreal. [http://www.savedarfurcanada.org/speaker_bios2.html] Neuer spoke together with Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, former commander removal of UN peacekeepers in the Balkans; Prof. [[Payam Akhavan]], international law professor at McGill, and former senior advisor to the Chief Prosecutor of the [[International Criminal Court]]; Simon Deng, a black Christian from the south of Sudan personnel who was sold into slavery into the Muslim north; Miss World Canada [[Nazanin Afshin-Jam]]; and [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]], author are considered critical of Infidel. ===Israel's Magen David Adom service===AJC and <ref>UN Watch (operating in common) were among the hundreds and thousands of individualshas been vociferous about UN personnel like Mary Robinson, organizationsPeter Hansen, legislators, [[Red Cross]] federations, and others who contributed to the effort that led the International Red Cross to finally recognize the membership of [[Magen David Adom]], the Israeli emergency service, as well as the [[Palestinian]] serviceJean Ziegler. The head of the Red Cross, Swiss Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey met and magician [[Uri Geller]] all supported the cause.[http:<//groups.google.co.uk/group/MEPForum/browse_thread/thread/823982a5ef3863cb/bff314ef26864daa?lnk=st&q=%22Leon+Saltiel%22&rnum=1&hl=en#bff314ef26864daa]ref> ===Human rights testimony===UN Watch has represented human rights victims in regular testimony before *Forming coalitions to leverage influence at the UN Human Rights Council.  Its outspoken advocacy for student Jenya Taranenko preceded her release from a [[Russia]]n prison. [http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3152837]  UN Watch's Neuer debated Zimbabwe's UN ambassador This also entails assisting the interests of other groups to later count on [[CNN]] over the Mugabe regime's dismal human rights recordtheir support. [http<ref>See for example://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1319279&ct=1771841]  In 2007 UN Watch spoke out for the Arab, Kurdish*Tovah Lazaroff, and Bahai victims of violations in [[Iran]]. [http://www.unwatchjpost.orgcom/site/apps/nlInternational/content2Article.aspaspx?cid=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=4471149]  ==Monitoring UN Officials== UN Watch monitors the actions of 209294 70 rights groups call on UN officials to hold them accountable to the principle of the UN Charter. Its work has praised positive actions and criticized negative ones. ==Praise for others== UN Watch has praised Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-mooncondemn Tripoli]] for speaking out for the victims of Darfur, confronting Sri Lanka over the killings of aid workers and acting to establish the international tribunal on the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri of Lebanon. [25] "Quietly but firmlyJerusalem Post, Ban is helping to confirm the UN's indispensable role in the world22 February 2011." [26]  UN Watch also praised Secretary-General Ban for following in the steps of his predecessor, Kofi Annan, in denouncing Holocaust denial and confronting the global scourge organizes petitions/demand writing with dozens of anti-Semitismsignatories. [27]   In return UN Watch has often praised the actions of Mr. [[Kofi Annan]]. "On Darfur, Mr. Annan is certainly one of the most outspoken leaders signs on the international scene." [28] In "Time to Rally for Annan's Human Rights Reform," UN Watch praised Mr. Annan's reform efforts. [29]  UN Watch has several times spoken out for the rights of the "hero" [[Asma Janhangir]], and her sister [[Hina Jilani]], both of whom are UN human rights officials who have been subjected petitions/demands favorable to arrest and detention by Pakistan. [30] During a peaceful protest in support of women’s rights held in Lahore on May 14, 2005, Ms. Jahangir and Ms. Jilani were among several women who were publicly humiliated, beaten and arrested by Pakistani police. UN Watch confronted Pakistan over its actions at the June 2005 annual session of UN human rights experts in Geneva, causing Pakistan to issue its first apology for the “extremely unfortunate” incidentprevious signatories. [31]  ==Criticism =====Jean Ziegler=== [[Jean Ziegler]] The deceptive aspect about this is "co-founder and vice-chairman of the foundation that administers the Moammar Khaddafi Prize for Human Rights, and arranged for [[Fidel Castro]] to win the US$250,000 award in 1998." [http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2007/11/15/the-post-editorial-board-the-farce-at-the-unhrc.aspx] it enables UN Watch has also described [[Jean Ziegler]] as "among to allay the most vicious" image of persecutors of Israel at the United Nations and being a man who is obsessed with "bashing Israelsingle-issue" organization." {{ref|zig}} In July 2006 *See this coalition UN Watch ran organized for a campaign to 'Stop Jean Ziegler's nomination to the UN Human Rights Council' complete with proposed text of email to be sent to the Swiss Ambassador to the UN.[http://www.unwatch.org/ccm.bdKKISNqEmG/bgreekhelsinki.1289215gr/kindex.8EE6/Take_Action/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspxphp?csec=bdKKISNqEmG194&bcid=1289215&aid=58631337 censure motion] UN Watch noted: :Ziegler is popular among Europe's trendy radicals for his anti-American writings and impassioned media appearances. He is also a hero for his frequent attacks on the Jewish state, all issued with his UN imprimatur... :In the summer of 2004, after it emerged that Ziegler was using UN staff and resources to run an anti-Israel boycott campaign, *UN Watch petitioned for his removal with a legal brief to the UN Commission on Human Rights...It also documented a series appears as one of actions by Ziegler that showed a pattern of selective treatment of Israel, the only country he singled out for condemnation as a Nazi-like state that commits "state terror" and "war crimes."...The charges against Ziegler received wide media coverage, particularly main participants in [[SwitzerlandCONGO]] but also in Europe, the United States, and Israel...UN Watch noted an organization that under the [[European Union]]'s definition of anti-Semitism, comparing Israeli policy brings together disparate NGOs seeking to that of lobby the Nazis is a classic manifestation of this form of hatred...Finally, UN Watch alerted the media to the need for the UN to condemn Ziegler's demonization of Israelis... The impact was immediate. On the same day, 7 July, the UN Watch press release was cited by a reporter at premise is that the daily press conference of Annan's spokesman NGOs working in New York. Consequently, the spokesman soon issued a statement denouncing Ziegler for his remarks. The next day the spokesman for Arbour did the same, followed later by an even stronger statement by Arbour herself in a letter to UN Watch. [[Canada]] then sent Ziegler a formal complaint letter. Finally, some seventy members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Annan and the Commission Chair seeking Ziegler's resignation. :The story of this unprecedented condemnation was reported worldwide by ''Reuters'', the ''Associated Press'', the ''Washington Times'', China's ''Xinhua'', and the ''Jerusalem Post''. Headlines reading "Ziegler Criticized by UN" appeared in a dozen different newspapers in Switzerland, including ''Le Temps'', ''Basler Zeitung'', tandem can have greater influence and ''Tages-Anzeiger''. For the first time, the UN community had condemned assist one of the Commission's human rights experts for anti-Semitismanother obtain their aims. Later stories about Ziegler, such as by the ''Associated Press'', have cited this condemnation, for the first time providing readers with the necessary context. {{</ref|neuer}}> On October 27, 2005, UN Watch published a study which recommended that Kofi Annan and other UN high officials condemn Jean Ziegler *Lobby for bias and that the Chairman inclusion of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, "should remove Jean Ziegler from the position of Special Rapporteur on the right to food" and "if the Chairman does not do so, the 53 State Members of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights should convene to adopt a resolution terminating Jean Ziegler’s term". Failing AJC approved personnel; this, it recommended that "Ziegler should resign".{{ref|zigstudy}}  == History == UN Watch is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva whose mandate is to monitor the performance of the United Nations standard operating procedure by the yardstick of its own Charter. UN Watch was established in 1993 under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Morris B. Abram, the former U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. UN Watch participates actively at the UN as an accredited NGO in Special Consultative Status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and as an Associate NGO to the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). Affiliated with the American Jewish Committee, the organization stands at the forefront at the United Nations in combating anti-Semitism and what former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as the obsessive and one-sided condemnations of Israel that preoccupy several key UN bodies. UN Watch supports the United Nations' mission on behalf of the international community to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" and provide for a more just world. The Geneva-based NGO believes that even with its shortcomings, the UN remains an indispensable tool in bringing together diverse nations and cultures. UN Watch is keenly aware that member states often ask the UN to fulfill mandates and tasks that are neither feasible nor within the means provided. While it would be unrealistic to ignore the UN’s weaknesses, it advocates finding ways to build on its strengths and use its limited resources effectively. UN Watch is foremost concerned with the just application of UN Charter principles. Areas of interest include: UN management reform, the UN and civil society, equality within the UN, and the equal treatment of member states. UN Watch notes that the disproportionate attention and unfair treatment applied by the UN toward Israel over the years offers an object lesson (though not the only one) in how due process, equal treatment, and other fundamental principles of the UN Charter are often ignored or selectively upheld. == Members == Chaired by Ambassador [[Alfred H. Moses]] (Chair), former US Ambassador to [[Romania]] and Presidential Emissary for the [[Cyprus]] Conflict, UN Watch is governed by an international board whose members include: [[Per Ahlmark]] (European Co-Chair), former Deputy Prime Minister of [[Sweden]]; Professor [[Irwin Cotler]], international human rights advocate and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada; [[David A. Harris]] (Co-Chair), <ref>see AJC Executive Director; Ambassador [[Max Jakobson]]News Update Number 212, former Permanent Representative of [[Finland]] to the UN in New York; and [[Ruth Wedgwood]], professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns Hopkins University. [http://www.unwatch28 June 2006.org UN Watch, Geneva, Switzerland] == Staff == <divstyle="float:right;width:100px;margin:0 0 1em 1em">[[Image:Neuer_pic low_res_headshot.jpg]]</divref> '''Executive Director''': [[Hillel C. Neuer]] Hillel C. Neuer is executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO in Geneva, Switzerland. Originally from Montreal, Neuer has written on law, politics and international affairs for publications such as the ''International Herald Tribune'', ''Juriste International'', ''[[Commentary Magazine|Commentary]]'', ''[[The New Republic]] Online'' and the ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]''. He appears regularly before the UN Human Rights Council, intervening for a range of causes including the rape victims of Darfur, political prisoners in Cuba, and Middle East peace. He recently testified as an expert witness before a hearing of the U.S. Congress on UN reform, and is regularly quoted by major media organizations including the ''[[New York Times]]'', ''Die Welt'', ''Le Figaro'' and ''[[Reuters]]''. In the past year Neuer has debated UN human rights issues on CNN, [[Fox News]], and the [[BBC]]. Prior to joining UN Watch, Neuer practiced commercial and civil rights litigation at the international law firm of [[Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison]] LLP. Active as a human rights defender, Neuer was cited by the Federal Court of New York for the high quality of his pro bono advocacy on a precedent-setting First Amendment case for prisoners’ rights and freedom of religion, as reported in ''AIDS Litigation Digest'' and the ''New York Law Journal''. Neuer served as a law clerk to the Supreme Court of Israel. He holds a BA in intellectual history and political science from Concordia University, a BCL and LLB from the McGill University Faculty of Law, and a LLM in comparative constitutional law from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Neuer is a member of the New York bar and co-author of the Annotated Copyright Act of Canada and Directors and Officers—A Canadian Legal Manual. [http://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/upcomingevents/ McGill University Law School, Human Rights Center]

*[[Morris B. Abram]], &ndash; Founder (died 2000)*[[Alfred H. Moses]], &ndash; Chairman *[[David A. HarrisHillel Neuer]] (Co-Chair), AJC &ndash; Executive Director*[[Hillel NeuerElizabeth Cassidy]], &ndash; Assistant Executive Director ===Board of Directors===*[[David A. Harris]] (Co-Chair)<ref name=board></ref>*[[Per Ahlmark]] (European Co-Chair), former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden<ref name=board>UN Watch: [http://www.unwatch.org/site/c.bdKKISNqEmG/b.1313591/k.954F/Mission__History.htm History]: Board Members (Accessed: 14 January 2012)</ref>*[[Irwin Cotler]] (co-Chair), international human rights advocate and former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Canada<ref name=board></ref>*[[Max Jakobson]], <ref name=board></ref>*[[Ruth Wedgwood]]<ref name=board></ref>*[[Jeane Kirkpatrick]] (deceased) former US Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN in New York*[[Ruth Wedgwood]], professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns Hopkins University

*[[Hillel NeuerEve Gani]]<ref name=salt>ibid.</ref>*[[Michael Inlander]]<ref>ibid.</ref>*[[Jonas Waechter]]<ref>ibid.</ref>*[[Natasha Sarraf]]<ref>ibid.</ref>===Former Staff===*[[Pablo Kapusta]] &ndash; Media Relations<ref>Wilmer Hale: [http://www.wilmerhale.com/pablo_kapusta/ profile] (Accessed: 18 December 2011.)</ref>*[[Leon Saltiel]]<ref name=salt>[http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1330819&ct=1760293 Source]</ref>*[[Jardena Lande]]<ref>ibid.</ref>

*[[United Nations Economic and Social CouncilAmerican Jewish Committee]], (NGO special consultative statusparent organization)*[[United Nations Department of Public InformationWorld Jewish Congress]], (NGO associate statusjointly controlled the organization with [[AJC]] until 2001)*[[American Jewish CommitteeTransatlantic Institute]] (affiliateanother AJC operation)*[[Friedrich Naumann Stiftung]] &ndash; co-sponsors events with UN Watch

==Contact informationGeneva Summit Award Winners==PO Box 191<br>1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland<br> Phone: +41 22 734 14 72<br>Fax: +41 22 734 16 13<br>Email: unwatch At unwatch.org<br>===2015===Web: http://www.unwatch.org[[Masih Alinejad]] (Iran)

==Articles and resources=2016===[[Antonio Ledezma]] (Venezuela)

===References=Geneva Summit Particiapants==<references/>[[Darya Safai]] (Iran)

===External resources=Similar Organizations==For further information, see relevant Neocon Europe page *[[http://www.neoconeurope.eu/UN_Watch Eye on the UN Watch]]*[[NGO Monitor]]

#{{note|neuer}} Hillel C. Neuer==Contact=====Address=== :1 rue de Varembé, [http(PO Box 191)://www1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.jcpa :Email: unwatch AT unwatch.org/phas/phas-040-neuer.htm The Struggle against Anti-Israel Bias at the UN Commission on Human Rights], ''[[Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs]]'', January 11, 2006#{{note|ww}} :Website: [http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1314451&ct=1715013 Wednesday Watch], ''UN Watch'', January 19, 2005#{{note|zigstudy}} [http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6DEB65DA-BE5B-4CAE-8056-8BF0BEDF4D17%7D/Jean_Zieglers_Campaign_Against_America.pdf Jean Ziegler's Campaign Against America] ''A Study by UN Watch'', October 27, 2005#{{note|zig}} Lynne Cohen, [http://www.jewishtribune.ca/tribune/jt-050804-02.html Canada condemns anti-Israel remarks of UN official it helped to elect], ''Jewish Tribune'', August 4, 2005Phone: +41 22 734 14 72

==Affiliations==*[[CONGO]]==External articles=Resources==*Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, Paul de Rooij and David Miller, [http://spinwatch.org/-articles-by-category-mainmenu-8/62-international-politics/4998-un-watch-front-group-for-the-american-jewish-committee UN Watch: Front Group for the American Jewish Committee], Spinwatch.org, 8 June 2008.