2021-08-30
The ECLJ (the European Centre for Law and Justice) reports on the functioning and financing of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council:
"How the UN experts are funded and influenced"
"it reveals the insufficiency and opacity of their funding and exposes the methods implemented by some private funders to influence these experts"
It's no surprise that it would appear that some UN officials are funded by vested interests - but it may be a surprise to the uninitiated that the ECLJ has remit to check out the UN, which is clearly not a European institution. No doubt this is justifiable in the context that the UN has a very large influence indeed on Europe, through its medical branch the WHO, its Human Rights support, and through the climate branch the IPCC.
"The ECLJ has held special Consultative Status before the United Nations/ECOSOC since 2007"
"The ECLJ bases its action on 'the spiritual and moral values which are the common
heritage of European peoples and the true source of individual freedom, political
liberty and the rule of law, principles which form the basis of all genuine democracy'"
The subject area covered by this report is Human Rights, which is overseen by the UN's Human Rights Council.
This report is effectively a deep dive into the set-up of the UN's Human Rights structures, how these are funded, where outside influences and funding may be brought to bear, and the effect of these arrangements on accountability.
I suspect that in producing this 90 page report, the ECLJ has done us all a favour.
