The United Nations General Assembly is facing sharp criticism for its priorities, as it prepares to inaugurate a new international day condemning Western sanctions on December 4. This move comes amidst what critics describe as a disproportionate focus on the grievances of authoritarian regimes, while major humanitarian crises receive less attention.
A Question of Priorities: Sanctions vs. Sudan
The new observance, called the "International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures," is seen by detractors as a diplomatic victory for a coalition of nations including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. The timing is particularly contentious. The UN has been accused of paying "barely any attention" to the devastating war in Sudan, a conflict that has resulted in an estimated 150,000 deaths, displaced 15 million people, and left 25 million facing hunger.
This event represents the culmination of a decade-long campaign within the UN system. Authoritarian states have systematically worked to reframe human rights discussions, arguing that the economic sanctions imposed on them for gross abuses are themselves the primary human rights violation.
The Rise of an Orwellian UN Mandate
The strategy achieved a significant milestone in 2014. The UN Human Rights Council, following an Iranian-led resolution, created a special position: the "Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights." The first appointee was Algerian diplomat Idriss Jazairy.
Jazairy's tenure was marked by controversial visits and reports that aligned closely with the narratives of sanctioned regimes. In one notable instance, he traveled to Sudan while longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir was under an International Criminal Court warrant for genocide. Jazairy's subsequent UN report accused the United States, Canada, and the European Union of applying sanctions that violated "the right to life."
His 2017 visit to Russia concluded that President Vladimir Putin's government was a victim of human rights violations. Shortly after, Russia donated $50,000 to his office. In 2018, Jazairy went to Syria and declared that sanctions on the Bashar al-Assad regime were a human rights violation, calling for them to be lifted in a report critics said could have been authored by Assad himself.
A Controversial Legacy Continues
Following Jazairy's death in February 2020, his successor has continued the mandate's work. Alena Douhan, a law professor from Belarusian State University, was appointed as the new Special Rapporteur.
In 2021, Douhan visited Venezuela, where she blamed Western sanctions for the country's economic and social collapse. Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro later cited her UN report in an address to the General Assembly. Douhan had also previously given a press conference in Tehran in 2022.
Critics of the new International Day and the mandate behind it argue that the United Nations is providing a platform for the world's most repressive governments to escape accountability. They contend that by focusing on sanctions as the central problem, the UN is effectively "prostituting itself to dictators" seeking to end their international isolation without reforming their behavior, all while urgent, active conflicts and atrocities are overshadowed.
