Libya, Iran, China, Sudan and Myanmar are some of the long list of dictatorships and human rights basket-cases in UN leadership roles positions that entail responsibilities diametrically opposed to their qualifications. Here are some of today's UN authority figures.
States in UN Leadership Positions
*NEW*
Elected on June 10, 2009 for term beginning September 2009.
- U.N. General Assembly, President: Libya
- UN General Assembly, Vice-President: Sudan, China, Russia
- UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, (The Legal Committee), Chair: Algeria
- UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, (The Legal Committee), Vice-Chair: Iran
*NEW*
Elected on June 19, 2009 for term effective immediately.
- UN Human Rights Council, Vice-President and Rapporteur: Egypt
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- UN General Assembly, President: Nicaragua, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
- UN General Assembly, Vice-President: Myanmar, Egypt, China, Russia
- UN General Assembly Second Committee, (The Economic and Financial Committee), Rapporteur: Yemen
- UN General Assembly Second Committee, (The Economic and Financial Committee), Vice-Chair: Belarus
- UN General Assembly Third Committee, the Social, (The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee), Rapporteur: Saudi Arabia
- UN General Assembly Fifth Committee, (The Administration and Budgetary Matters Committee), Vice-Chair: Sudan
- UN General Assembly Sixth Committee, (The Legal Committee), Vice-Chair: Algeria
- UN Economic and Social Council: Saudi Arabia
- UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, Chair: Sudan
- UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, Vice-Chair: Cuba
- UN Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur: Pakistan
- UN Security Council: Libya
- UN Development Programme, Executive Board, President: Iran
- UN Committee on Information, Vice-Chairman: Iran
- UN Committee on Information: China, Kazakhstan
- UN Commission on the Status of Women: Togo, United Arab Emirates
- UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice: Libya, Russia
- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Executive Board: Myanmar, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Iran, China
- UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Governing Council: Zimbabwe
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Executive Committee: Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan
- UN World Food Programme, Executive Board: Sudan
Individuals in UN Leadership Positions
with troubling histories and biases
- UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, Expert: Jean Ziegler
- UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories: Richard Falk
- UN Human Rights Council High-Level Fact-finding Mission to Beit Hanoun, Head of Mission: Archbishop Desmond Tutu
- UN Human Rights Council International Fact-Finding Mission to Gaza, Head of Mission: Richard Goldstone
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| 2009 |
| U.N. Commission for Social Development: North Korea |
| U.N. Commission on the Status of Women: Qatar |
| UN Human Rights Council Vice-President and Rapporteur: Azerbaijan |
| UN Human Rights Council, President: Nigeria |
| 2008 |
| Human Rights Council's Working Group on Situations: Angola |
| U.N. Development Programme Executive Board: Algeria |
| U.N. Disarmament Commission Rapporteur: Syria |
| U.N. Disarmament Commission Vice-Chairman: Iran |
| U.N. General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament and International Security Vice-Chairperson: Syria |
| U.N. General Assembly Vice-President: Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| U.N. General Assembly Vice-President: Turkmenistan |
| U.N. Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Member Seyed Mohammad Hashemi, Deputy Minister of Development and Interior of Iran Since 2002 |
| U.N. International Labour Organization Governing Body: Saudi Arabia |
| U.N. World Food Programme Executive Board: Zimbabwe |
| 2007 |
| International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference, Vice-President: Syria |
| U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Board, Vice-President: Myanmar |
| U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development: Sudan |
| U.N. Development Programme Executive Board: Kazakhstan |
| U.N. Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law Advisory Committee: Iran |
| U.N. Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law Advisory Committee: Lebanon |
| U.N. Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law Advisory Committee: Sudan |
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