UN elects Iran to key committee overseeing organization's global priorities despite criticism

Iran received 144 votes to join a key UN committee overseeing organizational priorities, drawing criticism over Tehran's human rights record and support for terrorist organizations.

The United Nations General Assembly elected the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination on Wednesday, giving Tehran a seat on a key body responsible for reviewing and coordinating the organization’s programs and priorities, despite its record of human rights abuses and support for terrorist organizations.
Iran received 144 votes in favor in a secret-ballot election, according to the voting results.

During Wednesday’s session, Israel raised objections to what it described as a double standard in the treatment of Israeli candidates, accusing Arab groups of repeatedly subjecting them to politically motivated votes and calling the process a “waste of time and resources.”

Critics, including UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer, had repeatedly urged international representatives to demand a vote on Iran’s candidacy to block its election, following the Islamic Republic’s nomination by the UN’s 54-member Economic and Social Council in April.

UN Watch condemns Iran's election to key committee as 'travesty of justice'

“They are planning to elect the Islamic regime in Iran to a UN committee that shapes priorities on women’s rights and terrorism prevention,” Neuer said. “This is a travesty of justice. … They massacred tens of thousands of people in January, [so] the notion that they would be named to this committee is an absurdity.”

“The UN General Assembly just elected the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran to its Committee for Program and Coordination, the main body shaping the world organization’s priorities on Women’s Rights, Human Rights, Disarmament, and Counter-Terrorism,” he wrote on X/Twitter after the vote was announced.