The Geneva-based International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) released a report Thursday (July 15) on China’s undue influence in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (ECOSOC). The report, entitled “China in ECOSOC: Effective Investment or Excessive Influence? says that China has long operated in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and has too much influence, and that governments should confront the potential risks posed by China.
The 28-page report notes that China has used its unique presence and influence in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs to ensure that standards are set and funds are allocated in a manner that is highly consistent with Beijing’s foreign policy objectives.
This study captures and visualizes the Chinese government’s quest for formal and informal leadership positions at the UN, and shows how China has aligned its national priorities with this,” said Sarah M. Brooks, program director and China expert at International Service for Human Rights and lead author of the report. “
This includes seeking U.N. support for Xi’s government’s all-out “Belt and Road” initiative and his famous phrase, “community of human destiny.
A day before the report’s release, the International Service for Human Rights also held a press briefing. Speakers at the briefing spoke of how China, along with other governments, acts as a gatekeeper for NGOs to enter the UN, and that those organizations that share the views of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party are able to enter the UN system. China also saps the will to participate in UN activities through intimidation of activists and their families, and even (increasingly) diplomats and UN officials.
The report found that China has secured UN support for the Belt and Road Initiative by marketing it in conjunction with DESA and even allocating Belt and Road Initiative funds through the UN Economic and Social Council. “The report also reveals that China has used its position in the UN to promote the Belt and Road Initiative.
The report also reveals that China has used its excessive influence in the UN DESA to restrict the participation of certain NGOs or individuals in UN activities under the pretext of “territorial sovereignty” and to exclude and attack some important statements in UN documents under the pretext of “terrorism. The report recommends that all governments and the United Nations should make a clear distinction between the United Nations and the United Nations.
The report recommends that governments and the UN deepen their understanding of and respond positively to the Chinese government’s investment and influence strategies; that governments challenge China’s leadership of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, run for leadership positions, and track possible Chinese Communist language and concepts in UN documents.
Brooks said the study definitely helps to understand the reality of whether China is contributing to or undermining meaningful multilateralism that is rooted in human rights principles.
“We chose to focus on China’s relationship with the UN DESA not for some kind of political game, but because we see on the ground in places like Geneva a fundamental change in the way not only Chinese activists, but civil society globally, may influence the future direction of the UN system,” Brooks said.
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