The Week in Multilateralism

Friday, February 26, 2021

• China faced stiff criticism at the United Nations Human Rights Council over its policies in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet. British foreign minister Dominic Raab and German foreign minister Heiko Mass were among those criticizing Beijing. China’s foreign minister responded by accusing the British of attempting to “slander” China and by inviting the UN’s top human rights official, Michele Bachelet, to visit Xinjiang. Later in the week Bachelet indicated that she is considering a visit. Via the Associated Press:

  The United Nations' human rights chief on Friday cited the need for an "independent and comprehensive assessment" of the rights situation in China’s Xinjiang region, while emphasizing that activists, lawyers and rights defenders face unfair charges, detention and trials in China…Bachelet said her office is working to find "mutually agreeable parameters" for her to visit China, including Xinjiang. Efforts to arrange such a visit for the human rights commissioner date to before she took office in September 2018.

  In other Human Rights Council news, the United States announced this week that it would seek a seat on the body for the 2022-2024 term. Barring a dramatic change in its diplomatic practice, the United States will seek election as a member of the Western European and Others group (WEOG) at the UN. And that creates a potential complication. Finland, Italy, and Luxembourg have already announced their own candidacies for the three open WEOG spots on the Council. It’s not yet clear whether any of these candidates might step aside to clear the way for Washington. If they don’t, U.S. diplomats will have to get ready to campaign.

• The United Nations suffered a cultural blow this week, as the organization lost possession of a well-known piece of artwork, a tapestry of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica:

  The tapestry was unveiled on the wall outside the Security Council Chamber on 13 September of 1985. [D]uring the ceremony, the Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar accepted the loan on behalf of the United Nations. Mrs. Rockefeller and members of her family were present.

  Nelson Rockefeller, Jr. apparently requested the return of the the tapestry, which had hung outside the Council chamber for more than thirty years (although it was removed temporarily several years ago while the Security Council was renovated). A UN committee is reportedly considering alternative artwork for the spot, which serves as a thoroughfare for Council diplomats and the international media.

• The African Union voiced support for setting aside some intellectual property rights associated with covid-19 vaccines and medications. The AU statement may intensify discussion of the issue at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Last fall, Indian and South African representatives to the trade body proposed waivers, which the United States and several other countries have resisted. This week, the organization’s new director general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, weighed in on how trade rules intersect with the pandemic. She urged countries to lift export restrictions on medicines and vaccines but stopped well short of advocating intellectual property waivers.

• Axios reported that Israeli officials have encouraged President Biden to maintain U.S. sanctions on senior prosecution officials from the International Criminal Court:

  Israeli diplomats have made the case to their U.S. counterparts that even if the administration disagrees with the sanctions, it should keep them in place as leverage to persuade Bensouda and her successor not to pursue the investigations into Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza.

  The Biden administration’s failure to lift those sanctions, imposed by the Trump administration, has provoked protests from human rights organizations and advocates for the court.

• One of the consequences of the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the international nuclear deal with Iran has been a steady deterioration in relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Last weekend, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi jetted to Tehran to try to keep cooperation alive. He returned with a compromise agreement. Via the Guardian:

  Iran will go ahead with its threat to withdraw this week from the additional protocol, the agreement that gives inspectors from the [IAEA] intrusive powers. However…Grossi announced that he had struck what he described as “a temporary bilateral technical understanding” that will mitigate the impact of Iran’s withdrawal from the protocol, and give the IAEA confidence that it can continue to verify Iran’s nuclear activity.

  A week later, it’s not clear that even this temporary agreement will endure. According to Reuters, Iran is threatening to pull back from the compromise as a response to U.S. efforts to secure a new IAEA resolution criticizing Iran.

• Blue helmets seek protection: More than a dozen Ethiopian troops deployed as UN peacekeepers in South Sudan have reportedly sought asylum in that country. According to the Associated Press, the soldiers all had roots in the embattled province of Tigray:

  U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said they were among 169 personnel from the Ethiopian contingent in the U.N. peacekeeping mission scheduled to rotate out of South Sudan’s capital, Juba. Some 2,100 of the mission’s 17,200 troops, police and civilians are from Ethiopia.

  “We’re trying to get the details, but I do understand about 15 members of the contingent chose not to board the flight at the Juba airport,” Dujarric said. “They’ve asked to stay. They are receiving support from the South Sudanese Ministry of Refugee Affairs.” The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, is “in contact with the South Sudanese authorities,” he said.

• With border tensions between China and India easing, Chinese officials this week welcomed India’s leadership of the BRICS grouping. Catherine Wong of the South China Morning Post reported:

  “China attaches great importance to the BRICS mechanism,” Wang said at a regular press conference on Monday. “The Chinese side supports the Indian side in hosting the meeting and is willing to work with India and other BRICS countries in expanding cooperation on economy, politics and people-to-people exchanges.”

  India has yet to announce the exact dates of this year’s meeting and whether it can be held in person. 

• Briefly noted:

  • The G20 countries appear ready to back a proposal for new International Monetary Fund (IMF) resources.

  • Negotiations between Argentina and the IMF are going nowhere fast.

  • The head of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank wants to forge ties with the Biden administration.

  • In a dramatic speech to the UN General Assembly, Myanmar’s ambassador condemned the military coup in his country and called for international action.

  • With the exit of a Swiss candidate, the race to lead the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has narrowed.