GENEVA- Next week, Gerald Steinberg, professor of political science at Bar-Ilan University and President of Jerusalem–based research organization NGO Monitor, and Anne Herzberg, NGO Monitor’s Legal Advisor and author of the research institute’s latest report on the impact of women’s rights initiatives in the Middle East, will participate in the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council, on behalf of the Amuta (civil society organization) for NGO Responsibility.

In advance of the session, NGO Monitor’s research was featured in two written statements, submitted to the HRC by the Amuta for NGO Responsibility, which will be considered in Monday’s (March 24) session on the “Palestinian Territories.”

In a statement on Women’s Rights in the Middle East, NGO Monitor’s research supports a call for the Human Rights Council and international NGOS (non-governmental organizations) to make the advancement of women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa a key priority for 2014. Research shows that international NGOS have not done nearly enough to protect the rights of women in the MENA region, as there have been no major improvements to women’s’ lives since the 2011 “Arab Spring.”

Herzberg commented, “It was hoped that the ousting of dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya and mass demonstrations elsewhere would bring about fundamental reforms, particularly, for women. Unfortunately, these changes did not materialize, and the NGO network shares responsibility.”

In a second statement, on European human rights funding for Arab-Israeli peace, NGO Monitor’s research shows that European government funding for humanitarian NGOs in Israel, West Bank, and Gaza involves no systematic evaluation of impacts, and therefore provides no evidence that such NGOs have contributed to improved human rights.

Prof. Steinberg noted, “European government initiatives that claim to promote peace, human rights, democracy, and other moral values have become instruments for the promotion of partisan agendas that are counter-productive to efforts to promote peace in the region. Taxpayer money is being channeled to organizations and activities that fuel the conflict, in violation of democratic principles.”

NGO Monitor will participate in two Side Events during the 25th session of the HRC:

Monday, March 24th– The Role of the UN in the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Panel speakers: Prof. Gerald Steinberg, former member of the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Einat Wilf, and UN Watch Executive Director, Mr. Hillel C. Neuer

Tuesday, March 25th– Women’s Rights in the Middle East

Panel speakers: Anne Herzberg and former member of the Israeli Knesset, Dr. Einat Wilf

The media and public are invited. Click here for more information.