Key Issue:UN BDS Blacklist
After multiple delays over legal, due process, and methodological concerns, which do not seem to have been addressed, on February 12, 2020, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published its “Database of all business enterprises” that it claims contribute to “human rights concerns.” This UN blacklist, ordered by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), is meant to bolster BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) campaigns, singling out Israel. The unique treatment of Israel in this exercise, as with many other HRC initiatives, violates the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Definition of antisemitism.
January 2020 NGO Monitor Letter to OHCHR High Commissioner
In January 2020, Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg sent a letter to OCHR High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet regarding the UN BDS Blacklist, referring to a number of substantive flaws.
Letter to OHCHR High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet Regarding the BDS Blacklist
In January 2019, Legal Advisor Anne Herzberg sent a letter to OCHR High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet.
NGO Monitor Written Submission to the UN Human Rights Council
In May 2017, NGO Monitor submitted a written statement to the 35th Session of the UN HRC arguing that OHCHR’s current research into such business activity is far too narrow in its scope, and fails to capture the full context and magnitude of business activities that support settlement enterprises in occupied territories.
NGO Monitor Submission to OHCHR
On January 2, 2017, NGO Monitor sent a position paper to the UN Human Rights Council arguing that a discriminatory “blacklist” intended to defame and economically harm companies doing business with Israel violates international law, ignores due process rights, and promotes antisemitism.
