Every year, hundreds of human rights groups go to the UN headquarters in Geneva to draw attention to the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people, such as those who have been subjected to torture, starvation, war, or unjust incarceration.
However, an investigation conducted by The Washington Post and other news organizations in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that dozens of self-described nongovernmental organizations operating in Geneva have covert connections to the Chinese government and have participated in a massive effort to undermine the work of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
According to interviews and a review of public documents, Beijing-backed organizations swarm into U.N. human rights sessions to give rosy Chinese narratives that contradict reliable allegations of persecution. Their representatives aim to silence or obstruct the testimony of respectable NGOs regarding their findings regarding the targeting of democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, the separation of children from Tibetan families, or the imprisonment of Muslim Uyghurs in internment camps in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
According to conversations with U.S. officials, Western diplomats, and members of the targeted NGOs, the Beijing-controlled groups are increasingly being used to monitor and threaten people who are intending to speak about alleged violations. A number of activists reported experiencing harassment or being photographed on U.N. property.
There has never been any prior reporting on the scope of the Chinese effort. Nearly 60 Chinese-registered NGOs, or more than half of the Chinese organizations that have been granted special U.N. status, essentially serve as extensions of the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the ICIJ investigation. Many swear allegiance to the party, admit to deferring to party leaders on management issues, or take large sums of money from the party or government, according to their own paperwork and other sources.
In addition to interviews with Western and U.N. officials, human rights attorneys, activists, and repression targets, this research is based on an analysis of hundreds of web data and financial documents. Due to fear of reprisals, several people talked on the condition of anonymity. According to U.N. officials, they have stepped in to safeguard people who are being targeted and aim to react quickly to accusations of abuse. According to the officials, they have also questioned Beijing’s authorities about claims of intimidation and monitoring.
“We have communicated with the Chinese government on a regular basis,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesman for the U.N. Human Rights Office. “The freedom to interact with the United Nations and its mechanisms without fear of intimidation or retaliation is a fundamental principle of the U.N. system.”
Nevertheless, U.N. reactions have not gone so far as to revoke the accreditations of non-governmental organizations that represent one of its most influential members. China is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and contributes an increasing amount to the U.N. budget. The U.N. human rights agency should “start distinguishing between ‘authentic’ and ‘non-authentic’ NGOs,” according to Shamdasani, since this might be “misused as a tool by states.”
With titles like the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the China Foundation for Human Rights Development, and the China Ethnic Minorities’ Association for External Exchanges, the Beijing-backed organizations pose as autonomous non-governmental organizations. However, a thorough examination of their financial records, online leadership profiles, and other materials reveals deep ties to the CCP and the Chinese government.
106 NGOs having U.N. accreditation that are registered in or connected to China were found by the ICIJ study. U.N. regulations designed to make sure NGOs testifying in Geneva aren’t acting under pressure or influence from the government seem to be broken by at least 59 of them.
The research discovered that more than 50 out of the 106 NGOs had pledged allegiance to the CCP in their charter papers, with some admitting that they defer to the party when it comes to recruiting and financing choices. There are 46 directors or other leaders on the list who were also employed by the CCP or Chinese state agencies. According to records, the majority of financing for at least ten came from the Chinese government.
Organizations that have tried to expose human rights violations in China have found Geneva to be an increasingly hostile environment due to the expansion of Beijing-backed groups, according to NGO executives who have claimed being regularly monitored and intimidated in the Swiss capital.
