UN Human Rights Council

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered at on 8 June 2026.

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Photo of Lord Alton of Liverpool Lord Alton of Liverpool Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee), Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee)

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of UN Watch in its report From Watchdogs to Ideologues, published on 26 May, of a pattern of ideological bias and financial conflicts of interest relating to 13 UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs; and what action they intend to take in response.

Photo of Lord Alton of Liverpool Lord Alton of Liverpool Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee), Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee)

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the UN Watch report From Watchdogs to Ideologues on 26 May, whether they support the calls of UN Watch to create a coalition of democratic states to regularly assess, publicly rate, and hold UN experts accountable; to impose a ban on UN experts receiving earmarked funding from governments or other external entities; to establish an independent external mechanism to review, audit, and discipline mandate-holders; and to establish an independent system of external vetting of candidates by democracies.

Photo of Baroness Chapman of Darlington Baroness Chapman of Darlington Minister of State (Development)

The UK continues to welcome the crucial role played by the United Nations' network of special rapporteurs and experts in several countries and regions around the world, as well as on specific issues of concern. However, in order to maintain the confidence of the international community in those roles, it is important that each rapporteur or expert upholds the highest standards of independence and objectivity, and we will always make clear when we believe any individual has fallen short of those standards.

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