Former Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) staff member Emma Reilly has made serious allegations against the United Nations, suggesting a troubling connection between the OHCHR and the Chinese government.
The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has released written evidence it received as part of its investigation into international relations within the multilateral system.
Revealing Allegations: Emma Reilly’s Revelations and Their Impact
Reilly, acting as a whistleblower, has claimed that the OHCHR has been offering “dangerous ‘favors'” to the Chinese government, asserting that these favors are part of a broader effort by China to manipulate the UN for its national interests.
Her evidence points to a “UN concealment of special favors for China,” according to a press release from the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
Reilly alleged that “during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals,” Beijing bribed two successive Presidents of the General Assembly who were overseeing the process and had significant influence over the final texts presented to the Assembly.
Her evidence also suggests that China “imposes a secret conditionality across UN agencies, stipulating that the funds provided may not be used in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan.”
Reilly’s allegations extend to claims of bribery by China during Sustainable Development Goals negotiations and secret conditionality across UN agencies regarding Taiwan.
She also accuses the Chief of the Human Rights Council Branch of providing advance information to China on attending activists.
Additionally, Reilly alleges UN officials lied to member states, including the UK, about sharing names with China without consent.
Her evidence suggests that such disclosures led to repercussions for activists and their families, including arrests, disappearances, and torture.
Reilly further claims that the UN Secretary-General acknowledged difficulty in resolving her case due to favors given to China. Furthermore, her evidence alleges editing of reports on Covid origins to downplay the possibility of a lab leak.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office highlights China’s efforts to influence the multilateral system towards a state-centric, authoritarian worldview.
Multilateral Diplomacy: Insights and Challenges from Expert Testimony
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) highlighted Russia’s disruptive role within the multilateral system. It also addressed Iran’s use of its position in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resist compliance with legal obligations.
Various organizations and individuals, including the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, China Strategic Risks Institute, and individual experts like Bill Browder, have provided evidence for the inquiry.
The Foreign Affairs Committee commenced its investigation with an evidence session featuring whistleblower Emma Reilly and other experts like Lord Malloch-Brown.
This inquiry aims to search how different countries engage with multilateral organizations, whether by influencing them, circumventing them, or obstructing them.
It follows the Committee’s previous report, “In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy,” which warned of autocratic states’ attempts to co-opt and redefine important multilateral institutions.
