The United Nations General Assembly is set to convene on December 4 to mark the "International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures." This event has drawn criticism for its focus on condemning Western sanctions, particularly in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, where an estimated 150,000 people have died, 15 million have been displaced, and 25 million are facing hunger.

The initiative is backed by several authoritarian regimes, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. Critics argue that these countries are using the UN platform to deflect attention from their own human rights abuses by blaming Western sanctions for their problems. This trend has been developing over the past decade, with authoritarian governments increasingly dominating discussions on human rights at the UN.

In 2014, the UN Human Rights Council established a position to promote the idea that sanctions against abusive regimes violate human rights. This led to the appointment of Idriss Jazairy, an Algerian diplomat, as the special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures. Jazairy's tenure included visits to countries like Sudan, where he accused Western nations of violating the right to life through sanctions, despite the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir.

Jazairy also visited Russia, where he claimed that the government was a victim of human rights violations, shortly before Russia donated $50,000 to his office. His 2018 report on Syria criticized sanctions against Bashar Assad's regime, calling for their removal.

After Jazairy's death in February 2020, Alena Douhan, a law professor from Belarus, took over as the UN's special rapporteur. Douhan has continued the trend of blaming Western sanctions for the crises in countries like Venezuela and Zimbabwe. During her visits, she has often ignored calls from local activists to address human rights abuses, instead portraying the regimes as victims of external pressures.

In May 2022, Douhan visited Iran, where she declined to meet with dissidents and instead emphasized the negative impact of sanctions on the Iranian people. Her subsequent visit to Syria resulted in a similar conclusion, where she blamed Western sanctions for the suffering of the Syrian population rather than the actions of the Assad regime.

Most recently, Douhan visited China’s Xinjiang province, where she focused on sanctions against companies involved in alleged human rights abuses, without addressing the detention of Uyghurs in forced labor camps. Her visit to Cuba also resulted in a report that attributed the country’s struggles solely to U.S. sanctions, ignoring the government's repression of free speech and political dissent.

As the UN prepares to celebrate the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures, concerns are growing about the organization's role in enabling authoritarian regimes. Critics argue that democratic leaders are failing to hold these regimes accountable and are instead allowing the UN to become a platform for their propaganda. Annalena Baerbock, the current president of the UN General Assembly and former German foreign minister, is scheduled to deliver the opening address at the event, raising further questions about the UN's commitment to human rights.

The situation highlights the need for democratic states to confront the manipulation of the UN's human rights mechanisms and to ensure that the organization serves its intended purpose rather than providing cover for oppressive regimes.