UN General Assembly Elects Iran to Key Program Committee, 144 Votes

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday elected Iran to the U.N. Committee for Programme and Coordination, a body that reviews how the world organization plans and prioritizes its programs, according to The Jerusalem Post. Iran received 144 votes in a secret-ballot election, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing the voting results.

The election took place at the General Assembly’s 40th plenary meeting of its 81st session, where the agenda listed the “election of members of the Committee for Programme and Coordination,” according to the U.N.’s official Web TV record of the session.

SHAME: The U.N. General Assembly just elected the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran to its Committee for Program and Coordination, the main body shaping the world organization’s priorities on Women’s Rights, Human Rights, Disarmament and Counter-Terrorism. 144 voted for Iran. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/rHMBOS3YFe

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 11, 2026

What the Committee Does

The Committee for Programme and Coordination is a 34-member body whose member states serve three-year terms, Fox News reported. The committee does not draft human rights treaties or issue condemnations of abuses, but it plays an influential administrative role in how human rights initiatives are carried out across the U.N. system, according to Fox News.

UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog group, has said the committee’s work includes reviewing the U.N.’s strategic framework and program budget and recommending priorities among programs, including in areas such as gender equality, disarmament, human rights and terrorism prevention.

How Iran Got the Nomination

Iran was nominated in April by the U.N.’s 54-member Economic and Social Council, the Jerusalem Post reported. UN Watch said the nomination was approved by consensus on April 8, 2026, and that Western members including Canada and Germany did not call for a vote. The United States was the only council member to formally object, according to UN Watch and Iran Observatory.

Canada’s foreign ministry pushed back on that account at the time, saying in posts quoted by UN Watch that Iran was put forward by the Asia-Pacific Group, that Canada “did not endorse or vote for this nomination,” and that the committee is “an advisory body with no decision-making role.” UN Watch disputed that description, pointing out that the U.N. calls the committee the main subsidiary body for planning, programming and coordination.

Critics React

UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer had urged U.N. member states to demand a recorded vote to try to block Iran’s election, the Jerusalem Post reported. After the result was announced, Neuer wrote in a post on X: “SHAME: The U.N. General Assembly just elected the murderous Islamic Republic of Iran to its Committee for Program and Coordination, the main body shaping the world organization’s priorities on Women’s Rights, Human Rights, Disarmament and Counter-Terrorism. 144 voted for Iran.”

Israel also objected during Wednesday’s session, the Jerusalem Post reported. Israeli representatives described what they called a double standard in how Israeli candidates are treated, saying Arab groups had repeatedly subjected them to politically motivated votes, and called the process a “waste of time and resources,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

Before the vote, Neuer told Fox News that putting Iran on the committee would be “Orwellian.” Fox News reported that the General Assembly vote had been widely expected to pass as a formality once the nomination cleared the Economic and Social Council.

Iran’s SNN news agency also reported the result, saying Iran won the seat with 144 votes and noting objections from Israel and UN Watch.

The election comes as the United States keeps sanctions and a naval blockade in place against Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that the economic pressure campaign is working, according to Reuters.

Sources

• The Jerusalem Post
• UN Web TV: General Assembly, 40th plenary meeting, 81st session
• Fox News
• UN Watch
• Iran Observatory
• Reuters via Al-Monitor
• Hillel Neuer on X

Compiled from Hillel Neuer.