Nothing to Hide: How the UN and Francesca Albanese Engaged in a Cover-Up to Conceal Her Funding by Pro-Hamas Lobby Groups
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Executive Summary:
“I have never had, and will never have, anything to hide.” So claimed Francesca Albanese in July 2024 in response to UN Watch’s detailed allegations that she took funding from pro-Hamas lobby groups. Yet this report reveals how the UN and its rapporteur engaged in a deliberate cover-up to conceal her funding by pro-Hamas lobby groups, and her commission of other grave ethical violations and financial misconduct, warranting an
urgent and independent investigation.
Albanese served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2025. While she continues to present herself as a UN official, her purported renewal by the Human Rights Council for a second term was invalid and without legal effect as the President of the Council materially violated the established procedure in refusing to act on information documenting Albanese’s persistent non-compliance with the Code of Conduct, including information on the financial wrongdoing and cover-up that is the subject of this report.
As detailed below, in November 2023, Ms. Albanese conducted a lobbying trip to Australia and New Zealand in which she did not conduct any investigation pursuant to her mandate. Contrary to her denials and those by the UN, this report documents how the trip was partially funded by “external” groups, most likely pro-Hamas lobby groups in those countries. This financial sponsorship blatantly violated Article 3 of the UN Code of Conduct for Special Procedures, which prohibits mandate-holders from accepting any favors, gifts, or remuneration from non-governmental sources.
When first challenged about this violation in 2023 and 2024, Ms. Albanese, backed by the UN, vehemently denied that there was outside funding, falsely claiming that her trip was funded by the UN. This lie was perpetuated by the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, who denied any role in the expenditures. In fact, Albanese’s expenses related to her UN mandate are managed and overseen by the UN Human Rights Office, which is part of the UN Secretariat, and therefore answerable to Secretary-General Guterres.
When UN Watch submitted multiple complaints demanding accountability, the UN Secretariat orchestrated a cover-up by referring the matter not to an impartial authority, but rather to the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures-a panel lacking investigative authority, and comprised of Ms. Albanese’s close friends and collaborators, several of whom had already publicly defended her and pre-judged this very matter.
From the time of UN Watch’s initial complaints in November 2023, the UN and its Coordination Committee for 16 months failed to take any action whatsoever against Ms. Albanese’s wrongdoing. Suddenly, however, in late March 2025-when multiple letters were filed protesting Ms. Albanese’s renewal for a second three-year term-the Coordination Committee hastily produced a letter that largely exonerated her of wrongdoing.
In protesting the renewal, UN Watch had invoked Presidential Statement 8/PRST/2, which requires the President to bring such controversies before the Human Rights Council for deliberation and appropriate action. Five governments-the U.S., Israel, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Hungary-joined the protest.3 So did many lawmakers from different jurisdictions. It appears that the Human Rights Council President summoned the letter from the Coordination Committee-which for well over a year did nothing-in order to justify renewing Ms. Albanese without following the established procedure under Presidential Statement 8/PRST/2.
Yet even the Coordination Committee’s letter acknowledged multiple improprieties which themselves were grounds for Ms. Albanese’s dismissal and non-renewal, including: antisemitic social media posts, inappropriate use of external assistants, undisclosed external funding, and misuse of honoraria directed to a research assistant in violation of UN rules. Despite these findings, the Committee absolved Ms. Albanese, clearing the way for her reappointment.
This entire affair amounts to a coordinated cover-up. Ms. Albanese lied, the UN lied to protect her, and a biased internal committee served as the mechanism to bury misconduct, avoid accountability, and ensure her renewal. UN Watch’s evidence, mostly confirmed by the Committee, establishes that Ms. Albanese engaged in systemic violations of the Code of Conduct. Yet, instead of upholding its rules and enforcing accountability, the UN chose to grant Ms. Albanese impunity.
The UN’s failure to hold Ms. Albanese accountable illustrates a systemic failure of oversight and integrity. UN Watch calls for an immediate independent investigation into Ms. Albanese’s conduct and the UN’s cover-up.
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