NYT: U.S. Blocks Iran’s Bid for a U.N. Board Seat

UNITED NATIONS — The United States orchestrated the defeat of Iran’s push to gain a seat Wednesday on the board of the new United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality around the world, in keeping with the broader American strategy to isolate Iran.

The United States organized a global diplomatic effort to block Iran from the board, with its ambassadors approaching dozens of foreign ministries to argue that the Islamic republic’s human rights record would send the wrong message about the new body.

The American ambassador, Susan E. Rice, not known for glad-handing around the United Nations, was working the room before the vote, shaking hands.

“We’ve made no secret of our concern that Iran joining the board of UN Women would have been an inauspicious start to that board,” Ms. Rice told reporters afterward, using the common name for the new organization.

“They lost, and they lost handily,” she added. “The slate that was selected, including the late candidacy of Timor-Leste, is one that is largely comprised of countries that are committed to women’s rights and have a good record of support of women’s rights and human rights.”

Encouraged by the United States and several human rights organizations, Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, stepped forward a week ago to contest what had been an uncontested slate of 10 countries, one for each Asian seat on the board.

The United States pushed through new Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program in June, measures that American officials contend are inflicting pressure on Iran’s economy.

The latest fight was typical of the cat-and-mouse games pitting the United States and Iran against each other along the many corridors of the world body, each attempting to diminish the other’s role. The Americans said nothing, for example, about Saudi Arabia, where women are not allowed to drive, but which gained one of the 41 board seats in the election.

Ms. Rice, asked about Saudi Arabia, said, “I am not going to deny that there were several countries that are going to join the board of UN Women that have less than stellar records on women’s rights, indeed human rights.”

A member of the Iranian delegation accused the United States of playing “childish” political games and said that even without a board seat, his country would remain active on UN Women. “They misuse human rights for their political ends; that is sad,” said Eshagh al-Habib, the deputy representative.

He rejected the argument that Iran did not deserve a seat for its human rights record, arguing that practices like sentencing women to death by stoning for adultery were extremely rare.

“It is not true; Iran is progressing very fast in the field of human rights, women’s rights,” he said, with health, education and opportunities to hold political office all expanding for women.

Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Iran, appeared at the United Nations on Tuesday to say that electing Iran, as well as Saudi Arabia, to the board would be a “joke.” Human rights have deteriorated steadily in Iran since the contested 2009 presidential election, which forced her into exile, she argued, and she noted examples of discrimination in Iranian law, such as the testimony of a man being worth that of two women.

Most of the 41 board seats were divided among geographic blocs: Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Six were set aside for major donors, which is how Saudi Arabia gained a seat.

In the end, Iran got just 19 votes while East Timor attracted 36. Only the 54 states currently on the United Nations Economic and Social Council could vote.