UN under fire for hosting event with Saudi group

The United Nations faces growing public opposition to an event it is co-hosting with a Saudi Arabian charity only days before the anniversary of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

On T u e s d ay, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a watchdog, joined the campaign to scrap the Sept. 23 MiskOSGEY Youth Forum — a tie-up between the UN and Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman’s Misk Foundation.

Meanwhile, some 5,000 people have signed a petition against the event, which campaigners say whitewashes the image of bin Salman, who reportedly ordered the murder of Mr. Khashoggi inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2 last year.

“On the anniversary, I expected a message from the UN to elevate the case and to seek more punitive measures against Saudi Arabia and those who participated in the killing of Khashoggi,” the CPJ’s Middle East coordinator Sherif Mansour told IPS.

“Perhaps people at the UN had not heard or seen the outrage that has circulated around the world since Khashoggi's death. It’s offensive and insulting to have such a conference around the time when people are remembering his brutal murder.”

To date, some 5,365 people have signed an online petition against the forum, which is part of a scheme between the UN’s youth e n v o y, Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka and bin Salman’s foundation that is aimed at inspiring ethical business practices.