On April 20, 2021, the United Nations Economic and Social Council elected the following stalwarts of human rights to leadership positions in UN entities:
- Iran was elected to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), "the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women." According to the U.S. State Department report on Iran, "Significant human rights issues included:...; lack of meaningful investigation of and accountability for violence against women;... Every year between 375 and 450 ... killings occur, in which mostly women are killed by their male relatives--including their husbands, fathers, and brothers--in the name of preserving the family's "honor." Judicial harassment, intimidation, detention, and smear campaigns significantly challenged the ability of civil society organizations to fight for and protect women's rights..."
- In Egypt, also elected to the Commission on the Status of Women, the U.S. State Department has reported that "Women did not enjoy the same legal rights and opportunities as men, and discrimination was widespread... Women faced widespread societal discrimination, threats to their physical security..."
- Libya was elected to the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which is "responsible for setting out global strategy to ... promote stable criminal justice systems." This is notwithstanding the fact that in Libya, according to the U.S. State Department, "Significant human rights issues included: arbitrary and unlawful killings by various armed groups,...; forced disappearances; torture perpetrated by armed groups on all sides; harsh and life-threatening conditions in prison and detention facilities...; arbitrary arrest and detention; political prisoners or detainees;..."
- Cuba was also elected to the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, even though the U.S. State Department reports "unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings, by the government; forced disappearance by the government; torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of political dissidents, detainees, and prisoners by security forces; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrests and detentions; political prisoners; significant problems with the independence of the judiciary;"
- Afghanistan was elected to the Executive Board of U.N. Women, whose role is to "hold the UN system accountable for its own commitments on gender equality".. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reports on Afghanistan's "commitment to gender equality": "Honor killings continued throughout the year... Women who reported cases of abuse or who sought legal redress for other matters reported they experienced discrimination within the judicial system... Female political figures and activists were the targets of assassinations and
assassination attempts throughout the year."