The UN’s outspoken Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, will face a vote this week at the Human Rights Council to determine whether her mandate will be extended until 2028.

Albanese, an Italian international law professor, and outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, has consistently documented Israeli war crimes and genocidal acts in Gaza—making her one of the UN’s most visible and courageous figures in a time of deepening crisis for Palestinians. Her potential reappointment on Friday is not just a procedural vote; it’s a litmus test for the UN’s moral integrity. 

Appointed on May 1, 2022, Albanese has served nearly three years as Special Rapporteur (SR)—a position typically held for two terms. While the initial appointment is conducted through an anonymous vote, a second term requires a majority vote by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council (HRC). 

“During my own six years as SR for Occupied Palestine (2008-2014), I encountered no case of non-renewal for this second term,” said Richard Falk, Albanese’s predecessor and a prominent international law professor. “The argument for her approval is overwhelmingly strong.”

Falk told TRT World Albanese has always performed her work “with great energy and commitment” even as she has faced relentless attacks, especially from UN Watch—a Geneva-based group aligned to pro-Israeli positions. The group has spearheaded an aggressive lobbying campaign to block her reappointment, including character assassination and accusations of anti-semitism. 

TRT World reached Albanese for comment ahead of the vote, but she had not responded at the time of publication.  

Falk, himself Jewish-American, rejected the smears against her as “totally defamatory”.

“Knowing Francesca Albanese well, I can affirm that she is a person of the highest moral character, a true champion of human rights, and a person that is entirely free from prejudice against any ethnicity, including of course the Jewish people,” added Falk, an emeritus law professor. 

Will Albanese be reappointed? 

Albanese has long been one of the few UN officials willing to publicly confront Israel’s policies of occupation, apartheid, and settler colonialism—particularly amid the current military assault on Gaza, which legal experts and international courts have increasingly recognised as genocidal in nature. 

Still, her reappointment remains uncertain. Countries like The Netherlands have already  declared opposition to her second term, and some members of the US Congress have echoed similar objections. However, the absence of the US from the HRC this year limits Washington’s direct influence on the vote—possibly increasing Albanese’s chances. 

Falk dismissed allegations that Albanese violated UN ethics rules through paid travel or outside funding as “unconvincing” and part of a coordinated smear campaign. Her role, he notes, is unpaid and voluntary.  

If she is not reappointed, Falk warned, it would not only embolden pro-Israeli lobbying groups but further “damage the reputation of the UN”.   

“It would represent a punitive response to Albanese’s courageous diligence and overall competence that warrants praise and unconditional support given the surrounding circumstances,” Falk said.  

He added her work on Israeli genocide is “carefully researched and presented in accord with the highest scholarly standards, and widely discussed in the media and academic gatherings. Instead of her appointment coming under special scrutiny, her performance should be celebrated.”

Even if Albanese wins the vote, Israel would see the council’s decision as evidence of the UN's anti-Israeli nature, Falk predicted. “This is shameful, of course, in view of Israel’s own criminal behaviour being convincingly condemned by the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court in several near unanimous authoritative decisions.”

Albanese: the moral consciousness of humanity

The Italian academic’s outspokenness during Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza has made her a symbol of resistance — not only within the UN, but across the global human rights community.

Despite attempts by governments like Germany to block her from speaking at prestigious universities, she has found other platforms to expose what she calls “a genocide in plain sight”.

Falk argues that Albanese’s work has “activated the moral conscience of the world,” documenting Israeli crimes in ways that resonate far beyond legal circles. 

And yet, her work has not been matched with real institutional action. Despite daily protests around the world against Israel’s brutality in Gaza and the West Bank, international institutions — including the UN — have failed to uphold their own laws and principles. For many Palestinians, and those standing in solidarity, this failure is an ongoing betrayal.

Falk called for sweeping UN reform, including limiting the veto powers of the Security Council’s five permanent members — the US, the UK, France, Russia and China — and empowering the General Assembly. 

“It is essential that the UN meets the challenge of supporting a brave and talented Special Rapporteur, who has persisted in her role despite receiving little by way of support from the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other high level UN civil servants, including the High Commissioner of the HRC, Volker Türk,” the professor added. 

In a private conversation with Deborah Lipstadt, the former US Special Envoy on Antisemitism at last year’s Munich Security Conference, Guterres reportedly referred to Albanese as a “horrible person”, according to Jewish Insider. 

If the HRC bows to political pressure and denies Albanese a second-term, “it would discourage many persons of conscience from taking on these voluntary positions that are neither compensated nor insulated from the whiplash of geopolitics,” concluded Falk.