Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Palestine, is set to present her latest report on the Gaza genocide from Cape Town, South Africa, rather than the UN General Assembly headquarters in New York. This unprecedented move comes as a direct consequence of US sanctions imposed against her earlier this year, which have barred her from entering the United States and frozen her assets there. The sanctions, issued by the Trump administration in July, followed Albanese’s critical report on June 30, which implicated over 60 companies, including major US tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, in supporting Israel’s economy of occupation and genocide. Her new report, titled ‘Gaza Genocide: A Collective Crime,’ examines the complicity of 63 states in enabling Israel’s actions in Gaza. Albanese will deliver her speech at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in Cape Town, a location she described as symbolic. During her recent Nelson Mandela Lecture in Johannesburg, she condemned the sanctions and praised South Africa for its role in challenging colonial and imperial power structures. Albanese also highlighted the efforts of The Hague Group, an alliance of global south states co-chaired by South Africa and Colombia, in holding Israel accountable for breaches of international law. She emphasized the importance of enforcing international law, stating that ‘law is only as strong as the will of states to enforce it.’
Francesca Albanese to deliver ‘symbolic’ UN speech from South Africa after Trump sanctions
