A B’nai B’rith International leadership delegation has met with over 50 ambassadors and other senior diplomats in Geneva and Paris to advocate on Jewish communal priorities during sessions of the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) executive board.

The UNHRC session, the body’s primary one of the year, marks its first since the unprecedented Hamas-led terrorist rampage of Oct. 7.

In their meetings, B’nai B’rith leaders advocated for fair treatment of Israel in two U.N. settings repeatedly exploited for political purposes by Palestinians and others hostile to the Jewish state.

B’nai B’rith urged recognition of Israel’s ongoing duty of self-defense—and the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages now held for nearly half a year by Hamas and other terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

The delegation, led by B’nai B’rith President Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin, was comprised of two dozen leaders from nine countries. Delegates met with ranking representatives across five continents.

Separately, B’nai B’rith, a U.N.-accredited organization, is delivering multiple official statements at the UNHRC—which routinely condemns Israel more than all other countries and singles out the Middle East’s sole democracy alone for scrutiny under a permanent agenda item.

Distinguished by a dedicated Office of United Nations Affairs and on-the-ground representation at U.N. hubs worldwide, B’nai B’rith has led Jewish communal engagement with the world body since the latter’s founding in 1945.