The UN Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises conducted a visit to Serbia from 6 to 15 October 2025. In their report, they recommended that Serbia “amend or withdraw the special legal framework governing EXPO 2027” due to its impact on transparency, accountability, public procurement safeguards, and human rights protections. In a twisted turn of events, despite the concerns, the UN also decided to participate in the event.
The alliance of Serbian diaspora groups from 30 cities over 2 continents asked why the United Nations decided to participate in EXPO 2027 without publicly demonstrating that a comprehensive human rights risk assessment had been conducted or that meaningful steps had been taken to encourage corrective action by Serbian authorities. The letter was therefore addressed to UN officials (António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations and to Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) to seek transparency regarding the due diligence process and to understand how the UN’s participation aligns with its own human rights principles and recommendations.
The letter places EXPO 2027 within a broader context of governance and human rights concerns in Serbia. It references the 2024 Novi Sad railway station tragedy, which led to widespread public protests and intensified scrutiny of governmental accountability. The authors highlight concerns raised by UN experts and the European Parliament regarding corruption, construction safety and the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.
They therefore request clarification on the human rights, environmental, and procurement due diligence carried out by the UN before committing to EXPO 2027, as well as information on how the Working Group’s findings were incorporated into the UN’s decision-making process and whether future developments could trigger a review of the UN’s participation.
See the full UN working group report on Serbia here and full content of the letter here with the annex here.