"This is surreal. Appointing Saudi Arabia to head the world's leading body for women's rights is like putting Dracula in charge of a blood bank," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based independent human rights organization. Neuer added that Saudi Arabia now holds a key position to influence the commission's agenda and decisions. "Despite cosmetic reforms, Saudi Arabia continues to subject women to legal discrimination, effectively keeping them enslaved under a male guardianship system that was codified into law three years ago -- ironically, on International Women's Day."