United Nations

Observers: U.S. Should Ignore UN Opinion on Refugees

July 18, 2014

Brett Schaefer, David Inserra, and Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation have called for the U.S. to dismiss the opinion of the UN High Commission on Refugees that the recent wave of Latin American children entering the U.S. is comprised of refugees who should be granted special legal privileges.
UNOHCHR Criticizes Detroit Water Cut-offs

July 14, 2014

Responding to reports that the City of Detroit has shut off the flow of water to residences that have not paid their water bills, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ("UNOHCHR") has labeled such water cut-offs a potential human rights violation.
UNOHCHR Criticizes Australian Return of Refugees

July 14, 2014

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ("UNOHCHR") has announced that it is "deeply disturbed" by Australia's return of a group from Sri Lanka seeking asylum to their home country, allegedly without adequately considering the case of each person for refugee status.
UN Calls for Use of "Space Tools" to Promote Sustainability

July 14, 2014

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has opened its most recent session by calling for the use of space tools and information derived from space objects to be used to address climate change and promote the UN's post-2015 development agenda.
UN: Redistribution Is "Key" to Global Climate Change Treaty

July 14, 2014

The head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres and others have called for developed countries like the U.S. to contribute more to the UN Green Climate Fund, which would send funding to developing countries, to advance negotiations on a global climate treaty.
HRC Adopts Resolution on "Protection of the Family"

July 14, 2014

The UN Human Rights Council ("HRC") has adopted a resolution seeking a report and calling for a panel discussion on the "protection of the family," after the HRC rejected an amendment stating that "various forms of the family exist."
UN Promotes Global Governance of Environmental Law

July 11, 2014

At the Global Symposium on Environmental Rule of Law, hosted by the UN Environment Programme, panelists called for countries to enforce environmental laws with the aim of economic equality, with one panelist seeking an "international court for the environment."
Bromund: UN Concludes "Pointless" Session on Guns

July 11, 2014

Ted Bromund writes at NRO that the recently concluded meeting of the UN's Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons demonstrates the UN's inability to promote the actual implementation of the program on illegal trade in firearms and its desire instead to promote expanded gun control.
Groves: Joining UNCLOS Would Not Advance U.S. Arctic Interests

July 11, 2014

Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation writes that ratification of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ("UNCLOS") would not advance U.S. interests in the Arctic and would instead hinder U.S. interests through, among other things, its mandatory dispute resolution mechanism.
UN Agency Receives Support for Global Governance of Air Pollution

July 11, 2014

At its recent Environment Assembly, a group of countries pushed the UN Environment Programme to work further toward the reduction of air pollution by calling on governments to rigidly enforce laws designed to cut emissions.