United Nations

Haley Questions Benefits of US Funding for UN

January 18, 2017

The Telegraph reports that, in testimony before a congressional select committee, South Carolina Governor and the prospective nominee for US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley expressed her skepticism of the benefits the US receives from funding the UN and criticized the UN Security Council's recent resolution condemning Israeli settlements.
McCarthy Calls for US Withdrawal from UN

January 18, 2017

Labeling the international organization a "coup for the bad guys," former US Department of Justice official Andrew McCarthy writes that a US law defunding the UN would not be sufficient to change its "corrupt" and anti-American practices and calls instead for the US to completely withdraw from the group.
UN Group Calls for Review of US History Textbooks

January 18, 2017

Applauding a school district in the US state of Connecticut for removing what it says is incorrect information about slavery practices in the state, the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent has called on other US school districts "to review textbooks and educational materials" to ensure they accurately portray the treatment of slaves.
Berkowitz: UNSC "Poisoned" Israel-Palestine Peace Process

January 18, 2017

Peter Berkowitz of the Hoover Institution writes that the recent UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning Israeli settlements diverges from previous UNSC resolutions by identifying "every last inch of the West Bank" as Palestinian land and calls for the US Congress to pass a law stating that the resolution is "an offense against the law of nations."
UN Whistleblower Policy Revisions Face Criticism

January 17, 2017

George Russell writes that a whistleblower policy revision under consideration by new UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres may give fodder to US politicians who wish to defund the international organization by providing the strongest whistleblower protections only to claims that are in the "public interest," a standard that critics say is highly subjective.
UN Agent: Puerto Rican Debt Deal Must Respect Rights

January 17, 2017

In a statement on Puerto Rico's debt crisis, the UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, called for the US to ensure losses are "fairly distributed" among creditors so as not to force the country's government to adopt "austerity" measures that violate its citizens' economic, social, and cultural human rights.
Report Points to Anti-Israel Textbooks at UN-funded Schools

January 17, 2017

Perry Chiaramonte writes that a report from the Center for Near East Policy Research asserts that Palestinian schools operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) use textbooks that deny the legitimacy of Israel and links of the Jewish people to holy sites in Jerusalem.
World Bank Funds Sri Lankan "Social Safety Nets"

January 16, 2017

The World Bank has signaled its continued emphasis on supporting government redistribution of wealth in countries around the world by announcing its $75 million financing of a "social safety nets" project in Sri Lanka.
World Bank Loan to Turkey Focuses on "Sustainability"

January 13, 2017

The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a loan of $132.7 million to Turkey to fund a "Sustainable Cities Project," which seeks to advance the "economic, financial, environmental, and social sustainability of Turkish cities."
Abrams: White House Abandons Israel at UN

January 13, 2017

Elliott Abrams of the Council on Foreign Relations writes that the Obama Administration discontinued the longstanding US defense of Israel in the UN Security Council by failing to veto a resolution that bypasses direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and ignores how Israeli concessions on West Bank settlements have not advanced the peace process.