United Nations

UN Celebrates Climate Deal's Entry into Force

November 09, 2016

AP reports that UN and government officials are celebrating last week's entry into force of the international organization's Paris climate agreement a year ahead of schedule, asserting that the deal, which sets targets for countries' reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, has "become international law" after crossing a ratification threshold.
US Official Predicts Swift Development of UN Climate Rules

November 09, 2016

As the UN's Paris climate deal enters into force a year earlier than widely expected amid global apprehension regarding the response of the next US President to the agreement, a US State Department official has predicted an "aggressive acceleration" in the development of transnational rules for implementation of the deal.
UN Official: Australian Refugee Proposal Violates Rights

November 09, 2016

Thomas Albrecht, a regional representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, has argued that an Australian government proposal to ban asylum seekers attempting to reach the country by boat from obtaining a visa would likely violate provisions of a global convention on the human rights of refugees.
Academics Detail Negative Rights Records of UNHRC Members

November 08, 2016

In a recent survey, Professors Adam Chilton and Robert Golan-Vilella of the University of Chicago Law School found that the human rights records of members of the UN Human Rights Council are worse than the average record of UN members that are not on the body, raising questions about the UNHRC's credibility in examining human rights violations.
UN Report Seeks "Dramatic" Emissions Reductions

November 08, 2016

A report from the UN Environment Programme on the eve of last week's entry into force of the UN's Paris climate deal calls for countries to "dramatically" accelerate their restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the negative impacts of global warming and reduce the number of "climate refugees" who must relocate due to the these threats.
World Bank Pushes Climate Measures in MENA Region

November 07, 2016

A "call for action" on going green in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region published by the World Bank Group signals the extent to which the multilateral development bank has enmeshed its agenda for funding infrastructure and other development projects with the UN's agenda on climate change.
UN Agent Identifies Right to Emissions Reduction

November 07, 2016

Linking current weather events in Madagascar with global warming, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, John Knox, has asserted that countries have a human rights obligation to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions under the UN's Paris climate agreement to limit the negative impacts of climate change on such developing countries.
Paper Seeks Global Governance of "Climate Engineering"

November 04, 2016

A paper from the Centre for International Governance Innovation argues that the UN climate deal agreed in Paris last year contains the "building blocks for an internationally integrated approach" to removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere in order to achieve the goals of the agreement in combating climate change.
UN Chief Fires Commander in South Sudan

November 04, 2016

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has removed a Kenyan Lieutenant General in charge of peacekeeping forces in South Sudan following the appearance of an internal report detailing the inaction and disorder of peacekeepers during an attack on a UN base and private compound that killed 73 people, including civilians and aid workers.
Experts Spotlight Drawbacks of UN Nuclear Resolutions

November 04, 2016

Michaela Dodge and Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation explain the negative implications of a UN resolution calling for the outright ban of nuclear weapons and a UN Security Council resolution, supported by the Obama Administration, pushing to end the testing of such weapons.