United Nations

US Pressures UN Commission on "Sexual Rights"

March 29, 2017

The Center for Family & Human Rights (C-Fam) reports that, under pressure from the US delegation, the UN Commission on the Status of Women removed references within its "Agreed Conclusions" to a right to abortion and qualified all appearances of the term "sexual and reproductive health" to make clear it does not refer to abortion practices.
UN Women's Commission Asserts Need for "Empowerment"

March 29, 2017

The "Agreed Conclusions" of a recent meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women call on governments to enforce a wide array of rights, including to social protection and "equal pay," intended to promote the broad principle of "women’s empowerment" and help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Hosts Talks on Global Nuclear Weapons Ban

March 28, 2017

AFP reports that over 100 UN member countries have launched the first-ever UN talks on imposing a global treaty ban on nuclear weapons, amid concerns that negotiations over the treaty would hamper cooperation to respond to nuclear threats and stall progress toward ongoing disarmament efforts.
US Qualifies Position on Environmental Rights at UNHRC

March 28, 2017

At a recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) discussion on "human rights and the environment," the US delegation to the UNHRC agreed with a consensus of states on the importance of protecting the environment but expressed concerns about the inclusion of environmental protection and development in the human rights context.
UN Official Urges States to Prioritize "Personal Well-Being"

March 27, 2017

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed celebrated the International Day of Happiness by calling for national governments to implement policies that foster "personal well-being" over economic growth, arguing that achievement of the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires "inclusive, equitable and balanced approaches" to development.
UN Maintains Call for "Urgent" Climate Action

March 27, 2017

In a recent address to an event at the UN General Assembly on global warming, UN Secretary-General António Guterres dismissed the legitimacy of any debate over the need for "urgent and decisive" action to combat climate change and called on governments to implement their commitments to the UN climate deal agreed in Paris in 2015.
UN Report: Nationalism, Inequality Prevent Development

March 27, 2017

The most recent Human Development Report from the UN Development Programme identifies "narrow self-identities," including nationalism, and economic inequality as barriers to "peaceful, just, and sustainable development."
UN Panel: Increased Efficiency Will Pay for Climate Action

March 27, 2017

Citing research from its International Resource Panel, the UN Environment Programme has asserted that the best way for governments to pay the trillions of dollars necessary to implement the UN's climate change agenda is through "smarter and more efficient use of the world’s natural resources."
UNESCO Lab Promotes "Equity-Weighted Policies"

March 27, 2017

A recent UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) press release on its Inclusive Policy Lab demonstrates how the UN agency is seeking to push national governments to implement "inclusive and equity-weighted policies" as part of the UN's agendas on "sustainable development" and economic rights.
UNESCO Promotes "Citizenship Education" at Dubai Forum

March 24, 2017

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova participated in various events at the recent Global Education & Skills Forum in Dubai to promote her organization's "Global Citizenship Education" agenda, which targets young people with curricula on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how to expand "understanding between cultures."