United Nations

Latin American Ministers Agree to "Sustainability" Education

February 20, 2017

At a recent meeting in Argentina, education ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean committed to a Buenos Aires Declaration for the advancement of the UN's Education 2030 Agenda on promoting "sustainable development" among students of all ages and agreed to establish a regional Secretariat of the Education 2030 Committee.
UN Initiative Will Push Climate Adaptation Measures

February 20, 2017

The UN Environment Programme, the Netherlands, and Japan have agreed to form a joint initiative called the Global Centre of Excellence on Climate Adaptation to provide information on measures the public and private sectors around the world must take to adapt to global warming.
Study Promotes Scrutiny of National Climate Efforts

February 20, 2017

The Los Angeles Times reports that a new scientific study seeks to permit public scrutiny of progress by countries around the world in fulfilling their greenhouse gas pledges under the UN climate change deal agreed in Paris in 2015 and highlights the drastic technological advancements needed to meet the goals of the agreement.
NGO Reports Anti-Israel Posts from UNRWA Staff

February 17, 2017

The nongovernmental organization UN Watch has published a report aggregating a series of instances in which teachers and staffers of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria posted anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content on their social media pages.
Haley Explores UN Peacekeeping Funding Cuts

February 17, 2017

The Times of Israel reports that new US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has initiated a "mission-by-mission review" of UN peacekeeping operations around the world in an effort to propose cuts to her country's 29 percent share of the international organization's peacekeeping budget under the Trump Administration.
Obama UN Spending Hit $9.2 Billion in Final Year

February 17, 2017

George Russell reports that, according to US State Department records from the final year of his Administration, US President Barack Obama provided funds in the amount of $9.2 billion to UN agencies, representing a 20 percent increase in spending on the international organization from numbers released in 2010.
UN Chief: Israeli Settlement Measure Violates Law

February 15, 2017

In line with the recent UN Security Council resolution seeking to block further development of Israeli settlements in "occupied" Palestinian territory, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has declared that an Israeli measure legalizing some of these settlements violates international law and will lead to "far-reaching legal consequences" for Israel.
US Blocks Former Palestinian Leader from UN Post

February 15, 2017

The New York Times reports that, citing "unfair bias" by UN leaders in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of Israeli interests, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has announced that the US will block the international organization's planned appointment of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as special representative to Libya.
City Adopts Comprehensive Approach to "Sustainability"

February 14, 2017

A story published by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) demonstrates the comprehensive way in which some communities around the world have adopted UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda, spotlighting a community in Japan where leaders have advanced a "whole city" approach to ESD.
Trump Transition Adviser Predicts US Climate U-Turn

February 14, 2017

Reuters reports that Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and formerly of US President Donald Trump's transition team, has outlined various options for the new Administration to withdraw the US from its pledges under the UN's Paris climate deal agreed in 2015, including by departing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.