United Nations

UN Rights Chief: Leaving ICC Is "Betrayal"

December 01, 2016

In his remarks to the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after three states announced their withdrawal from the body, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on remaining countries not to "betray the victims" by avoiding "criminal accountability" from the global court.
UN Agent Finds US Rights Violations of Pipeline Protestors

December 01, 2016

UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai has called for a halt to some of the construction activity for the Dakota Access Pipeline based on his finding that the North Dakota National Guard and other law enforcement officials have used "unjustified force" against people protesting the project and has detained some of them in "inhuman and degrading conditions."
Countries Meet to Agree UN Climate Rules

December 01, 2016

At the opening of the UN's recent climate summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, where national and international officials negotiated rules under which they would implement the Paris climate deal and fund poor countries for climate "adaptation" efforts, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other UN officials called for more ambition among world leaders to counter global warming.
UN Uses Urban Initiatives to Advance Climate Agenda

November 30, 2016

Officials participating in the recent UN climate summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, highlighted transnational urban initiatives, such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and a tool launched at the conference that observers will use to monitor cities' climate "adaptation commitments," established to fulfill the UN's "sustainability" agenda.
UN Seeks National Laws on Resources in Conflicts

November 30, 2016

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has published an article outlining efforts by UN bodies, led by the Environment Assembly and the International Law Commission, to push governments to implement national policies protecting natural resources in the event of "conflict situations."
UNESCO Promotes Climate Curricula in Schools

November 30, 2016

During the proceedings of the recent UN climate summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a set of guidelines for policymakers around the world to use their education systems to promote the UN's sustainable development and climate change agenda.
Returned UK Funds Show "Climate Finance" Complications

November 30, 2016

The Guardian reports that the shutdown of a World Bank "Climate Change Resilience Fund" for Bangladesh, and the resulting return of £13 million to the UK, over a dispute with the Bangladeshi government regarding how the funds would be used reflects a revolt by the poor country opposing donor oversight of how it uses such "climate finance."
UN Seeks Hundreds of Billions for Climate "Adaptation"

November 29, 2016

At the recent UN climate summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, the UN Environment Programme called on developed countries to triple by 2030 the $100 billion commitment they made to poor countries during last year's Paris climate talks to help them adapt to future global warming impacts, and to quintuple these commitments by 2050.
World Bank Scales up MENA Climate Finance

November 29, 2016

The World Bank has announced the launch of its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Climate Action Plan, under which it will seek to double its financing of "climate action" over the next four years by supporting projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptability to global warming impacts in the MENA region.
California Joins Climate-Friendly Urban Planning Initiative

November 28, 2016

The World Bank has announced that the State of California has agreed to partner with the Bank's "Global Platform for Sustainable Cities" to promote "sustainable" urban planning in China and other countries to help these countries meet their commitments under the UN climate deal that entered into force earlier this month.