United Nations

World Bank Directs Billions Toward Climate Finance

November 11, 2016

The World Bank has outlined its efforts, as part of its Climate Change Action Plan adopted in April, to direct billions of dollars in development finance toward renewable energy and other projects in poor countries to help achieve government pledges under the UN climate deal that went into force earlier this month.
UN Official Pushes COP22 Action on Rights Reporting

November 11, 2016

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has called on governments at the COP22 conference on countering global warming in Marrakesh, Morocco, to integrate the human rights agenda in their climate commitments and provide for reporting on human rights impacts as part of the monitoring mechanism under the UN's Paris climate agreement.
UN Agent Calls for "Equality Bodies" to Combat Racism

November 11, 2016

The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mutuma Ruteere, has called on governments to develop "national specialized bodies and national action plans" to address racial discrimination and xenophobia in areas of life including "employment, housing, education, the justice system, law enforcement and access to different goods and services."
EU Seeks Strengthened Global Governance of Oceans

November 11, 2016

The European Commission and the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have adopted a Joint Communication calling for "improving international ocean governance frameworks," in line with the UN's sustainable development agenda, in part to tackle climate change, marine litter, and illegal fishing.
ILO Offers Redistributive Solutions to Income Inequality

November 10, 2016

Warning that income inequality can lead to poverty and "social and political unrest," two writers for the UN's International Labour Organization argue for minimum-wage and "social protection" schemes to combat the phenomenon.
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.