United Nations

UNHRC Expands Calls on Rights in Climate Action

July 20, 2016

Sébastien Duyck writes that the latest UN Human Rights Council resolution on climate change featured expansive provisions calling on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to focus on human rights in its efforts to implement the UN's climate agenda.
World Bank Funds Climate-Focused Farming in China

July 20, 2016

The World Bank and the Government of China are co-funding a $313.14 million project on "Integrated Modern Agriculture Development" to boost "climate-smart" agriculture in China and improve farm resilience in the face of global warming.
US, Russia Criticize UN Report on Iran

July 20, 2016

Reuters reports that US and Russian officials have criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for overstepping his mandate and including factual errors in a report on remaining economic sanctions and other restrictions on Iran.
US Legislators Seek Clarification for UNRWA Funding

July 20, 2016

The Jerusalem Post reports that Members of the US Congress have inserted language in funding bills calling on the US State Department to publicly report its calculation of the number of Palestinian refugees to determine the extent to which this number corresponds with aid from the US-funded UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East ("UNRWA").
Groves Warns Against US Membership in UNCLOS

July 20, 2016

Steven Groves of the Heritage Foundation writes that recent calls for the US to join the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ("UNCLOS") to help enforce an international tribunal decision against China's claims in the South China Sea are misguided and that US action outside UNCLOS would be the most effective way to contain China's maritime ambitions.
FRA Advises Group on SDG Measurement

July 20, 2016

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has announced that it recently offered advice to a working group in Paris on how to collect data measuring the fulfillment of a provision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to “promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.”
UN Leader Amplifies Call for Rights in Development

July 20, 2016

At a UN General Assembly debate on "human rights at the centre of the global agenda," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated calls from UN officials and activists for governments to promote "individual and collective human rights," including controversial economic and social rights, as part of their efforts to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Official Lauds Global Fishing Rules

July 20, 2016

At a recent event, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General José Graziano da Silva applauded the recent entry into force of a global agreement to eliminate "illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing" and called for future international collaboration to impose regulations on all fishing practices.
Tribunal Ruling May Spur Aggressive Chinese Response

July 20, 2016

The New York Times reports that experts on China are predicting an aggressive reaction by the country's government to the unenforceable decision of an international tribunal determining Chinese claims to certain areas of the South China Sea, and its construction of artificial islands in these areas, have no basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
UNESCO Networks Ramp up "Sustainability" Education

July 19, 2016

UNESCO's Partner Networks of the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development recently met to discuss plans to "ramp up" efforts to include the UN's sustainability and climate change agendas in school curricula around the world.