United Nations

UN Climate Study Predicts Mass Productivity Impacts

July 21, 2016

The Business Times reports that a study from the UN university in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, predicts "searing" heat from future global warming will result in reduced work hours and dampened productivity in developing countries, reducing the economic output of countries such as China and Indonesia.
UN Envoy Criticizes UK, Germany on Climate

July 21, 2016

Citing new government subsidies in the UK and Germany for the oil, coal, and gas industries, former President of Ireland and UN special envoy on climate change, Mary Robinson, has criticized the countries for violating the "spirit" of their pledges under the UN climate deal agreed last year in Paris.
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.