United Nations

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.
UN Watchdog Issues Warning on Fraud

July 19, 2016

George Russell reports that an examination from the UN's Joint Inspection Unit of fraud in UN operations concludes that the absence of an effective approach to combating fraud in the international organization means that the under-reporting or lack of detection of fraudulent practices "could be significant and endemic."
ISO Launches "Sustainable Communities" Standard

July 18, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization has released a new standard that seeks to demonstrate among communities around the world how they can implement the UN's comprehensive social and environmental "sustainable development" agenda.
White House Announces Unilateral Action on SDGs

July 18, 2016

A memorandum from US President Barack Obama announces the establishment of a White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable seeking to expand access to justice for "vulnerable and underserved" people in the US as part of the government's pledge to "promote peaceful and inclusive societies" under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Report Slams UK on Economic "Rights"

July 18, 2016

A report from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights asserts that the UK Government's cuts to social benefits violated the human rights of "disadvantaged and marginalised individuals" and called for the country to increase its minimum wage.
UN Group Condemns "Institutional Racism" in US

July 15, 2016

The Chairman of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, Ricardo Sunga III, has condemned the recent killings of two black men by police in the US as demonstrations of "a high level of structural and institutional racism" and evidence that the US does not recognize the same rights for black citizens.
UN Official Lauds American Climate Commitment

July 15, 2016

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser, congratulated Canada, Mexico, and the US for developing the North American Climate, Clean Energy and Environment Partnership, under which the countries have committed to generating half their energy from renewable sources by the year 2025 and to countering disaster risks caused by climate change.
UN Agent Criticizes "LuxLeaks" Whistleblowers' Conviction

July 14, 2016

Calling whistleblowers "heroes of our time," UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, condemned the conviction by a Luxembourg court of two former employees of PricewaterhouseCoopers for leaking sensitive documents purporting to reveal generous tax breaks for multinational companies.
UN Forum: Climate Work Must Be Central to Development

July 14, 2016

In panels that closed the UN's Africa Carbon Forum 2016, African government officials called for a development agenda based in efforts to counter climate change, including greater financing to help Africa adapt to the current and future impacts of global warming.