United Nations

UN Body Blames Israel for "Deteriorating" Human Rights Landscape

May 09, 2016

A UN Special Committee has issued an evaluation of Israeli practices in the "occupied" Palestinian territories, based on testimony from NGOs, UN agents, and Palestinian representatives, that criticizes Israel for the impacts of heightened security measures a "faulty justice system" on the human rights of Palestinians.
UN Pushes Climate Measures Through "Action Coalitions"

May 06, 2016

At a "Climate Action Summit" in Washington, DC, the UN is seeking to forge "action coalitions" of representatives from governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and academia to assist with taking the implementation of the UN's worldwide climate agreement signed in April to the "next level."
UN Pursues Economic Transformation Through Sustainability

May 06, 2016

At a recent panel at UN headquarters in New York, UN Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner and representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and businesses discussed how to transform the global economy through a shift to "sustainable consumption and production" patterns to achieve the UN's sustainability agenda.
UN Calls for Further Steps Toward "Sustainable Finance" in India

May 06, 2016

The UN Environment Programme has co-authored a report with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry calling for further steps in India to align the banking and financial industries with the UN's sustainability agenda, including through new financial regulation and boosting access to finance for climate-friendly projects.
UN Appointees Seek Engagement to Advance Climate Agenda

May 05, 2016

The Washington Post reports that appointees by the UN Secretary-General to head the UN Environment Programme and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will seek to advance the UN's agenda on climate change and to strengthen global biodiversity protection through better engagement with the average person and the private sector.
UN "Interfaith Dialogue" Pushes Environmental Agenda in Iran

May 05, 2016

At an "interfaith dialogue" in Iran organized by the UN Environment Programme ("UNEP"), the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO"), and the Iranian government, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner sought to leverage religion and culture in the country to support "environmentally sustainable practices" and the UN's sustainability agenda.
Academic Calls for UN Ocean Biodiversity Treaty

May 05, 2016

Jessica Green of New York University writes that ocean biodiversity preservation requires that countries agree to a wide-ranging, binding UN treaty creating marine protected areas and requiring environmental impact assessments for commercial activity on the high seas, and potentially requiring the sharing of benefits of "marine genetic resources" among all countries.
UN Agents Scrutinize Access to Water in Michigan

May 04, 2016

AP reports that a group of UN human rights officials who visited Flint, Michigan, to investigate the city's water crisis have warned of potential violations of the human right to water and have alleged that racism played a role in the failure to quickly resolve the crisis.
UN Rights Chief, FRA Highlight Shared Program

May 04, 2016

During a visit by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, representatives of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights ("FRA") described how the FRA seeks to square its work with the UN's expansive human rights agenda, including by implementing the UN's disability rights convention and influencing legislative proposals on migration.
ILO Calls for Action on "Workplace Stress"

May 04, 2016

The UN's International Labour Organization ("ILO") has released a report calling for national policies and other actions to reduce stress in the workplace and linking the "mental and psychological wellbeing" of workers with government pledges under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.