United Nations

UN Agent Seeks New Food Framework in Poland

May 04, 2016

UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food Hilal Elver has called on Poland to revamp its "legislative framework" to uphold the human right to food, reduce childhood obesity, counter climate change, and support "small holders and family farming."
Regional UN Committee Furthers Ocean Governance

May 04, 2016

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") recently hosted a regional meeting whose aim was, through a 2016-2018 work plan, to "revitalize" collaboration on science, governance, and climate change among governments with regard to the Central Indian Ocean.
Resolutions Seek Expansive UN Peacekeeping Role

May 02, 2016

The UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly have adopted concurrent resolutions that call for a more comprehensive UN role in peacekeeping, including by encouraging more robust UN efforts in the conflict prevention process and pushing UN officials to work with a wider range of agencies and nongovernmental organizations in peacekeeping operations around the world.
UN Adopts New Framework on "Global Drug Control System"

May 02, 2016

At the recent UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem, the 193-member body adopted a new framework on combating drug-related problems that claimed as its central purpose to promote health and human rights in drug policy, balancing out a criminal justice approach.
China Touts "Green Finance" to Achieve UN Commitments

May 02, 2016

China's official press agency Xinhua has reported that the Chinese Government is seeking to implement the commitments it made under the UN climate agreement it signed in April in part by developing a wide-ranging system of "green finance," through bonds and development funds, to fund the country's transition to a low-carbon economy.
World Bank, IMF Pressure Governments on Carbon Tax

May 02, 2016

The New York Times reports that the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund ("IMF"), using "economic leverage" and the World Bank's Carbon Finance Unit for support, are pushing governments to adopt taxes on businesses for their greenhouse gas emissions in order to counter climate change.
UN Official Voices Concern over US Climate Action

May 02, 2016

UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft has stated that it is important to the future of the recently signed UN climate deal that the next US President not be a climate change "denier" and that the next appointee to the US Supreme Court uphold President Barack Obama's executive action implementing the agreement.
World Bank, France Fund West African Climate Program

May 02, 2016

The World Bank has announced that it is cooperating with the Government of France to finance the establishment of a West Africa coastal observatory, which will seek to improve the resilience of the West African coast against the impacts of global warming.
Panel Seeks Ambitious Global Carbon Tax

April 29, 2016

The World Bank has announced that leaders from governments and international organizations on a Carbon Pricing Panel have issued a "vision statement" in which they call for an ambitious, globally connected system of carbon taxation that would cover 50 percent of the world's carbon emissions by the year 2030 in order to counter climate change.
Ambassador: UN Israel-Palestine Resolution Is No Path to Peace

April 29, 2016

Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, writes that UN and US officials should deny calls for a UN Security Council resolution that outlines a final agreement between Israel and Palestine, as he argues that such a resolution is not an effective substitute for direct negotiations and will not lead to peace.