United Nations

UN Agents Call for "Central" NGO Role in Development Goals

May 26, 2015

Advocating UN Sustainable Development Goals that are "firmly grounded" in the global human rights agenda, a group of "independent experts" appointed by the UN Human Rights Council have called for nongovernmental organizations ("NGOs") to play a "central role" in the development of these goals.
UN Hosts Sustainability Forum for Asia Ministers

May 22, 2015

The UN Environment Programme recently hosted a forum of environment ministers and government authorities from Asian countries to discuss how countries could encourage "a greener and more inclusive growth path" and implement the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Official Criticizes EU Migration Proposal

May 22, 2015

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants François Crépeau has labeled the European Commission plan to deal with illegal migrants to the EU "woefully inadequate," calling for broader legal avenues for migrants to enter Europe and for the EU to repress "labour exploitation" in the bloc.
Russell: UN Bureaucracy Slows Sex Abuse Policy

May 21, 2015

George Russell writes that proposed UN reforms seeking to deal with allegations of sex abuse by the organization's peacekeeping forces are mired in bureaucratic delay.
UN Officials Push Global Governance of Small Arms Trade

May 21, 2015

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein recently briefed the UN Security Council on the need for further enforcement of the UN's Arms Trade Treaty and for more authority to be granted to the UN to combat the "proliferation" of small arms.
UN Agencies Cooperate on Sustainability Agenda in Europe

May 21, 2015

The UN Environment Programme and the UN Economic Commission for Europe have agreed to cooperate to further the UN sustainability agenda in Europe, in part by pushing countries to integrate sustainability into their development policies and their education systems.
Saudi Arabia Seeks UNHRC Presidency

May 15, 2015

Arguing that the country is disqualified due to its frequent abuse of human rights, the nongovernmental organization UN Watch has called on the U.S. and EU to oppose Saudi Arabia's bid to be elected president of the UN Human Rights Council ("UNHRC").
World Bank Pushes Carbon Tax Policy

May 15, 2015

The Japan Times reports that the World Bank is calling for countries around the world to adopt a set of policies, including putting a price on carbon emissions by businesses, in a bid to further the UN's agenda on climate change.
UN Seeks Australia Assurance of Emissions Reduction

May 15, 2015

The Guardian reports that during her recent visit to Australia, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres received assurances from the environment minister Greg Hunt that his Government's policies will reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
Pope's Adviser Criticizes Opposition to UN Climate Agenda

May 13, 2015

The Hill reports that Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, a close adviser to Pope Francis, has targeted capitalism as the driver of "premature criticism" in the U.S. to the Pope's planned encyclical on climate change.