United Nations

Trade Deal Opens U.S. to Suits in UN-Approved Tribunals

April 08, 2015

The New York Times reports that a leaked chapter from a trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other countries, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, could lead to increased lawsuits by foreign companies against U.S. federal, state, and local governments in a UN-sanctioned tribunal.
Ambassador Criticizes UN's Anti-Israel Bias

April 08, 2015

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor writes that the rise of autocratic and repressive regimes at the UN has led the organization, and especially its Human Rights Council, to single out Israel over all other countries for criticism over alleged human rights violations.
Bolton Criticizes White House Threat over UN Resolution

April 08, 2015

Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton argues that if the Obama Administration follows through on its threat not to defend Israel from a UN Security Council resolution recognizing Palestine as a state, Israel could be subject to sanctions and scrutiny from the International Criminal Court.
UN Commission Targets Israel over Women's Rights

April 08, 2015

Anne Bayefsky writes that the UN Commission on the Status of Women has targeted Israel, and no other country in the world, for criticism over its treatment of women, specifically with regard to creating an "obstacle" to the advancement of the rights of women in Palestine.
UNHRC Establishes Privacy Rights Position

April 01, 2015

The Guardian reports that the UN Human Rights Council ("UNHRC") has, as a consequence of allegations from Edward Snowden regarding mass surveillance by U.S. and other government authorities, established a rapporteur position that will monitor actions by countries on privacy and human rights issues.
U.S. Congress Calls for Caution on UN Climate Deal

April 01, 2015

Following the Obama Administration's release of its plan for UN climate change negotiations at the end of 2015, the leadership in the U.S. Congress has warned that other countries should be cautious before pursuing any such "binding, unattainable deal" with the Administration that could, in the future, be undone.
UN Seeks Roadmap to "Write off" Sovereign Debt

April 01, 2015

The Guardian reports that the UN Conference on Trade and Development ("UNCTAD") is seeking to create a "roadmap" to an international sovereign debt relief mechanism, which could result in a "once-and-for-all write-off" of the debt of struggling countries with unsustainable fiscal and budgetary policies.
NGO Criticizes UN for Ebola Response

April 01, 2015

George Russell writes that the nongovernmental organization Doctors Without Borders has criticized the UN's World Health Organization for its response to the recent ebola outbreak in West Africa, accusing the UN of failing to recognize the danger of the situation and downplaying the spread of the disease.
UN Admits to Working with Rights Abusers in DRC

April 01, 2015

Voice of America reports that the UN mission to the ongoing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo ("DRC") has confirmed that it has worked with Congolese army officers who are suspected of having committed human rights abuses.
Commentators Urge U.S. to Shield Israel from UN Bias

April 01, 2015

As the Obama Administration reportedly considers endorsing a UN Security Council resolution pushing a two-state resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Brett Schaefer and James Phillips of the Heritage Foundation write that the U.S. should instead continue to protect Israel against "biased" UN resolutions.