United Nations

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.
UN Continues Criticism of Israel over "Occupied Territories"

March 25, 2015

As the UN continues its criticism of Israel for alleged human rights violations in Palestinian territories, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Flavia Pansieri has accused Israeli officials of "persistent impunity" in military operations in these territories.
UN Pushes Israeli Re-commitment to "Two-State" Solution

March 25, 2015

In a call with re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the leader to re-commit the Israeli Government to a two-state solution with Palestine and pushed him to release tax revenue he says is owed to the Palestinian Authority.
World Bank Seeks Policy Shifts on Climate Change

March 25, 2015

In a recent speech at Georgetown University, President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim called on countries around the world to implement major policy changes in order to confront global warming, including ending fossil fuel subsidies and pricing carbon emissions.
Paper Examines Shifting Power in UN System

March 23, 2015

In a recent paper studying the power of countries in the UN Secretariat, Paul Novosad of Dartmouth College and Eric Werker of Harvard Business School find overrepresentation of small, rich democracies and a waning influence by the U.S.
UN Seeks to Make Tax Committee Relevant

March 20, 2015

Jeremy Scott writes that the UN's committee on international tax matters is seeking to compete with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to create a model tax treaty to be taken seriously by the international community that would bind multinational corporations around the world.