United Nations

UN Agent Calls on World Bank to Push Human Rights Agenda

December 03, 2014

In a recent op-ed, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston chastised the World Bank for failing to politicize its approach to development by promoting the UN's economic, social, and cultural rights agenda.
UN Agents Seek U.S. Release of CIA Detention Report

December 03, 2014

A group of UN special rapporteurs has published a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama calling for him to release, despite opposition from the Central Intelligence Agency ("CIA"), a report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on CIA interrogation procedures in the years following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
UN Assists Argentina in Avoidance of Debt

December 03, 2014

Brett Schaefer and Terry Miller of The Heritage Foundation write that, by sparking UN proposals for a global sovereign debt restructuring mechanism, the Government of Argentina is seeking to avoid responsibility for its decision to default on its sovereign debt.
Report Finds Disproportionate Scandinavian Influence at UN

December 03, 2014

A new study indicates that Scandinavian countries have disproportionate staffing and administrative influence within the UN Secretariat as compared to traditional world powers such as the U.S.
UN Official Calls for U.S. Review of "Institutionalized Discrimination"

November 26, 2014

Following a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer who fatally shot a suspect in Ferguson, Missouri, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has called for a U.S. review of "institutionalized discrimination" against African-Americans across all levels of U.S. law enforcement.
UN Report Pushes for Massive Energy Shift

November 26, 2014

The UN Environment Programme's Emissions Gap Report 2014 calls for immediate moves to limit worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and seeks zero net emissions by the end of the century in order to "head off the worst impacts" of global warming.
UN Pressures OAS Countries on Sustainability Agenda

November 26, 2014

At a recent conference, the UN Environment Programme and the Organization of American States ("OAS") signed a Memorandum of Understanding that commits OAS to use programs on environmental law to contribute to the UN's agenda on "sustainable development" and a green economy.
UN Seeks to "Empower" Youth Through Sexual Rights

November 26, 2014

The UN Population Fund has released a report that calls for the weakening of parental consent laws and the granting of "sexual and reproductive health" rights, often interpreted as including abortion rights, to young people in order to help them realize their potential.
UN Resolution Calls for Government Respect of Online Privacy

November 26, 2014

The UN General Assembly's human rights committee has approved a resolution calling on governments to scale back their policies with regard to mass surveillance of online activity and to respect the privacy of digital data.
Edwards: UN Needs External Accountability Mechanism

November 19, 2014

Beatrice Edwards calls for countries to establish an external arbitration process for the UN in order to fight corruption and promote accountability within the international organization.