United Nations

UN Agent Blames Government “Cruelty” for US Homelessness

November 14, 2018

Business Insider reports that UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Leilana Farha has declared that government “cruelty” to the homeless population in San Francisco is “unsurpassed” and “annihilates” the humanity of its victims.
Countries Follow US out of UN Migration Compact

November 07, 2018

EUobserver reports that Prime Minister Andrej Babis of the Czech Republic is proposing his government follow Austria, Hungary, and the US in announcing withdrawal from the UN’s Global Compact for Migration, asserting that the international rules contained in the accord does not sufficiently distinguish between legal and illegal migration.
Schaefer: US Should Use Foreign Aid as Leverage at UN

October 31, 2018

In a recent article, Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation calls for the US government to take more seriously the need to use foreign aid as leverage in pushing countries to back American priorities at the UN General Assembly.
UN Office Opposes US Policies on Jerusalem, Iran

October 24, 2018

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a statement by the Australian Prime Minister in favor of relocating the country’s embassy to Jerusalem and reviewing its adherence to the Iran nuclear deal has prompted a response from the office of the UN Secretary-General expressing opposition to US policies on each issue.
US Explores Reduced Exposure to ICJ Rulings

October 10, 2018

CNN reports that, following a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the US had violated a 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran by re-imposing sanctions on the country over its nuclear efforts, US officials announced they are withdrawing from the Treaty and will consider action to protect the US against the binding jurisdiction of the ICJ.
Panel: UN Climate Pledges Will Fail to Save Humanity

October 03, 2018

The UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change has published a report concluding the UN Paris climate deal's pledge to pursue efforts limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will not save humanity from the phenomenon's catastrophic impacts and pushing all countries for a peak in carbon emissions by the year 2020.
Trump Rejects Global Governance, “Domination” in UN Speech

September 26, 2018

In his address this week to the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump outlined his Administration’s foreign policy preference for “independence and cooperation” over “global governance, control and domination,” and called for respect of each country’s right “to pursue its own customs, beliefs and traditions.”
US Ends Funding for UNRWA

September 05, 2018

The Washington Post reports that the US government has halted funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), established to fund institutions and programs supporting Palestinian refugees, to place pressure on other countries to fund UNRWA and reduce the number of people the agency recognizes as refugees.
UN Official Pushes Europe-wide Approach to Migrant Treatment

September 05, 2018

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has called for the EU to develop “a collaborative and reliable European approach” toward the treatment of migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea who are attempting to reach the continent from Africa.
US Cuts Funding for UN Human Rights Office

September 05, 2018

AP reports that, following the US’s withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, US National Security Adviser John Bolton has announced that the US will cut funding for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, signaling continued US pressure on the UN human-rights apparatus to reform and implement US priorities.