United Nations

UNESCO Body Leads UN Coordination on Ocean Efforts

May 09, 2018

In March, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO hosted its latest UN-Oceans meeting to discuss how the 24 UN bodies working on ocean-related issues can coordinate their efforts to help achieve the UN's "sustainable development" agenda.
US Legislation Permits Funding Reduction for UN Bodies

May 08, 2018

Al-Monitor reports that a March spending bill signed into law by US President Donald Trump includes a provision permitting the US government to reduce by five percent funding to a UN agency or entity it determines has acted against the interest of the US or of any of its allies, including Israel.
UN Official Seeks Global Partnerships to Manage Migration

May 08, 2018

At a recent UN forum leading up to negotiations of a Global Compact on Migration, Director General of the International Organization for Migration William Lacy Swing has called for partnerships among international organizations, national governments, and nongovernmental organizations to properly manage migration across the globe.
UN Hosts Global Festival for SDG Action

May 07, 2018

In March, the UN hosted in Bonn, Germany, a three-day Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development to facilitate discussions on the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and issue awards for SDG Action to individuals and organizations helping to achieve the comprehensive social and environmental agenda.
UN Institute Issues Global Guidance on "Inclusive" Education

May 07, 2018

As part of the UN's work toward the comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics has issued global guidance for governments seeking to show them how to measure the "inclusivity" and "equity" of their education systems and how to determine whether they need to redistribute resources to help disadvantaged groups.
UN Group Criticizes "Structural Racism" of UK Police

May 02, 2018

A group of UN human rights mandate holders has identified "structural racism" within UK law enforcement institutions, as evidenced by the alleged use of excessive, disproportionate force against racial minorities and the climate of "impunity" created by the lack of a successful prosecution for a death in police custody.
UN Panel Decries Impacts of Humanity on Biodiversity

April 26, 2018

AP reports that the UN's Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem recently released four regional reports on biodiversity concluding that global wealth and overcrowding are "undermining well-being across the planet" by contributing to climate change and producing a "lonelier" world with fewer species of plants and animals.
US Objects to Chinese "Feel Good" UNHRC Resolution

April 26, 2018

Reuters reports that US diplomats recently criticized China's introduction at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of a resolution calling for "mutually beneficial cooperation" that, according to the US, merely served as a vehicle to glorify Chinese President Xi Jinping.
UN Event Calls for Gender Equality in Sports Programming

April 26, 2018

UN bodies, the International Olympic Committee, and businesses recently partnered on an event reviewing the impacts of media portrayals of female athletes on their participation in sports, with participants identifying a duty of broadcasters and advertisers to promote women's equality in sports programming.
UNESCO Rejects Nationalism on Anti-Racism Day

April 25, 2018

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marked the recent International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by hosting lectures and exhibitions countering "nationalist narratives," which it links with racism, and promoting a broad agenda seeking "multiculturalism, global citizenship and intercultural dialogue."