United Nations

UN Launches Global Network of Judges

April 20, 2018

The UN launched an initiative to connect members of the judiciary worldwide to "strengthen judicial cooperation between courts and tribunals from different legal and cultural traditions" and learn to guard against corruption and incursions on judicial independence.
UNFPA Laments Second Year of US Defunding

April 20, 2018

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has issued a statement expressing regret that the US has, for the second straight year under the Trump Administration, decided to withhold funds from UNFPA over the organization's alleged advocacy of "family planning" techniques that include abortion.
UN Body Faces Criticism for NGO Treatment

April 20, 2018

Observing that the UN's Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is currently a "rogues gallery of human rights violators," Louis Charbonneau of Human Rights Watch criticizes the Committee's attempts to freeze out independent civil society scrutiny of UN decisions and calls for governments of free countries to seek seats on the controversial body.
NGO: China Must Not Undermine UN Rights Work

April 20, 2018

In a statement addressing the UN Human Rights Council, nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch calls on institutions within the UN human rights system to resist Chinese efforts to "undermine" their ability and will to criticize the declining situation of civil and political rights in that country.
UN Asia-Pacific Forum Pushes Sustainable Energy

April 20, 2018

At an April UN forum in Bangkok, countries in the Asia-Pacific region adopted a ministerial declaration committing to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy by agreeing to a series of actions including greater regional cooperation to facilitate cross-border infrastructure and energy trade.
Security Expert: Russia Has Made UN Obsolete

April 19, 2018

Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute argues that the Russian-created paralysis at the UN Security Council means the US government must focus on forming strong alliances to support military action without the cover of UN structures.
UN Council Faces Criticism over Leadership Selections

April 18, 2018

Patrick Goodenough highlights the ongoing, controversial practice of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to hand out committee positions to regimes accused of wide-ranging human rights violations, including its recent decision to give Saudi Arabia a seat on the executive board of UN Women.
UNESCO Report Calls for "Green" Water Recycling

April 17, 2018

A recent UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report calls for national governments to focus on "nature-based" and green solutions to recycling water in light of growing demand and the future catastrophic effects of climate change on the world's water security.
US Memo: Base Foreign Funding on UN Votes

April 17, 2018

Foreign Policy reports that, according to a confidential memo drafted by her staff, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley is calling for the Trump Administration to condition foreign aid on alignment of governments' voting records with the US's at the UN General Assembly.
UN Rights Chief Condemns "Intolerant" Politics

April 17, 2018

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein used a recent address to the UN Human Rights Council to promote the "sexual and reproductive rights" agenda, criticize national policies that restrict migration, and condemn as a recipe for "self-destruction" political leaders who base their rise on "fear and intolerance."