United Nations

Bolton Calls for Closure of UNRWA

November 20, 2017

Deeming the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) - the agency charged with assisting Palestinian refugees - to be "highly politicized," former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton has called for the US to withhold funding from UNRWA until the UN folds its functions into the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
US Criticizes UNFPA Praise of Chinese Birth Limitation

November 20, 2017

Dr. Susan Yoshihara of the Center for Family and Human Rights reports that, at the presentation of a strategic plan from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in September that included provisions encouraging "sexual and reproductive health rights," the US delegation criticized the plan's praise for China's four-decade "coercive birth limitation" policy.
UN Rights Observer Criticizes UK on Air Pollution

November 20, 2017

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights related to toxic waste Baskut Tuncak has criticized the UK for "flouting" its obligations to protect the rights of its citizens to life, health, and adequate housing by permitting what he deems to be an unsafe level of air pollution in its towns and cities and has warned that Brexit could further reduce pollution restrictions in the country.
Officials Push Schools to Promote UN Agenda

November 15, 2017

At an event in September, UN officials, including UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson, called for governments to use their education systems as vehicles to promote the values of "non-violence, equality and mutual respect" among the children in their countries to create "peaceful and just societies."
UN Chief Seeks Practical Use of R2P

November 15, 2017

Raising questions concerning limits on the use of global "collective action" to interfere in national sovereignty to prevent human rights violations, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on UN members to move past a theoretical version of the "responsibility to protect" doctrine (R2P) and to apply a practical version to prevent and halt atrocities around the world.
UN Escalates Use of Drones

November 15, 2017

In a recent interview, adviser to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Christopher Fabian explains how UNICEF and a wide array of other UN agencies are seeking to ramp up their use of drones as key elements in "humanitarian, development and peacekeeping operations."
UN Official Seeks Wide-ranging Global Migration Deal

November 14, 2017

In a recent session preparing for the development of a Global Compact on Migration in 2018, the International Organization for Migration's Director General William Lacy Swing called for a human rights-centered approach to migration and the opening of "regular and safe migration routes" and a clampdown on "hate speech" to lay the foundations for the Compact.
UN Official Unveils Comprehensive "Peace" Agenda

November 14, 2017

At an August event, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed advocated an all-encompassing agenda for UN peacekeeping efforts by seeking support for "an inclusive strategy" taking into account "the entire peace continuum, from prevention, conflict resolution and peacekeeping to peacebuilding and long-term development."
UNESCO Calls for More "Citizenship Education" Reporting

November 13, 2017

Based on its review of education data reported by countries around the world, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has determined that over half of countries reporting on student assessment failed to provide sufficient information on their inclusion of "Global Citizenship Education" in school curricula.
UNESCO Critiques World Progress on "Diversity" Education

November 13, 2017

In an analysis of a report it commissioned on the progress of its "Global Citizenship Education" agenda, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that education systems around the world are failing to sufficiently promote the concepts of "cultural diversity and tolerance" among teachers and students.