United Nations

Trump Promotes National Sovereignty at UN

September 20, 2017

The Los Angeles Times reports that, in his first address to the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump hammered home a nationalist doctrine of "principled realism" based in "a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty, to promote security, prosperity and peace for themselves and for the world.”
UN Seeks Shift in Perception of Migrants

September 20, 2017

As they prepare for a 2018 summit at which they expect countries to agree to a wide-ranging Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, UN officials at a recent consultation in New York discussed the need to improve the public perception of migrants by emphasizing their contributions to "human development."
UN Official Blasts Australian Refugee Processing

September 20, 2017

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi recently condemned Australia's system of offshore processing centers on the islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea for asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat, arguing that they cause "extensive, avoidable suffering" and run contrary to "common decency."
UN Officials Seek Multilateralism on Climate, SDGs

September 19, 2017

UN officials opened the high-level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council's 2017 session in July by stressing the need for multilateralism and funding from rich to poor countries to combat worldwide challenges such as climate change, as one official labeled the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) "a new social contract for the world."
UN Bases SDG Efforts in Global Technology

September 19, 2017

A report from several high-ranking UN officials organized by the UN's International Telecommunications Union describes how the UN will work to leverage the power of information and communication technologies to achieve each of the comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNESCO Teaches Gambian Youth "Sustainability"

September 19, 2017

In July, UNESCO's network in The Gambia gathered hundreds of young people in the country to teach them about the UN agency's "Global Citizenship Education" (GCE) and "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD) programs aimed "to promote fundamental values of peaceful co-existence" and ended the session with a declaration in favor of GCE and ESD learning.
UNESCO Letter Prioritizes SDGs in Universities

September 19, 2017

UNESCO's recent International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) Letter highlights the extent to which the UN agency has prioritized embedding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030 into education systems around the world, including by pushing higher education institutions to teach students to advance the SDGs.
UN Official Calls for Faster SDG Implementation

September 19, 2017

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has called for countries to begin "picking up the pace" on achieving the UN's comprehensive wishlist of social and economic targets contained in the organization's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of the 2030 deadline.
UN Official Criticizes Hungary on Immigration Policy

September 19, 2017

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has criticized the government of Hungary for its attempts to limit migration into the country, arguing that measures like razor wire “convey an impression of rejection" for would-be migrants.
UNESCO Promotes "Sustainability" Education in Africa

September 18, 2017

Representatives of governments and international organizations at a July UNESCO event in Nairobi agreed to establish a "community of practice/online platform" aimed at advancing the UN's agendas on "Education for Sustainable Development" and "Global Citizenship Education" in East Africa through sharing of best practices in "sustainability" and peace education.