United Nations

UNESCO Pressures Vienna on Development Project

September 14, 2017

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee has added Vienna's historic center to its "List of World Heritage in Danger" due to a planned development project that the Committee says threatens the "outstanding universal value of the site."
UNESCO Hunts for Education Data for SDGs

September 14, 2017

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics has published an article pushing countries around the world to gather comprehensive data from their education systems and send it to UN agencies in support of the international organization's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to education on and promotion of sustainable development.
Analysis: US Will Still Exceed Climate Pledges

September 14, 2017

Raising the question of the value of the UN's Paris climate agreement in pushing action on "clean energy" investments, a report from Morgan Stanley predicts that the US will exceed pledges made by the Obama Administration on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris deal despite the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the agreement.
UN Agent Faults Trump over Media Criticism

September 06, 2017

Reuters reports that UN Special Rapporteur on the freedom of expression David Kaye has warned that US President Donald Trump's criticism of media sources, along with his Administration's push against government leaks, is "reckless" and "part of a general trend of hostility to freedom of expression."
French President: UN Climate Deal Was Insufficient

September 01, 2017

Reflecting the frustration of environmental activists and some government officials that the UN's 2015 Paris accord did not go far enough in combating climate change, French President Emmanuel Macron recently called on governments to "go beyond" the terms of the deal in clamping down on fossil fuel emissions.
UN Agent Urges Adherence to Indigenous Standards

September 01, 2017

In a recent interview, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People Victoria Tauli-Corpuz asserted that governments must follow global standards requiring "free, prior, and informed consent" by indigenous peoples to economic projects both to protect human rights and to ensure "sustainable economic growth."
UN Agency Advocates Global Fishing Framework

August 31, 2017

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has encouraged national governments to implement its voluntary guidelines on small-scale fisheries as a way to further “policy coherence” that protects human rights and sustainability.
UN Official: More Progress Needed on SDG for Water

August 31, 2017

UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson has called for a greater global action to achieve targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water and sanitation, calling for “a relationship of balance and respect with the water.”
UN Leader Praises Chinese Climate Leadership

August 31, 2017

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, praised the government of China upon her visit to the country as "one of the most important leaders in tackling global climate change" due to its success at implementing "green" development goals.
UNESCO: Focus Scientific Efforts on Achieving SDGs

August 31, 2017

Celebrating the 2017 World Science Day for Peace and Development, Flavia Schlegel of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called for the redirection of science and technology efforts toward the achievement of the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).