Transnational Bodies

UfM, OECD Agree to Promote "Sustainability"

February 01, 2018

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have signed an agreement to promote the social and environmental goals of the global "sustainable development" agenda in the Southern Mediterranean region.
Haass: WEF Leaders Could Learn from Trump's Message

January 31, 2018

Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations points to lessons US President Donald Trump and other world leaders attending last week's World Economic Forum (WEF) could learn from each other, with a balance between President Trump's message of enhanced national sovereignty and a recognition that the US must help other countries shape globalization.
OECD Calls on US to Solve Issues with Ageing Workforce

January 31, 2018

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has produced a study calling on US lawmakers to adopt a "comprehensive policy approach" to the problem of unemployment and low income among American seniors, including by pressuring US firms to hire older workers and by "retraining and upskilling" workers throughout their lives.
Leaders at WEF Praise Chinese Global Governance Vision

January 30, 2018

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reports that UN and other world leaders at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, have lined up behind the vision of global governance promoted by President Xi Jinping at last year's WEF - in favor of an "open global economy" and an international system based on "equality, fairness and inclusiveness."
TPP Deal Advances Without US

January 29, 2018

Bloomberg reports that 11 members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, from which the US withdrew upon the arrival of the Trump Administration, have decided to proceed with a revised version of the agreement that will bind these countries in areas ranging from labor rights to culture to intellectual property.
WEF Launches "Sustainability" Index for Economic Performance

January 29, 2018

The World Economic Forum, warning that governments' focus on increasing gross domestic product (GDP) has contributed to "inequality and short-termism," has released its Inclusive Development Index as a metric for economic performance that includes factors such as living standards, "equity," and "sustainability" along with growth.
WEF Seeks Recognition of Broad Rights Agenda in Europe

January 29, 2018

The World Economic Forum has published a paper called New Concept for Europe in which it calls for leaders in EU institutions and national European governments to adopt a broad interpretation of the global human rights agenda, including by allowing minors to vote and recognizing a "universal right to learn," and to create a regional "European Security Force."
Commission Warns US on Deportation of El Salvadoreans

January 22, 2018

Telesur reports that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has warned that the US could be violating its international human rights obligations by following through with the Trump Administration's decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status for thousands of El Salvadoreans who came to the US after two powerful earthquakes in their home country in 2001.
IMF Report Nudges Vietnam on Green Growth

January 18, 2018

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) evaluation of Vietnam's response to the impacts of climate change, calling on the country's government to "adapt its economy toward a more sustainable and ecofriendly growth model," demonstrates how the IMF is shifting its focus toward pushing for climate-friendly development in response to global warming.
IACHR Recognizes Right to Same-Sex Marriage

January 11, 2018

The BBC reports that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), an arm of the Organization of American States that issues rulings on human rights issues in the region, has ruled that its members must recognize a right of same-sex couples to marry and rejected the establishment of a separate legal regime governing same-sex relationships.