Transnational Bodies

EU Parliament Agrees to US Data Protection Deal

December 16, 2016

The European Parliament has voted in support of the EU-US Umbrella Agreement, a framework established to protect data transferred between the EU and the US for law enforcement purposes and which permits citizens in EU member states to seek redress in US courts in case of mishandling of their data.
China Seeks More "Equitable" Internet Governance

December 14, 2016

Signaling the rising threat of internet control by authoritarian regimes, leadership of the Communist Party of China has called for other countries to recognize "cyberspace sovereignty" - or the right of each government to control the internet within their borders - and to permit a "more fair and equitable" global governance of the internet.
China Takes "Pragmatic" Global Governance Approach

December 13, 2016

Dr. Chen Zheng of the University of Oxford writes that China's current pragmatic approach to global governance institutions, with a focus on global economic governance over human rights issues, is subject to an increasing internal debate on how much the country should engage with transnational organizations.
Local Governments Seek Control over "Climate Finance"

December 12, 2016

Megan Rowling reports that local communities in Africa are pushing for greater control over how to disburse development funding provided by "rich" countries, including through the UN's $10 billion "Green Climate Fund," to projects whose purpose is to limit the impacts of global warming.
IEA Report Casts Uncertainty on UN Climate Pledges

December 12, 2016

Robert Rapier writes that, in the 2016 installment of its World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency warns that the technology required to meet the ambitious pledges countries made under the UN's Paris climate deal to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions does not yet exist, given the continued rise in global demand for fossil fuel-based energy.
Warsaw Summit Explores Global Standards on NHRIs

December 12, 2016

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Council of Europe, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently hosted a meeting in Warsaw on best practices in implementing standards on the independence of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to further the global human rights agenda.
OSCE Trains Authorities on "Gender-Sensitive" Laws

December 12, 2016

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights recently hosted a "study visit" in Vienna for officials from Belarus on "institutionalizing gender analysis" in lawmaking and regulatory processes to ensure that national and local rules are appropriately "gender-sensitive."
OSCE Promotes "Gender Mainstreaming" in Communications

December 09, 2016

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) recently held a workshop in Ukraine on how government officials must use "gender mainstreaming" in their communications to avoid terms that "devalue and silence women and other non-dominant groups" and instead become change agents for gender equality.
WTO Panel Rules Against US Aerospace Tax Incentives

December 09, 2016

A panel of the World Trade Organization recently found, in a proceeding triggered by EU officials, that certain tax incentives offered by the US State of Washington to the aerospace industry violate global trade rules.
OSCE Trains Counter-terrorism Authorities on Rights

December 06, 2016

At a recent training course for Spanish law enforcement, intelligence, and military authorities in Madrid, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights emphasized a focus on the human rights of victims, potential offenders, and police officers in the performance of counter-terrorism operations.