United Nations

UNESCO Appoints International Expert Group to Draft Global Recommendation on the Ethics of AI

March 11, 2020

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has appointed 24 of the world’s leading experts on the social, economic and cultural challenges of artificial intelligence to draft internationally applicable recommendations on ethical issues raised by the development and use of AI.
WHO Gives Advice on Handling Mental Health Toll from the Coronavirus

March 11, 2020

Acknowledging that the coronavirus is causing stress in the global population, the World Heath Organization (“WHO”) has published mental health tips that include specific advice for health-care workers, caretakers of children or older adults, and people in isolation.
WaPo: U.N. Agency Sees Sharp Increase in Iran’s Uranium Stockpile

March 04, 2020

According to a Washington Post report, inspectors from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency have reported a near-tripling of Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium since November, with total holdings more than three times the 300-kilogram limit set by the nuclear accord.
Politico: U.N. Survey Reveals Lack of Staff Confidence in Leadership Ability to Achieve Reforms

March 03, 2020

According to Politico, a new United Nations ("U.N.") survey indicates that, although the vast majority of U.N. staff say they are proud to work there, they have less confidence in the ability of U.N. leaders to position the world body to confront the challenges ahead.
UN Official Urges Action to Limit AI-Powered Weapons

February 14, 2020

In an interview with Politico, Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Disarmament Affairs, expressed hope that agreement could still be reached on key measures contained in the UN’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons relating to regulation of lethal autonomous weapons, known as “killer robots.”
WHO Chief Warns of Global Consequences of Coronavirus

February 12, 2020

World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus describes the Coronavirus, now formally named COVID-19, as a very grave global threat that could create significant political, social and economic upheaval.
UNESCO Agency Promoting Global Citizenship Curriculum

February 05, 2020

The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development has created a Global Citizenship Curriculum designed to "create the empathetic citizens we need in the future to save the world."
UN Suffered "Serious" Hacks of Dozens of Servers

January 29, 2020

According to documents leaked to the New Humanitarian, The United Nations suffered a "serious" hack to its "core infrastructure" that potentially compromised officials and employees and declined to notify the public of the incident.
UNOHCHR Seeks $375.5 million for Programming

January 22, 2020

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is appealing for $375.5 million to support its efforts to promote and protect human rights in dozens of countries around the world.
Browne: UN Development System Reform is Long Overdue

January 15, 2020

Writing in PassBlue, Stephen Browne explains the persisting need for the United Nations to reform its development system, where services, training and research are administered by more than 30 separately managed organizations and a similar number of departments, institutes and commissions.