United Nations

ISO Launches "Sustainable Communities" Standard

July 18, 2016

The International Organization for Standardization has released a new standard that seeks to demonstrate among communities around the world how they can implement the UN's comprehensive social and environmental "sustainable development" agenda.
White House Announces Unilateral Action on SDGs

July 18, 2016

A memorandum from US President Barack Obama announces the establishment of a White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable seeking to expand access to justice for "vulnerable and underserved" people in the US as part of the government's pledge to "promote peaceful and inclusive societies" under the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UN Report Slams UK on Economic "Rights"

July 18, 2016

A report from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights asserts that the UK Government's cuts to social benefits violated the human rights of "disadvantaged and marginalised individuals" and called for the country to increase its minimum wage.
UN Group Condemns "Institutional Racism" in US

July 15, 2016

The Chairman of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, Ricardo Sunga III, has condemned the recent killings of two black men by police in the US as demonstrations of "a high level of structural and institutional racism" and evidence that the US does not recognize the same rights for black citizens.
UN Official Lauds American Climate Commitment

July 15, 2016

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser, congratulated Canada, Mexico, and the US for developing the North American Climate, Clean Energy and Environment Partnership, under which the countries have committed to generating half their energy from renewable sources by the year 2025 and to countering disaster risks caused by climate change.
UN Agent Criticizes "LuxLeaks" Whistleblowers' Conviction

July 14, 2016

Calling whistleblowers "heroes of our time," UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred de Zayas, condemned the conviction by a Luxembourg court of two former employees of PricewaterhouseCoopers for leaking sensitive documents purporting to reveal generous tax breaks for multinational companies.
UN Forum: Climate Work Must Be Central to Development

July 14, 2016

In panels that closed the UN's Africa Carbon Forum 2016, African government officials called for a development agenda based in efforts to counter climate change, including greater financing to help Africa adapt to the current and future impacts of global warming.
UNEP Distributes $20 Million in Gambia Climate Efforts

July 14, 2016

The UN Environment Programme has announced that it is using $20 million from the UN's Green Climate Fund to finance a broad effort to mitigate the impacts of global warming in The Gambia, with projects ranging from reforesting portions of the country to increasing crop yields.
Businesses Sign on to ILO Disability Charter

July 14, 2016

The International Labour Organization has announced that four new companies have signed on to its Global Business and Disability Network Charter, a pledge committing the companies "to promoting and including persons with disabilities" in their global operations, protecting persons with disabilities from discrimination, and expanding accessibility in workplaces.
OHCHR: SDGs Are Built on Human Rights Agenda

July 13, 2016

As the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development held its first meeting since the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement calling on participants to wed their efforts to achieve the SDGs with the implementation of the broadly defined, global human rights agenda.