United Nations

NGO Criticizes UN for Continuing Reports of Sexual Abuse

April 11, 2016

George Russell writes that the nongovernmental organization AIDS-Free World is blaming bureaucracy and collective inaction at the UN for new cases of sexual abuse by members of a UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ILO Calls for Legislation on Domestic Workers' "Right to Rest"

April 08, 2016

The UN's International Labour Organization ("ILO") has called for countries, through legislation or regulation, to reduce the working time of domestic workers to provide for their "essential human right" to rest.
UN Audit Reveals Lapses in Bribery Case

April 08, 2016

Reuters reports that a confidential document from the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, generated as part of the office's investigation of a bribery scheme implicating former UN General Assembly President John Ashe, has indicated a number of lapses in the UN's links with the nongovernmental organizations at the center of the scandal.
UN Meeting Promotes Agenda of Economic Redistribution

April 07, 2016

Calling for a "fair global society," UN officials at a recent "special meeting on inequality" asserted that national leaders must address growing economic inequality between countries and within countries, blaming the former on "illicit financial flows" and other unethical international activity, while blaming the latter on lack of "political will."
Diplomats Hasten UN Deal-making Before US Election

April 07, 2016

Colum Lynch writes that UN diplomats, fearing the next US President will be less "friendly" toward deals at the international organization, are hurrying forward agreements and resolutions on which they seek to cooperate with the Obama Administration, including a UN Security Council resolution seeking to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict, before the November US elections.
UN Officials Seek Immediate, Comprehensive Climate Action

April 06, 2016

Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Achim Steiner and Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres have published an op-ed in which they call for immediate action from countries to restrict a wide range of greenhouse gases under the UN climate agreement agreed in Paris last year.
UN Rights Chief Expresses Alarm over EU-Turkey Deal

April 06, 2016

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has expressed doubts over the compliance of the deal between EU countries and Turkey, providing for the return to Turkey of migrants attempting to enter the EU, with international human rights law and has called for the EU to open new avenues for regular migration by refugees and others.
Bayefsky: US Must Withdraw from HRC over Israel-Bashing

April 06, 2016

Anne Bayefsky writes that, in light of the annual ritual in which the UN Human Rights Council ("HRC") adopts an array of resolutions condemning Israel for rights violations, and a condemnation of Israel by the UN Commission on the Status of Women for violating the rights of Palestinian women, the US must refuse to sit on the HRC and decline to "legitimize" the UN.
UN Lacks Information on Needs for Syrian Relief Effort

April 06, 2016

George Russell reports that the UN, in large part due to bureaucratic obstacles and "intimidation" by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has little understanding of the needs on the ground in Syria for the international organization's relief effort.
UK Denies Any Effect of UN Commission Ruling on Falklands

April 06, 2016

Responding to Argentina's claim that a ruling by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf expands the country's maritime territory to include the Falkland Islands, which are under the control of the UK, the British Foreign Office has stated that the Commission "has no jurisdiction over the sovereignty" of the islands.