United Nations

World Bank Continues Pressure for Carbon Tax

December 22, 2015

During the recent UN climate talks in Paris, the World Bank Group pressured governments to tax the emission of carbon in order to limit global warming, launching a Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition among leaders of various governments and sectors and announcing a $500 million initiative to cut greenhouse gases and set up carbon taxes in developing countries.
Development Banks Pledge Support for Climate Agenda

December 22, 2015

On the eve of the recent UN climate negotiations in Paris, officials from the world's largest development banks, including the World Bank Group, promised a significant increase in funding to climate-related projects and expressed support for a set of voluntary principles for financial institutions to "mainstream" action on global warming across their operations.
Financial Companies Agree to "Portfolio Decarbonization"

December 22, 2015

The UN Environment Programme ("UNEP") has announced the addition of financial institutions from the UK, the Netherlands, and France to its "Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition," which seeks to pressure investors to remove funding from companies that UNEP argues contribute to climate change.
UN Agency Seeks Pro-Labor Policies in Greece

December 21, 2015

The UN's International Labour Organization ("ILO") has announced that it is working with the Greek Government to include "collective bargaining and social dialogue" policies in the country's reforms to grow the economy and reduce unemployment.
UN Highlighted Climate Catastrophes Prior to Summit

December 21, 2015

Attempting to show a link between climate change and weather-related disasters prior to the recent UN conference among world leaders on climate change in Paris, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction released a report estimating that 90 percent of global disasters in the last twenty years have been climate-related.
UN: Nationality-Based Migrant Restrictions Violate Rights

December 21, 2015

Calling for Balkan States to increase their capacity for migrants from the Middle East, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that policies in the region of "profiling" migrants and asylum seekers based on their nationality violates international human-rights law.
Coalition Pushes US to Recognize Rights in Climate Deal

December 18, 2015

A coalition of nongovernmental organizations recently published a letter to US Secretary of State John Kerry, in the lead-up to the recent UN climate conference in Paris, calling for the US to support recognition in the deal that countries must respect the global human-rights agenda when responding to threats from climate change.
WHO Predicts Lives Saved Through Climate Action

December 17, 2015

In the lead-up to the recent UN climate summit in Paris, the UN's World Health Organization ("WHO") placed pressure on delegates by estimating that climate change currently causes tens of thousands of deaths per year and that a deal to reduce global warming could save 2.4 million lives per year by the year 2050.
UN's Ban Calls for Global Acceptance of Refugees

December 17, 2015

Arguing that "sealing borders, criminalization and detention will not solve any problems," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for countries to "open their hearts" to refugees and to coordinate a global response to provide legal avenues through which refugees can immigrate.
UN Climate Deal Includes Review Mechanism

December 16, 2015

The Washington Post reports that national leaders from across the globe have adopted an agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to subject their governments every five years to a review mechanism that will be press for further actions limiting contributions to global warming.