United Nations

NGO Meeting Calls for "Teeth" in UN Climate Pact

July 23, 2015

A meeting hosted by the nongovernmental organization ("NGO") E3G included calls for a UN climate pact, to be negotiated in Paris later this year, that would penalize countries for failing to meet agreed benchmarks on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
UN Agents Push to Impose Input on US Prison Reform

July 22, 2015

Following US President Barack Obama's visit to an Oklahoma prison and remarks on criminal justice reform, two UN human rights agents have called on the President to permit them to visit US officials and facilities in order to provide expertise "to ensure that prison reforms are implemented in accordance with international human rights standards."
UN Rapporteur Praises Human Rights Impacts of Iran Deal

July 22, 2015

UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran Ahmed Shaheed has congratulated the parties to the recent Iran nuclear deal on the "beneficial multiplier effect" he says the deal will have on human rights in the country, especially "the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights" that have been harmed by international sanctions.
Experts Call for Rejection of UN-approved Iran Deal

July 21, 2015

Michaela Dodge, James Phillips, and Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation have called upon the US Congress to ignore the UN Security Council's adoption of the recent Iran nuclear deal, in part in order to assert its authority to determine whether US sanctions against Iran remain in force.
Members of US Congress Object to Immediate UN Vote on Iran Deal

July 21, 2015

The New York Times reports that a broad effort from members of the US Congress called for the Obama Administration to delay a vote by the UN Security Council on a deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program, finding that the immediate UN vote could preempt any meaningful congressional debate over the deal.
Schaefer: Obama Goes to UN Before US Congress on Iran Deal

July 17, 2015

Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation warns that US President Barack Obama will likely seek a vote at the UN Security Council for a resolution implementing the recent Iran nuclear deal prior to permitting the US Congress to review and consider the removal of sanctions on the country.
UN Agent Criticizes Creditors of Greece for Debt Deal

July 16, 2015

UN Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky has warned that the deal between Greece and its creditors to make spending reforms in exchange for debt relief could affect the access of the Greek people to economic, social, and cultural human rights and may undermine democracy in the country.
World Bank Calls for Trillions to Fund Development Agenda

July 15, 2015

Addressing a UN conference for financing development at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim called for the world to produce trillions of dollars in funding for the UN's sustainable development agenda, which focuses on a broad array of UN social and environmental objectives.
WHO Pushes Policies for Funding SDG Goal on Health

July 15, 2015

The UN's World Health Organization ("WHO") has issued a plan to implement the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Goal ("SDG") on health by calling for various tax and spending policies to move toward "universal health coverage" around the world.
UN Panel Seeks Action-Oriented Climate Change Education

July 15, 2015

On a recent conference panel hosted by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") in Paris, panelists called for schools not only to teach students about the science of global warming, but to encourage them to apply this lesson to everyday life in order to take action against climate change.