United Nations

Paper Examines Shifting Power in UN System

March 23, 2015

In a recent paper studying the power of countries in the UN Secretariat, Paul Novosad of Dartmouth College and Eric Werker of Harvard Business School find overrepresentation of small, rich democracies and a waning influence by the U.S.
UN Seeks to Make Tax Committee Relevant

March 20, 2015

Jeremy Scott writes that the UN's committee on international tax matters is seeking to compete with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to create a model tax treaty to be taken seriously by the international community that would bind multinational corporations around the world.
UN Panel Calls for Referral of Syria Conflict to ICC

March 18, 2015

A report from the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, tasked with monitoring human rights violations related to the Syrian civil war, has called for the UN Security Council to refer these violations to the International Criminal Court ("ICC").
UNESCO Spreads Agenda Through Bulgarian News Agency

March 18, 2015

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") has signed an agreement with the Bulgarian News Agency to cooperate on disseminating UNESCO's message of "peace, tolerance and sustainability."
EU Commissioner Highlights "Alliance" with UNESCO

March 18, 2015

EU Commissioner Tibor Navracsics has recently emphasized a "strategic alliance" between the European Commission and the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ("UNESCO") in promoting an agenda on citizenship education and culture.
UN Panel Emphasizes "Sexual and Reproductive" Rights

March 18, 2015

At a UN panel during the annual Commission on the Status of Women, participants called for countries to recognize and attain "the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health" rights, often interpreted to include abortion rights.
UN Launches Climate Negotiation Training Initiative

March 18, 2015

The UN Environment Programme has announced that, in order to assist representatives from developing countries in negotiating a climate agreement at an international conference in December 2015, it has launched an initiative to teach these representatives "key negotiation skills."
UN Supports Efficiency Alliance Among G7

March 18, 2015

Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Achim Steiner has praised Germany's plan to create an alliance for resource efficiency among G7 countries - the countries with the seven largest economies - and pressure other governments around the world to adopt the UN's environmental agenda.
UN Climate Conference Leader Calls for Warning System

March 18, 2015

Arguing that 70 percent of natural disasters are now linked to global warming, French Foreign Minister and president of the 2015 round of UN climate change negotiations Laurent Fabius has called for the development of a global early warning system for climate-related disasters.
UN Seeks to Strengthen Its Evaluation Role

March 18, 2015

The UN has released a report calling for greater evaluation of initiatives, at the international and national levels, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the UN and governments in dealing with issues such as peacekeeping and climate change.