United Nations

Turkey Plans to Demand UN Investigation of Khashoggi Murder

January 04, 2019

Al Jazeera reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has announced plans to work with other countries to issue a formal demand for UN bodies to investigate the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Hungarian Spokesman: UN Compact Seeks to Legalize Illegal Migration

January 04, 2019

Victoria Friedman writes that Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovács recently characterized the UN’s and EU’s backing of a Global Compact on Migration as efforts to legalize illegal migration and as a mistaken attempt to recognize migration as a fundamental human right.
UNGA Approves Global Compact on Refugee Treatment

January 03, 2019

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) recently approved a Global Compact on Refugees, struck without the support of the US, that includes pledges to limit the detention of asylum seekers and seeks more discretion for UN actors to allocate refugees among UN members.
UN Agency Spotlights Use of Satellites for Environmental Goals

January 03, 2019

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has highlighted its growing reliance on satellite technology to track land use and other social and environmental conditions by launching, in partnership with US space agency NASA, an online portal permitting users to “systematically inspect” any part of the globe through satellite data.
UN Committee Chair Laments "Distractions" from SDG Agenda

January 02, 2019

A UN press release highlights the work of the UN General Assembly’s Second Committee on achieving the UN’s comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and records a lament from the Committee’s Chair that members are currently “distracted” from work on the ambitious SDG agenda.
Haley Warns of Ongoing Abuses Within UN System

December 26, 2018

In a recent interview, outgoing US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that, despite some positive contributions of the international organization to global sanctions, “the verdict is still out” on UN bodies that are “politically unfair” to the US and that suffer continuing abuses within their decision-making processes.
Experts: US Should Not Agree to UN Refugee Compact

December 19, 2018

In the wake of the US’s refusal to sign the UN migration compact, Joshua Meservey and Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation call on the US government to make the same decision on a separate Global Compact on Refugees, arguing that the accord threatens US sovereign control over its immigration policies.
UN Agents Seek Revision of EU Terrorist Propaganda Proposal

December 19, 2018

A group of UN human rights mandate holders has called on EU leaders to revise the bloc’s proposal for legislation on preventing the online dissemination of terrorist content to ensure it does not require the removal of content protected by global standards on freedom of expression.
NGO: China Seeks to Make UN Rights Review Meaningless

December 19, 2018

Sophie Richardson of the nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch reports on China’s work in the UN Human Rights Council and other UN organs toward hollowing out any meaningful review of the country’s performance on civil and political rights.
Haley Criticizes UN “Obsession” with Israel

December 19, 2018

At a recent UN Security Council meeting, outgoing US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley criticized the UN as “hopelessly biased,” citing the UN General Assembly’s failure to condemn Hamas as a terrorist group, and warned that the UN’s “obsession” with Israel has helped stall direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.