United Nations

US Ends Funding for UNRWA

September 05, 2018

The Washington Post reports that the US government has halted funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), established to fund institutions and programs supporting Palestinian refugees, to place pressure on other countries to fund UNRWA and reduce the number of people the agency recognizes as refugees.
UN Official Pushes Europe-wide Approach to Migrant Treatment

September 05, 2018

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has called for the EU to develop “a collaborative and reliable European approach” toward the treatment of migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea who are attempting to reach the continent from Africa.
US Cuts Funding for UN Human Rights Office

September 05, 2018

AP reports that, following the US’s withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, US National Security Adviser John Bolton has announced that the US will cut funding for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, signaling continued US pressure on the UN human-rights apparatus to reform and implement US priorities.
UN Agent Seeks Submissions on Poverty in UK

August 31, 2018

The Guardian reports that, following a broadly critical report on US politics relating to taxes and welfare, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston has issued a call for information on “the most significant human rights violations experienced by people living in poverty and extreme poverty” in the UK, particularly focusing on policies of “austerity.”
Outgoing UN Official: UNSC Structure Could Destroy UN

August 31, 2018

In a statement to reporters, outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein warned that members of the UN Security Council with veto power are "running too much of the business" and could cause the entire international organization to fold.
UN Agent: Renewed US Sanctions on Iran Violate Rights

August 29, 2018

UN Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy has criticized as “illegitimate” and an “injustice” the re-imposition by the US of sanctions on Iran, citing the impacts of the unilateral decision on broadly defined economic and social human rights of Iran’s citizens.
UNICEF Criticizes US, Mexican Policies on Migrant Treatment

August 21, 2018

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has published a report describing the “trauma” to which US and Mexican authorities expose children they detain and deport back to Central America, calling for officials to find “alternatives to detention” preventing children from being separated from their family members.
UN Rights Chief Criticizes Trump’s Media, Minority Rhetoric

August 15, 2018

The Guardian reports that outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has characterized US President Donald Trump’s attacks on media outlets as “very close to incitement to violence” and his rhetoric regarding minorities as reminiscent of language used to stir up racial hatred in 1930s Germany.
UN Chief Seeks “Safe Spaces” for Youth Expression

August 15, 2018

Marking International Youth Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for the creation of “safe spaces” for young people in both the physical and digital worlds guaranteeing their “security and dignity” while expressing their views.
UNESCO Contributes to “Intercultural Education” Proposals

August 15, 2018

Representatives from the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have helped craft a set of proposals for Latin American and Caribbean countries on how to provide for “intercultural education” through a “comprehensive and human rights approach” focused on incorporating indigenous themes in education systems.