United Nations

UN Official Seeks Security Council Focus on Global Warming

July 30, 2018

The Financial Express reports that UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed recently warned the UN Security Council about the need for countries to step up their efforts in combating climate change to address “some of the most pressing security challenges of our time,” amplified by “exacerbated competition over scant resources.”
At Forum, Academic Seeks Global Tax Rise to Achieve SDGs

July 27, 2018

Addressing the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which seeks to hold governments to account for their contributions to fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University called on countries to raise taxes on their citizens to achieve the SDGs and increase happiness.
UN Agency Calls for End of Libyan Migrant Detention

July 27, 2018

The UN’s International Organization for Migration has called on the Libyan government to cease its practice of detaining migrants returned to the country after attempting to cross the Mediterranean and enter Europe, pushing instead for Libya to “speed up repatriation,” including voluntary returns, of such migrants.
OHCHR Criticizes Israeli Court Ruling on Bedouin Homes

July 27, 2018

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has criticized a ruling of the Israeli High Court permitting the “discriminatory” destruction of unlicensed Palestinian Bedouin houses in the West Bank, calling the demolition plans a violation of international humanitarian law.
UN Agent Conveys “Bleak” Picture of Palestinian Rights

July 27, 2018

Following recent meetings with nongovernmental organizations in Amman, Jordan, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” Michael Lynk described the reports he received on the Palestinian human rights situation as “the bleakest picture yet” and called on Israel to restore Palestinians’ “most basic rights.”
ILO Calls on States to Address “Global Care Crisis”

July 27, 2018

A report from the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) calls on national governments to play a larger role in addressing the imbalance between men and women in the unpaid “care economy” while also warning that current family and employment structures will soon produce a “severe and unsustainable global care crisis.”
UN Negotiations Yield Draft Refugee Compact

July 27, 2018

UN member states and a variety of stakeholders, including nongovernmental organizations, have drafted a global compact for refugees, to be considered by the UN General Assembly later this year, that includes the creation of a Global Refugee Forum and “Support Platforms” for refugees.
UN Committee Publishes Global Education Financing Strategy

July 26, 2018

The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) - Education 2030 Steering Committee has issued global recommendations emphasizing the status of education as a human right and calling for increased funding to public schools, with a focus on increasing public revenue to account for expanded education budgets.
UN Partnership Targets SDGs on Nutrition, Agriculture

July 26, 2018

The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to ramp up efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using tools ranging from “learning modules” at agricultural schools to introducing “nutrition education” around the world.
UN Reviews Potential Restrictions on Autonomous Weapons

July 26, 2018

A press release from the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reviews the UN’s efforts to add to discussions within the international organization a focus, urged by nongovernmental organizations, on the global prohibition of “lethal autonomous weapons systems.”