United Nations

Israel Lowers Participation in UNHRC

July 16, 2018

The Times of Israel reports that, following the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Israeli government announced that it has temporarily reduced its participation in the body, which the country’s Prime Minister called a “biased, hostile, anti-Israel organization.”
UNHRC Debate Links SDGs to Rights Agenda

July 13, 2018

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) hosted a discussion at its recent session on how governments must enhance their cooperation on fulfilling the global human rights agenda to contribute to the achievement of the UN’s comprehensive social and environmental targets contained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Poverty Report Provokes Questions on Underlying Data

July 11, 2018

George Russell examines how a recent report from UN human rights mandate holder Philip Alston blaming economic inequality in the US on regressive government measures and “persistent and chronic racial bias” overlooks data on declining poverty rates and is based on input from activist groups that oppose policies of the Trump Administration.
US Emissions Progress Raises Questions on Utility of Paris Climate Deal

July 11, 2018

Jeff Rubin of the Centre for International Governance Innovation explains why the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the UN’s Paris climate accord has not prevented the US from coming closer to meeting the targets to which it originally agreed under the deal than Canada has come under a government that supports the deal.
UN Launches Sex Abuse Screening System

June 28, 2018

Reuters reports that, responding to allegations of widespread sex abuse within the ranks of the UN system, the UN has announced the launch of a screening system that will prevent former staff members found guilty of sexual misconduct from obtaining jobs at other charities or with other UN agencies.
WHO Seeks Restrictions on Trans-fats in Food

June 28, 2018

The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report calling on everyone to reduce their intake of "artery-clogging fatty foods" and pushing for "energetic action from governments" to prevent the inclusion of trans-fats in food products.
UN Body Aims to Censor Presentation on Press Freedom

June 28, 2018

The New York Times reports that the UN Alliance of Civilizations opened itself to allegations of censorship on World Press Freedom Day by calling for a nongovernmental organization to delete references to Turkey in a video presentation singling out countries with restrictions on the media.
Haley: UN Voting Shows Lack of Return on US Foreign Aid

June 28, 2018

Ben Evansky reports that US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley asserted that findings from a State Department analysis on the alignment of countries' voting records with the US in the UN General Assembly shows America is not receiving an "acceptable return" on its global investments in the form of foreign assistance and contributions to the UN budget.
UN Agents: US Border Policy Is Potentially "Torture"

June 27, 2018

The Independent reports that a group of UN human rights mandate holders has condemned US President Donald Trump's recently modified policy of separating parents who have illegally crossed the border from their children as a potential violation of international human rights standards against torture.
Paper Opposes US Adoption of Kigali Amendment

June 27, 2018

The Heritage Foundation has published a paper labeling the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, a 1988 instrument seeking to limit ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from entering the atmosphere, as an inappropriate attempt to promote a more expansive aim of combating global warming with the side-effect of harming the global economy.