United Nations

Nursing Unions File Complaint to the U.N. over TRIPS Waiver

November 30, 2021

Nursing unions from 28 countries and territories have filed a complaint to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, urging the United Nations to investigate how the actions of the EU and other high-income countries that have opposed a temporary TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organization have « breached their obligations to guarantee the right to physical and mental health of everyone ».
UN-Backed Banker Alliance Announces “Green” Plan to Transform the Global Financial System

November 10, 2021

At the COP26 conference, an “industry-led and UN-convened” alliance of financial institutions announced a new plan to overhaul the role of global and regional financial institutions in order to “transform” the global financial system.
World Bank and IMF Face Long-term Damage After Data Rigging Scandal

October 13, 2021

A World Bank external investigation finding that IMF leadership applied "undue pressure" on staff for changes boasting China's business climate ranking could negatively impact the strength and reputation of international financial institutions.
UN Secretary-General Details a Vision for Improved Global Outcomes

September 22, 2021

In a report titled "Our Common Agenda," UN Secretary-General Guterres calls for renewed global solidarity, a new social contract rooted in human rights, an improved global commons, and global public goods.
UN to Report on Xinjiang Human Rights Despite Lack of Access

September 15, 2021

Michelle Bachelet, who is the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed regret at having failed to secure a visit to Xinjiang three months after saying she planned to verify reports of China's alleged violations against Uyghurs and other minority groups but will go ahead with the publication of an independant report based on available evidence.
UN Chief Urges Leaders to “Think Big,” with UN Playing Lead Role

September 13, 2021

UN Secretary-General Guterres has set out his vision for the future of global cooperation in a new report released at a recent meeting of the General Assembly entitled, Our Common Agenda, outlining an approach that would herald a new era for multilateralism, in which the UN would be the platform for collaboration.
UN Experts Call for Moratorium on Sale of Surveillance Technology

August 18, 2021

Concerned that surveillance technology is being used to « monitor, intimidate and silence human rights defenders, journalists and political opponents », a panel of human rights experts have called on the UN member states to place a moratorium on the sale of surveillance technology until there are regulations in place that protects human rights.
UN Chief Urges Taliban to Protect Afghan Lives, Implement « Inclusive » Government

August 18, 2021

Following the Taliban’s takeover in Afganistan, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban to exercise “utmost restraint” to protect Afghan lives and allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, continuing with a statement agreed by all 15 members of the Security Council that called for the immediate cessation of all hostilities and « a new government that is united, inclusive and representative. »
WHO Chief: 'Premature' to Rule out COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory

July 19, 2021

In a recent debriefing, The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged to reporters that there was a “premature push” to rule out the COVID-19 lab leak theory without enough evidence.
Bloomberg: U.S. Lawmakers Pressure UN to Review Violations in China

July 07, 2021

The co-chairs of a congressional panel that monitors human rights in China and calibrating U.S. policy toward the nation pressed the United Nations secretary-general to increase the organization’s review of potential violations, citing specifically human rights abuses by Beijing in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.