United Nations

UN Agent Criticizes US for Torture "Impunity"

December 20, 2017

UN human rights mandate holder Nils Melzer has criticized the US for not holding accountable officials who allegedly tortured terror suspects under the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency and for not compensating victims of these asserted actions.
UN Agent Urges "Regional Integration" of Venezuela, Ecuador

December 20, 2017

On official visits to the countries, UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Alfred de Zayas urged Ecuador and Venezuela to pursue “regional integration and cooperation with international organizations” in order to better advance "social progress."
UN Plans Insertion of Rights Advisers in Sahel Force

December 20, 2017

AP reports that the UN is planning to insert into a military force fighting Islamic extremists in the Sahel region of Africa a set of advisers and monitors ensuring the force's respect for the global human rights agenda, as UN Assistant Secretary-General Andrew Gilmour told troop-contributing countries that the inclusion of such monitors would "unlock" funds for the deployment.
UN Report Offers Solutions for "Pollution-Free Planet"

December 20, 2017

A recent report from UN Environment Programme Executive Director Erik Solheim warns of catastrophic health effects of pollution around the world and describes a comprehensive set of solutions to move toward a "pollution-free planet," ranging from high-level global cooperation to "resource efficiency and lifestyle changes."
WHO Launches "Climate Proof" Health Project for Islands

December 19, 2017

At the recent UN climate summit in Bonn, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new initiative to help protect the health of people in a group of "Small Island Developing States" from the impacts of global warming, including by developing "climate proof" health systems in these countries.
UNESCO Members Adopt Ethical Principles on Climate

December 19, 2017

At a recent session of the organization's General Conference, member states of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a "Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change" to reframe global policy responses to climate change as an issue of morality.
UN Agency Seeks More Data on Climate "Adaptation"

December 19, 2017

In November, the UN Environment Programme released an assessment finding that the world must develop better ways to assess progress on achieving the "global goal on adaptation" to the impacts of climate change under the UN's Paris climate accord to hold national leaders to account for their climate pledges under the deal.
Brookings, UNESCO Seek to Measure GCE Progress

December 19, 2017

As part of their Global Citizenship Education (GCE) Working Group project, the Brookings Institution and the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently published a toolkit on how to measure global progress toward implementing GCE, which teaches children how to be "agents of long-term, positive changes in their societies."
UN Reserves Funds for Legal Action Against Israel

December 19, 2017

According to the nongovernmental organization UN Watch, the UN has set aside $1.3 billion across 16 UN agencies from 2018 to 2022 to provide advice and "technical capacity" to Palestinian officials on the use of “international accountability mechanisms” to hold Israel responsibility for violations of international law.
Pence: US Will Avoid UN in Mideast Relief Efforts

December 18, 2017

Penny Starr reports that US Vice President Mike Pence has announced a shift in US policy under which the US State Department will avoid using UN structures to distribute humanitarian relief to persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East.