United Nations

UN Agents Seek Rights-Focused Implementation of Paris Deal

December 15, 2017

Ahead of a recent climate summit in Bonn, Germany, to discuss the implementation of global commitments made under the UN's Paris climate deal, UN human rights mandate holders issued a statement pushing for participants to place human rights, including economic, social, and cultural rights, at the center of their efforts to combat global warming.
UN Agents Condemn Political "Demonization" of Media

December 15, 2017

A group of UN human rights mandate holders has condemned "the public demonization of reporting and specific media outlets and reporters by political leaders at the highest levels," linking such criticism to the targeted killing of journalists.
UNESCO Offers Guidelines on SDG Education Reporting

December 14, 2017

Highlighting the focus of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on gathering education data for global policymaking, UNESCO's Institute for Statistics has released a report guiding member states on more effective methods of collecting and utilizing data to implement the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on education.
US Supports Refugee, but Not Migration, Compact

December 14, 2017

Fox News reports that the US delegation to the UN has pulled out of talks on a Global Compact for Migration but has made the proposed Global Compact on Refugees a “priority” because the Trump Administration believes the pact would further its goal of discouraging refugee resettlement abroad.
UN Official Stresses Need for Global Refugee Compact

December 14, 2017

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi pushed for a new global compact on refugees in response to the 2016 New York Declaration, stressing the need for member states to adopt the UN’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework rather than resort to “closed borders” and “restricted access.”
World Bank Aligns Policies with Paris Climate Deal

December 13, 2017

At this week's One Planet Summit in Paris, the World Bank Group announced a comprehensive plan to align its operations with the agenda of the UN's Paris climate deal, including by severely restricting its funding to fossil fuel projects and funneling "climate-smart" finance to projects aimed at combating global warming.
UN Observer: Legal Processes Must End Palestinian "Occupation"

December 08, 2017

In an October speech, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Michael Lynk called for world leaders to help end the "longest-lasting military occupation in the modern world" by pushing for international legal processes end Israel's "illegal" presence in Palestinian territories.
UN Agent: "Fundamentalism" Threatens Women's Rights

December 08, 2017

UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Karima Bennoune has warned that a "multidirectional global avalanche of misogyny" based in religious "fundamentalism and extremism" are a global threat to women's cultural rights and autonomy.
UN Agent: End of Catalan Autonomy Violates Rights

December 08, 2017

UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Alfred de Zayas writes that he "deplores" the recent decision of the Spanish Government to end autonomous rule in Catalonia, as it is a violation of international human rights law, and calls for Spanish authorities to authorize a new referendum on Catalan independence.
Officials Sign WHO Pledge on NCDs

December 07, 2017

At a recent conference hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Uruguay, government officials endorsed a "roadmap" pledging to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes and heart disease, through such state policies as tobacco and alcohol prevention and the promotion of healthy diets to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.