United Nations

US States Grapple with Implementing UN Climate Deal

December 01, 2017

The New York Times reports that a group of US state governments calling themselves the US Climate Alliance is facing challenges in implementing the carbon emissions cuts required under the UN's Paris climate deal without the support of the Trump Administration, which has withdrawn from the agreement.
UN, World Bank Agree to Ramp up Climate Finance

December 01, 2017

In September, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim announced a new Invest4Climate platform that would ramp up public and private financing for "transformational climate action in line with" the UN's Paris climate deal agreed in 2015.
EU, UN Agency Cooperate on Food Waste

November 30, 2017

The European Commission and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization have signed a letter of intent to strengthen their cooperation on cracking down on food loss and waste and developing policies on antimicrobial resistance on farms to contribute to the fulfillment of environmental targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Agents Warn France on Counter-terror Plans

November 30, 2017

The Guardian reports that a September letter from UN human rights mandate holders warned the French government that its plan to exit its "state of emergency" while providing for stronger counter-terrorism measures could violate the country's international human rights obligations through a vague definition of "terrorism" and by encouraging religion-based discrimination.
UN Chief Supports Global Pact on Environment

November 30, 2017

At an event on the margins of the annual leaders' summit at the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres offered his support for a French proposal seeking an "international legally binding document on the environment" that would consolidate national environmental laws into a single "pact."
UN Agency, EU Bank Boost Funding for SDGs

November 30, 2017

The UN Development Programme and the European Investment Fund recently signed an agreement to boost financing to achieve the comprehensive social and economic targets contained in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Agents Push for Environmental Rights Treaty in Americas

November 29, 2017

A group of UN human rights mandate holders has published a statement calling on Latin American and Caribbean government officials meeting in Chile to agree to a legally binding treaty recognizing "environmental rights" throughout the region and requiring governments to perform broad "environmental impact assessments."
Pence Calls for Reforms to UN Rights System

November 28, 2017

In recent remarks to the UN Security Council calling for human rights reform at the UN, US Vice President Mike Pence asserted that the UN Human Rights Council "doesn't deserve its name," as its members include "many of the worst human rights violators in the world" and it has become a mere "invective against Israel."
Israeli Leader Criticizes "Anti-Semitism" at UN

November 28, 2017

In his September speech before the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced anti-Semitism in the decisions of the world body and its agencies, including in the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) recognition of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.
UN Chief Commits to Reforming Bureaucracy

November 28, 2017

At an event in September hosted by US President Donald Trump, 120 countries supported a declaration supporting UN reforms that UN Secretary-General António Guterres said would purportedly cut bureaucratic red tape and provide "value for money while advancing shared values" at the international organization.