United Nations

UN Agent: Military Readiness Violates Rights

October 18, 2017

The UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order Alfred de Zayas has called on countries around the world to "disarm for development" and to "convert war economies into peace economies" to fund the fulfillment of economic, social, and cultural rights.
EU Establishes Fund to Achieve SDGs

October 18, 2017

The Council of the EU has approved a new EU regulation establishing a European fund for sustainable development that will invest in projects in external countries near the EU that aim to fulfill the UN's comprehensive social and environmental targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Summit Explores Climate Financing for Non-state Actors

October 18, 2017

Leaders from non-state actors such as cities, regions, and civil society gathered at the Climate Chance Summit to discuss how to align public and private financing systems with the global climate agenda as set forth in the Paris agreement on climate change.
OHCHR Develops Measurement Tools for Human Rights SDGs

October 18, 2017

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) held a consultation meeting with selected statistical institutes and human rights organizations to formulate ways to measure progress toward human rights targets under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN, World Bank Push SDG-based Peace Initiative

October 17, 2017

The UN and the World Bank Group are collaborating on a Humanitarian-Development-Peace Initiative seeking to use the UN's comprehensive social and environmental targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address conflicts in fragile countries such as Somalia and Yemen.
UN Agency Publishes Global Tourist Guidelines

October 16, 2017

The UN World Tourism Organization recently launched a "Travel.Enjoy.Respect" campaign offering a global manual guiding "responsible travellers" visiting other countries on how to "respect nature, respect culture, and respect your host."
UN Panel Pushes Samoa to Uphold "Sexual Rights"

October 16, 2017

Following a recent visit to Samoa, the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women concluded that the country has failed so far to uphold "women's sexual and reproductive rights" and must establish a "state-sponsored social welfare system" to fully combat gender discrimination.
UNESCO Project Seeks Development Based in "Humanitude"

October 16, 2017

Adama Samassékou, president of the UNESCO-organized World Humanities Conference, describes how his project is seeking to convince global society that, faced with the "bankruptcy" of a Western way of life based on a "culture of having," it must establish a new model of development grounded in "humanitude," or "a spontaneous impulse of welcoming the Other."
US Announces Withdrawal from UNESCO

October 12, 2017

Citing "mounting arrears," lack of reform, and anti-Israel bias at the organization, the US State Department has informed the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that it will withdraw from the agency at the end of 2018 and become a non-member observer state.
WHO Launches Body with Broad Health Mandate

October 11, 2017

As part of the agency's expanding focus in areas related to healthy lifestyles rather than contagious diseases, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has established a "high-level global commission on noncommunicable diseases" that will recommend worldwide policy approaches to long-term health and the reduction of injuries and violence.