United Nations

Hawaii Signs Laws Supporting UN Climate Agreement

August 18, 2017

ABC News reports that, as part of growing action in US states to support the UN's Paris climate accord rejected by the Trump Administration, the Hawaiian Governor has signed into law two bills supporting action on the Paris agreement, one of which "expands strategies and mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide" in line with the global climate agenda.
Jury Convicts Macau Billionaire in UN Corruption Case

August 17, 2017

A US jury convicted Macau billionaire Ng Lap Seng on charges of bribing two UN ambassadors, including former President of the UN General Assembly John Ashe, in his attempt to build a multi-billion-dollar conference center in the Chinese metropolis.
UN Statement Urges Economic, Social Rights for Indigenous Peoples

August 17, 2017

Several UN officials have released a statement expressing concern over the lack of progress in realizing the economic, social, and cultural human rights of indigenous peoples 10 years after the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Lawyer: UN Inconsistent on “Right to Life”

August 17, 2017

Attorney Wesley Smith, writing in National Review Online, argues that the UN Human Rights Committee has applied a "relative and elastic" standard in its draft comment on the meaning of the “right to life” in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by saying that governments must not limit access to abortion or ban assisted suicide for terminally ill adults.
UN Agent Publishes Declaration on Right to "Solidarity"

August 17, 2017

Highlighting the comprehensive scope of the "rights" recognized by the UN human rights system, UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity Virginia Dandan has published a "draft declaration on the right to international solidarity" that pushes for countries to collaborate on "developing systems for a new international order."
UN Group: US Detention of Migrants Violates Rights

August 16, 2017

A report from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to the UN Human Rights Council asserts that US detention of illegal migrants and asylum seekers after they cross the US border violates international human rights law, arguing that the US must only use arrest and confinement of migrants while they await trial as a "last resort."
UN Memo Warns of Major Problems in Peacekeeping Unit

August 16, 2017

George Russell reports that an internal memo authored by the UN's top commander in the Central African Republic warns of the lack of discipline and incompetence of a Congolese unit stationed in the country, signaling that the UN has not yet solved the major problems leading to the recent UN peacekeeping sexual-abuse crisis in Africa.
EU, Governments Agree to Collaborate on SDGs

August 16, 2017

EU institutions and EU member states agreed in June to "a comprehensive common framework for European development cooperation" entitled "New European Consensus on Development" requiring them to collaborate on the fulfillment of the UN's comprehensive social and environmental targets embodied in the organization's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Haley Criticizes UN Rights Chief Report Targeting Israel

August 16, 2017

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has issued a press release criticizing a report from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein for unfairly targeting Israel for alleged rights violations and exceeding the UN office's mandate by calling for the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion condemning alleged Israeli crimes.
UN Rights Chief Pushes for Israeli "War Crimes" Investigations

August 15, 2017

In a June report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called on both Israel and Palestine to heed demands from the UN rights office to pursue accountability for alleged war crimes committed in their territories.