United Nations

UN Body Pushes Accelerated Action Toward SDGs

July 26, 2017

The UN Economic and Social Council recently adopted a declaration, issued after 44 countries presented their "voluntary national reviews" on the status of their efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), calling for accelerated action to achieve the comprehensive social, economic, and environmental agenda by 2030.
WHO Urges Trillions of Dollars in Spending on Health SDGs

July 26, 2017

The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report detailing the costs associated with reaching the health targets of the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and arguing that it "is the responsibility of every country and national government to pursue" universal health coverage to achieve health-related SDGs.
UNESCO, Brazil Target Children with SDG Education

July 26, 2017

As part of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Education for Sustainable Development campaign, UNESCO's office in Brazil recounts its initiatives with the Brazilian government to promote the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among school children.
UNESCO, WHO Partner on SDG Initiative

July 26, 2017

Showing the single-minded prioritization within the UN system of the body's wide-ranging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in April, the heads of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) signed an agreement to push cooperation between the global health and education sectors to achieve the SDGs.
UNESCO Resolution Denies Israeli Ties to Jerusalem

July 26, 2017

The Times of Israel reports that the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a resolution on Israel's Independence Day denying any legal or historical ties of Israel to Jerusalem, calling the democratic country an "occupying power" in the city, and pushing for an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza.
US Senators Criticize Anti-Israel Bias at UN

July 26, 2017

In an April letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres signed by all 100 US Senators, the lawmakers called for reform of the UN system to halt "continued targeting of Israel by the U.N. Human Rights Council and other U.N. entities," including by changing the rules of the human rights body to broaden access to membership.
UN Mandate Holder Calls for Environmental Action in Uruguay

July 25, 2017

UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment John Knox recently called on the government of Uruguay to fulfill its international human rights obligations by establishing an Ombudsperson to advance environmental complaints in the country and by working with other South American countries to form a regional environmental treaty by the end of this year.
UN Agent Decries Government "Demonization" of Media

July 25, 2017

In May, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye called on governments to "end the public demonization of critical media," calling such "harassment" of journalists "a global crisis."
UN Agent Criticizes Unequal Housing in Chile

July 25, 2017

UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing Leilani Farha has asserted that the divergence in quality of housing in Chile and "segregation" of where people live in the country "based on socio-economic status" violate the international human right to housing.
UN Observer Calls for Lifting of Sanctions on Russia

July 25, 2017

At a recent press conference in Moscow, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral sanctions Idriss Jazairy warned that sanctions imposed by over 30 countries against Russian businesses and officials are violating the human rights of "vulnerable groups" in Russia and called for governments to lift sanctions on elected officials.