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US Class Action Illustrates Risks of Disputed UN Findings
August 03, 2018
An article by Frank Lucas, member of the US House of Representatives, warning of the potential economic impacts of a US class-action ruling against agricultural company Monsanto illustrates the risks related to deference in domestic legal systems to disputed findings of unaccountable UN bodies, in this case the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
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India Disputes UN Findings on Anti-Trafficking Bill
August 03, 2018
Indian officials have rejected demands of UN human rights mandate holders for the revision of national legislation aiming to counter human trafficking, arguing that the legislation does not criminalize the actions of people who are unwillingly trafficked and only targets the trafficker with prosecution.
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UN Rights Chief Condemns Israeli “Assaults” on Palestinian Rights
August 03, 2018
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has added his voice to the barrage of UN criticism of Israeli action in the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” in recent weeks, blaming Israel for Palestinian living conditions, “inherent discrimination” through its adoption of the Nation-State Basic Law, and other “assaults on fundamental rights.”
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UN Official Seeks G20 Focus on Inequality, Global Taxation
August 03, 2018
In a speech to Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers in Buenos Aires, UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner called for national financial policies that aim to achieve key UN social and environmental objectives, including reducing economic inequality and introducing “a coherent set of international tax rules.”
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Caspian Countries Commit to Environmental Assessments
August 03, 2018
Five countries abutting the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan - have signed an Environmental Impact Assessment Protocol agreeing to evaluate the environmental effects of their development and economic policies on other signatories.