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New ECOSOC Chief Prioritizes SDGs
August 01, 2017
Marie Chatardová, the newly elected President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has announced that she will focus ECOSOC's efforts during her term on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international organization's comprehensive wishlist for social and environmental policy around the world.
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HRW Criticizes UNESCO for Saudi NGO Forum
July 31, 2017
Adam Coogle of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Human Rights Watch writes that the decision by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to host its International Forum of NGOs in Saudi Arabia is a "slap in the face" of human rights activists in the country jailed for allegedly violating its extremely restrictive NGO laws.
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Paper Considers Impacts of US Funding Cuts on UN
July 31, 2017
A paper from the Brookings Institution analyzes the potential budget impacts of US funding cuts for parts of the UN system and argues that the amount of future US funding for the organization depends on "how much responsibility does it want to take on in shaping the world’s new normal."
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Israel Withholds Funding from UNESCO
July 31, 2017
AP reports that Israel has announced that it is withholding $1 million in funding for the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) following the adoption of a UNESCO resolution that, according to the Israeli government, diminishes the ties of the Jewish people to Jerusalem.
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Academic Details "Hard" Law in Paris Climate Deal
July 28, 2017
A paper by Professor Lavanya Rajamani paints the UN's 2015 Paris agreement on combating climate change as a "carefully calibrated mix of hard, soft and non-obligations" with "blurred boundaries" among each, making clear the assertion that the deal is merely a statement of ambition does not capture the full picture of the document.