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NGO Criticizes UNHCR Approach to Refugee Returns
March 02, 2017
Bill Frelick of Human Rights Watch calls on the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) to refuse to cooperate with governments in returning asylum seekers to their countries of origin when these countries present such dangers as natural disasters and armed conflicts.
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UN Report Calls for Labor Rights to Reduce Inequality
March 02, 2017
A report from the UN's International Labour Organization and the European Commission points to "centralized or highly coordinated collective bargaining systems" and high minimum wages as the best ways in which European governments can reduce income inequality.
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US Considers Withdrawing from UNHRC
March 01, 2017
Politico reports that, according to sources in contact with the US State Department, officials within the Trump Administration are considering withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) over the body's anti-Israel bias and its inclusion of regimes widely considered to be human rights violators.
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UN Official Warns Against Withdrawal from Rights Treaties
March 01, 2017
At the opening of the current UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein warned that attempts by "reckless political profiteers" to withdraw their countries from "international or regional treaties and the institutions which uphold them" would threaten human rights around the world.
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UN Official Seeks Language Learning for SDGs
March 01, 2017
In a statement marking "International Mother Language Day," the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova linked the importance of "linguistic diversity" around the world with her agency's agenda on teaching students of all ages to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).