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UN Chief: Targeting of Israel Has "Foiled" UN Priorities
December 21, 2016
The Independent reports that, in recent remarks to the UN Security Council, outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that the "disproportionate" number of resolutions, committees, and reports targeting Israel for alleged misconduct and rights violations has "foiled the ability of the UN to fulfill its role effectively."
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UN Rights Chief Warns Against Israeli Settlement Bill
December 21, 2016
Referring to Israeli settlements as "the principal cause of a wide range of human rights violations inside the occupied West Bank," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has warned that Israeli legislation under consideration in the legislature that would retroactively legalize such settlements is contrary to international law.
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Academic: Reduce Discretion in Global Refugee System
December 21, 2016
In a paper following up on the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Refugees and Migrants in September, Professor James Milner of Carleton University calls for governments to replace the current "discretionary" system of resettling refugees with a more "predictable" and "equitable" system that would require countries to share refugee responsibilities.
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EU Pushes Global Court for Investment Disputes
December 20, 2016
The European Commission has announced that, under pressure from activists for including ad hoc investment tribunals in its trade agreements, it is engaged in talks with the Canadian government and other stakeholders to establish a permanent "Multilateral Investment Court" that would decide transnational investment disputes across the globe.
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WHO Advances Campaign on "Universal Health Coverage"
December 20, 2016
As part of its campaign pressuring governments to provide "universal health coverage," and in line with health pledges set under the UN's comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals, the UN's World Health Organization has launched a global data portal through which it will provide information on access to healthcare.