The migration issue in the Middle East, Europe and the rest of the world has become a moral issue camouflaged by nationalism and xenophobia. In the words of United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration, Peter Sutherland, “…this is not just a European issue, we’ve seen this
This week the United Nations Security Council decided to proceed with a mission to Colombia to monitor disarmament in the event the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) reach an agreement to end their armed conflict. The clash between these two forces is Latin America’s
This month, January 2016, United Nations human rights experts called for a review of the United Kingdom’s (UK) Investigatory Powers bill. This bill is thought by these experts to pose a threat to the freedom of expressions both inside and outside the country. This bill aims to bring together
In the first days of 2016 North Korea has made claims that it is in possession of a Hydrogen Bomb, their proof being the ground shaking blast caused by an explosion. This is obviously worrying for the United Nations Security Council which has approved sanctions on North Korean trade and
Brazil is a fast growing economy and as a result, involves itself in large-scale development and construction projects. Many of these projects focus on a top down strategy, leaving room for corruption, environmental degradation, and human rights violations. Pavel Sulyandziga, a member of the Working Group on the Issue of
In Finland, on December 9, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland, H.E. Mr. Timo Soini. They came together to discuss the need to find a political solution for the issues taking place in Syria and Libya. Most notably, however, Mr.
Torn by conflict, Eastern Ukraine continues to face a harsh environment and difficult choices. Some 700,000 farmers have become very vulnerable because of the absence of financial, physical, social and human resources. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warned of “food insecurity among those families due to ‘skyrocketing’
The United Nations climate change conference (COP21) is currently underway and is focused on a number of environmental issues, including agriculture, land degradation, and deforestation– all of which have important ties to climate change. One of the main plans being considered is the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA), a joint agenda
A new United Nations report has found that many countries are adopting the new ‘Fast-Track’ program to combat HIV/AIDS. This joint program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was established in the hopes of ending AIDS by 2030. Michel Sidebé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, stated that “Every five years we have more than
In a recent study by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which was released ahead of the upcoming UN climate conference in December, they found that, yet again, greenhouse gases have reached a new record high as of 2014. The effect of higher concentrations of greenhouse gases is helping fuel climate
In the weeks leading up to the November 8th presidential election in Myanmar, there has been much controversy regarding the treatment and representation of the Muslim community in the country. The Muslim population is neither able to vote, nor run for office in the election that is to take place at
Between October 20th and 21st, the Pygmy and Bantu leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace deal. The basic context of the agreement stated that the two communities would remain neutral and respect one another’s human rights. This comes at a time of great loss, thousands of
