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What is clear is the prospect of further damage to the UN's already shaky credibility Three cases of human rights abuses reared their ugly head again this week. The United Nations’ role has been called into question, including the responses of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the criticisms. The first human rights case involves Myanmar. The Free Rohingya Coalition criticized Secretary General Guterres and former UN Resident Coordinator in Myanmar Renata Lok-Dessallien for failing to safeguard thousands of Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority, in Myanmar. The group cited the findings in a 36-page official report entitled “A brief and...

..... ....Yes, contrary to what one might expect, the Government of Israel wanted continued U.S. payments to UNRWA, fearing that their termination might cause a new intifada, the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, or renewed warfare with Hamas. Also, Jerusalem sees UNRWA as a lesser evil than alternative recipients of the money, such as the PA. ..... And even if no one replaced U.S. donations, denying UNRWA money does not get to the heart of the problem, which lies not in its sponsored activities but in its perpetuating and expanding population of "Palestine refugees" in three unique, even bizarre ways:...

MainAll NewsMiddle EastUN chief 'very concerned' over American cut to UNRWA UN chief 'very concerned' over American cut to UNRWA Antonio Guterres says UNRWA is "an important factor of stability" in the Middle East. Contact Editor Elad Benari, 17/01/18 00:06 Share Antonio GuterresAntonio GuterresReuters UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday he was "very concerned" by reports that the U.S. had cut its funding to UNRWA, the UN agency for “Palestinian refugees”, by half. According to AFP, Guterres said he had not been informed of Washington's decision. "I strongly hope that in the end, it will be possible for the...

A Palestinian Authority refugee receives a budget four times larger than a Syrian, Iraqi or African refugee, according to a study conducted by the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, ahead of Sunday's visit to Israel by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Yediot Ahronot reported on Sunday. At the end of last week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA), which deals only with Palestinians, released its annual financial report, which in 2016 generated an average of $246 for each of the 5.3 million Palestinians it defines as a refugee, while the United Nations High Commissioner...

TEL AVIV — The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which ministers to so-called Palestinian refugees, would not comment when asked by Breitbart Jerusalem to provide the total number of Palestinian “refugees” that UNRWA services in Lebanon. This after Lebanon’s census data recently placed the number of Palestinian “refugees” living in the country at about one third of the nearly 500,000 reported by UNRWA. UNRWA runs camps and projects for so-called Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. On its website UNRWA claims “5.1 million refugees” are “covered by our protection mandate,” purportedly including about 500,000...

UNRWA should be forced to make a choice. Either show some backbone and not participate in advancing a curriculum in its schools that directly contradicts the two-state solution the UN claims it supports, or lose all funding from the United States The spokesperson for United Nations Secretary General António Guterres issued a statement on Monday on behalf of the Secretary General strongly defending the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The statement defended UNRWA against what the Secretary General considered to be unfair criticism. The statement expressed the Secretary...

A new UN report on the mysterious 1961 plane crash that killed UN secretary-general Dag Hammarskjold in central Africa has concluded it appears "plausible" the aircraft came under attack. Sweden has called "an open wound" the unsolved questions over Hammarskjold's death, which came during the Cold War between Western nations and the Soviet bloc. The latest findings take into account newly-released information from the archives of Belgium, Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States.

Secretary-General António Guterres has met U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time since he took the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1. U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said they met for 15-20 minutes Friday morning along with U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster at the White House and had “a good discussion” on U.S.-U.N. cooperation. […] The U.S. is the largest financial contributor to the U.N. and Trump has talked of cutting America’s contribution but hasn’t taken any action yet. …

The UN today is a bloated organization, which is rightly perceived as non-transparent, non-accountable, ineffective and, at times, hypocritical United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres will commence his duties as secretary general on January 1, 2017, succeeding Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Guterres took the oath of office on December 12th in a ceremony presided over by the president of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Guterres, a former Socialist prime minister of Portugal, former UN high commissioner for refugees, and president of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005, then delivered an address outlining his priority to restore trust in the United...

Speaking to CNN at COP22, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Trump to "really work for humanity." "I hope the President-elect Trump will really see the reality, will consult with his senior advisers and world leaders and take wise and correct decisions for their future involvement in world affairs," he said. "I count on the US continued engagement and leadership to make this world better for all," he added.

Lakhdar Brahimi and Mary Robinson call on the successful candidate for UN Secretary-General to serve one seven year term, to ensure their strength and independence. Writing in an opinion piece published around the world, they also urge P5 members to recognise that merit must trump all other considerations.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has asked the government to nominate him for the United Nations top job, the foreign minister said on Monday. Julie Bishop said Rudd wanted the government’s endorsement to succeed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose second five-year term ends Dec. 31. That decision would be made by Australia’s next cabinet, which will be named Monday following July 2 elections. …

POLITICS30 MINUTES AGO UN top job hopefuls to hold live debate for first time The first internationally-televised live debate between UN Secretary-General candidates begins July 12 at 18:00 EST Candidates for the United Nation's top job will for the first time in the organisation's history hold a live debate, which will be broadcast live to audiences worldwide on television and digital platforms. Tuesday's debate, to be carried by the Al Jazeera Media Network, will also allow UN member states and the people they represent to question the hopefuls for the Secretary-General post.

Nearly a quarter of U.N. member states are urging that the next secretary-general, for the first time, be a woman. It’s the latest sign of momentum for the idea as campaigning to succeed Ban Ki-moon at the end of 2016 begins in earnest. A document obtained by The Associated Press points out that in the 70 years of the world body’s existence, “a female candidate has never been openly considered.” Forty-two countries have signed on to declare that “the time has come for a woman to hold the highest position.” The new Group of Friends in Favor of a Woman...

Obama always seems to crave more ego gratification. There is no limit to his thirst for personal power and glory. The slogan "The Audacity of Hope" is taken straight from Napoleon's creed, "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace!" Always act audaciously on the battlefield, because your opponents will never predict your dangerous moves. Your enemies will be shocked and overwhelmed by the risks you take. That's how Napoleon managed to kill tens of millions of Europeans in his attempt to conquer the world after 1800. George Patton used the audacity strategy to beat Nazi armored divisions in World War II. Hitler used...

OTTAWA – Defence Minister Peter MacKay's long-shot bid to become the next NATO secretary general may have received a powerful boost from Washington. Reports that MacKay has the backing of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, and that Vice-President Joe Biden will be touting Canada's candidacy when he heads to Brussels today, have sparked fresh interest in the secretive selection process that NATO uses to pick its leaders. The deliberations over who will lead the western military alliance in Afghanistan, manage relations with Russia and improve ties between Europe and North America are in their final stages. A decision on who...

Why doesn't Barack Obama become UN Secretary General? He is lauded the world over, criticizes the US all the time, and is completely insubstantial. Anyone agree?

UNITED NATIONS - South Korea's Ban Ki-moon took the oath of office as the next secretary-general of the United Nations on Thursday, promising to restore the organization's tarnished reputation and push for peace in the Middle East and Darfur. In his sharpest comments, he said Iran's call for Israel's destruction and its dismissal of the Nazi Holocaust were "unacceptable," and he expressed concern about the regional and global implications of Tehran's nuclear program. Ban also said he planned to become "directly engaged" in efforts to bring peace to Sudan's Darfur region, adding his first trip may be to an African...

Chirac tests Ban's French during lunch By ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press Writer Fri Nov 3, 9:04 PM ET Parlez-vous francais? If you want to rule the United Nations, you'd better learn. Ban Ki-moon, who will become U.N. secretary-general in January, has been plugging away at French lessons, and on Friday he passed a crucial test in Paris: a French-only lunch with President Jacques Chirac. The South Korean foreign minister had met Chirac in the past but Friday was their first encounter since Ban's election last month, and apparently the first with such a rigorous language requirement. "I will cooperate closely...

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon has been unanimously chosen to lead the United Nations for the next five years and accepted the position saying the world body needs to promise less and deliver more. The 62-year-old career diplomat will take over from Ghanaian chief Kofi Annan in January and will becomes the world body's eighth secretary general and the first Asian UN chief since U Thant of Burma led the organisation from 1961 to 1971. "I am deeply honoured to become the second Asian to lead the organisation," Ban told the General Assembly after his nomination Friday. "The true...