Joseph A. Klein, CFP United Nations Columnist

UN General Assembly Votes to Suspend Russia from UN Human Rights Council

The United Nations General Assembly took the extraordinary step on Thursday of suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council because of its horrendous human rights violations following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces. The resolution expressed “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation, including gross and systematic violations and abuses of human rights.”

Ukraine’s President Addresses the UN Security Council and Recites Russia’s War Crimes

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres addressed the UN Security Council on April 5th to kick off the Security Council’s meeting on Ukraine. He took Russia to task for what he condemned as “the full-fledged invasion, on several fronts, of one Member State of the United Nations, Ukraine, by another, the Russian Federation – a Permanent Member of the Security Council – in violation of the United Nations Charter, and with several aims, including redrawing the internationally-recognized borders between the two countries.” The Secretary General said that he would “never forget the horrifying images of civilians killed in Bucha.” Those images included scenes of civilian bodies, some with their hands bound, lying in the streets of Bucha. Russia’s military forces had occupied Bucha before withdrawing and leaving their killing field behind. Secretary General Guterres then pulled his punches. He called for “an independent investigation to guarantee effective accountability” and left it at that.

UN General Assembly Passes Strong Resolution Condemning Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

The United Nations General Assembly finally got something right. On Wednesday, it voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution entitled “Aggression against Ukraine.” The resolution strongly condemned Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and demanded that Russia withdraw all of its military forces from all of Ukraine's territory. The vote was 141 votes yes, 5 no, and 35 abstentions, exceeding the two-third majority needed to approve the resolution. Siding with Russia in voting against the resolution were North Korea, Syria, Belarus, and Eritrea. China abstained.

Kick Russia Out of the UN and Prosecute the Putin Cadre for War Crimes

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his henchmen are war criminals. They launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign member state of the United Nations, and are deliberately targeting civilian populations and facilities in urban centers with deadly rocket barrages and massive bombing. In a rare show of revulsion at a blatant violation of the UN Charter and fundamental norms of civilized behavior in the 21st century, member state delegates attending the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on Tuesday walked out en masse as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergio Lavrov began to deliver his virtual address.

The United Nations Stands By Helplessly As Russia Invades Ukraine

Early in the morning of February 24th (Ukrainian time), Putin broadened the theater of war in Ukraine. He declared a “special military operation” in the country on the pretext of helping the people of Donbass. It was the equivalent of a declaration of war on all of Ukraine, punctuated by explosions that were heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities, in the aftermath of Putin’s “special military operation” order. Russia has launched missile attacks, targeting air bases and military infrastructure in multiple cities. The land invasion has also begun from several directions, spearheaded by Russian special forces. There have been reports of civilian fatalities, including of at least one child.

Trudeau Gets a Pass From the UN on his Trucker Protest Crackdown

In December of 2020, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary General, was asked about a farmers' protest in India. Thousands of demonstrators were protesting at the borders of Delhi against three farm laws they regarded as anti-farmer. The protesting farmers were allegedly met with “repressive measures” by the government. When it comes to how governments should handle peaceful protests, the United Nations bureaucracy from the very top has a double standard. So does Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who lectures other countries about how they should handle peaceful protests but does precisely the opposite himself.

Cold War Era Clashes at the UN Security Council Over Ukraine

It seems that we are back in the height of the Cold War era with escalating tensions over Russia's designs on Ukraine. The United Nations Security Council became the global public arena in which sharp rhetorical barbs were exchanged, particularly between the United States and Russia. Russia's massing of troops and sophisticated weaponry along its border with Ukraine and in neighboring Belarus precipitated the current crisis. The United States and its Western allies in turn have threatened serious economic consequences if Russia invades Ukraine and have been supplying Ukraine with advanced weapons to repel an attack. NATO member troops are also being deployed to the region.

UN Secretary General Guterres Discusses His Most Urgent Concerns for 2022

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres held a news conference on January 21st in which he focused on what he considers to be the gravest dangers facing the world in 2022. The news conference followed his somber speech to the UN General Assembly describing in more detail these dangers and his ideas on how to address them. “I see a 5-alarm global fire,” Secretary General Guterres told reporters. “Each of the alarms is feeding off the others. They are accelerants to an inferno.”

The Taliban's Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card Courtesy of the Biden Administration and UN

The Biden administration has just handed the Taliban terrorists now running Afghanistan an end-of-year gift. Lots and lots of money will be coming their way. President Biden’s Treasury Department said on December 22nd that it was issuing new “general licenses” allowing financial transactions by the U.S. government, international entities, and non-governmental organizations involving the Taliban and members of the terrorist Haqqani network, subject to certain conditions. The money can only be used for such permitted purposes as humanitarian aid, civil society development, and environmental and natural resource protection projects.

The UN Continues to Enable Palestinian Lies and False Victimhood

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on November 29th commemorating the “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.” He blamed Israel for the Palestinians’ self-inflicted plight. Guterres fed into the Palestinian victimhood narrative, claiming that “[P]ersistent violations of the rights of Palestinians along with the expansion of settlements risk eroding the prospect of a two-State solution.” False.

The UN’s Latest Non-Productive Global Climate Conference

The United Nations' latest global conference on climate change known as COP 26 concluded this past weekend with little to show for it. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed his disappointment with the outcome of COP 26, although he indicated that something was better than nothing. “The approved texts are a compromise,” Guterres said. “They reflect the interests, the conditions, the contradictions and the state of political will in the world today. They take important steps, but unfortunately the collective political will was not enough to overcome some deep contradictions.

Developing Countries Demand No-Strings Handouts From UN Green Climate Fund

The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) commences on October 31st in Glasgow, Scotland. This summit meeting of world leaders is a follow-up to the 2015 conference in Paris, which resulted in the one-sided Paris Climate Agreement that China has gamed. “We’re going to be there with bells on,” U.S. President Joe Biden said during his September White House meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will be hosting the Glasgow meeting. As of the writing of this article, it does not appear that China’s President Xi Jinping will be attending in person, with or without bells on.

UN Secretary General Office Punts on Rising China-Taiwan Tensions

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern last month about a possible “Cold War” breaking out between China and the United States unless they repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship. But the Secretary General has avoided calling out the Chinese regime for its provocative military flights near southwestern Taiwan – 56 in just one day earlier this month - that are needlessly inflaming tensions in the region and are causing increased concerns in the United States over China's intentions.

UN Refugee Chief Challenges U.S. Sovereignty Over its Borders

The United Nations is once again putting its nose where it doesn’t belong. It continues to weaponize so-called “international law” and “international norms” to challenge national sovereignty. The most recent example is a joint statement issued on September 30th by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) regarding the treatment of the huge waves of Haitian immigrants entering countries illegally, especially the United States.

President Biden Falls Short in his Debut Address to the UN General Assembly

President Joe Biden made his presidential debut September 21st on the United Nations General Assembly’s world stage. He called for global unity in the face of multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, technological threats, terrorism, regional conflicts, and aggressive expansionism by authoritarian regimes.

UN Secretary General Delivers His New “Common Agenda”

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres introduced his “Common Agenda” plan to the General Assembly and the media on September 10th to address what he called “a pivotal moment” for humanity. Guterres painted a picture of a world facing a perfect storm of simultaneous crises, including the pandemic, climate change, nuclear weapons proliferation, lethal autonomous weapons, cyberwarfare, rising inequality, and discrimination and violence against women and girls.

UN Security Council Holds Useless Meeting on Afghanistan

Back in July, President Joe Biden claimed that “the likelihood there’s going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.” Wrong! The Taliban have overrun everything, and they now own Afghanistan.

UN Ignores Israeli Demand for Condemnation of Hezbollah Rocket Attacks

The Islamist terrorist group Hezbollah is running Lebanon on behalf of its patron, the Iranian regime. The Deputy Attorney General of the puppet Lebanese Government released four Hezbollah terrorists who were responsible for recently shooting rockets into Israel. On August 6th, Hezbollah had fired from within civilian areas a barrage of 19 rockets into northern Israel. This attack came only two days after the terrorist organization had fired 3 rockets at Israel.

UN Security Council Invites Pro-Palestinian Left-Wing NGO From Israel to Speak

At the United Nations Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the Middle East, which focuses on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a radical Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) known as Ir Amim was given a global platform on July 28th to spew its pro-Palestinian propaganda. Yudith Oppenheimer, Executive Director of Ir Amim, blamed Israel for the latest war between Hamas/Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists and Israel that broke out in May of this year.

UN Attacks Western Democracies for So-Called “Systemic Racism”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights just issued a report that focused on the alleged failure of the United States, Canada, and other Western democracies to adequately address and correct so-called “systematic racism” against Africans and people of African descent. The UN report, commissioned by the dysfunctional UN Human Rights Council, praised the Marxist Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. And it parroted the Critical Race Theory’s attempt to tie every adverse condition and experience that blacks claim to suffer today in the U.S., Canada and other Western democracies to “systemic racism” rooted in the continuing legacy of slavery and colonialism.