June 2025
UNCTAD World Investment Report: Global foreign direct investment fell by 11% to $1.5 trillion in 2024, second consecutive year of decline (LINK) 19 June 2025
— " Modest growth seemed possible at the start of the year, but escalating trade tensions, geopolitical fragmentation and economic volatility have led to sharp downward revisions of most FDI prospects. These include GDP growth, capital formation, trade flows, financial market stability and investor confidence. Early 2025 data show record-low deal and project activity."
Procurement and deployment of artificial intelligence must be aligned with human rights: UN experts (LINK) 19 June 2025
Political interference in US education undermines academic freedom and equitable access to education: UN expert (LINK) 19 June 2025
— "Recent developments, including the contested decision to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, are part of a wider trend threatening academic freedom, student rights and democratic integrity."
Rapporteur's 2024 report — (LINK)
— "Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, visited the United States of America from 29 April to 10 May 2024: The growing privatization of education threatens the integrity of public schooling, while inadequate mental health support, teacher shortages and poor working conditions undermine student well-being and learning outcomes. Political interference, discriminatory censorship laws, book bans and other attacks on academic freedom further restrict access to diverse perspectives and critical inquiry, creating what has been identified as a chilling effect by a number of interlocuters. Student protests are increasingly met with criminalization, surveillance and disciplinary actions, stifling free expression and civic engagement. Without systemic reforms to funding, governance and assessment, these challenges will continue to erode equitable access and the broader role of education in fostering democracy and social progress."
Breakthrough for gig workers: ILO to develop first binding global standards (LINK) 18 June 2025
— the gig economy accounts for up 12% of the global labour force, with over 400 million workers.The standards aim to tackle misclassification, low pay, exclusion from social security benefits, and opaque algorithmic management systems.
— The decision received majority support from ILO member states and worker delegates, though employer delegates and several governments including the US, Switzerland, and India opposed the initiative. The final round of negotiations will take place in 2026.
UNHCR to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide: hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut (LINK) 16 June 2025
Human Rights Council opens amid more budget cuts (LINK) 16 June 2025
— PassBlue: "Shortened speaking slots and debates axed from the program are only the visible tip of a liquidity iceberg threatening to sink the entire system. Behind the scenes, the human rights mechanisms that underpin the council are struggling to stay afloat."
— Limiting speaking time and scrapping certain debates has shortened the session by two and a half days and saved roughly CHF 250,000 (about $370,000), according to Swiss Ambassador Jurg Lauber, the current chair of the body.
Trump seeks to shut down gender ideology at UNICEF: Europeans rattled (LINK) 13 June 2025
— As a result of pressure from the Trump administration, the draft of the new strategic plan no longer has language promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights for children that was controversially included in the previous plan. The draft also scaled back language promoting gender ideology.
UN Ocean Conference makes progress on protecting marine waters (LINK) 13 June 2025
— New countries committed to the high seas treaty, a moratorium on deep-sea mining and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, while a huge group of nations pushed for a strong global plastics treaty. Several countries also moved to create marine protected areas (MPAs) and reserves, or strengthen existing ones, including the announcement of the world's largest MPA in French Polynesia. A wide range of groups announced other marine conservation initiatives.
Nicaragua breaks ties with UN Refugee Agency, the sixth agency from which it has withdrawn this year (LINK) 12 June 2025
— It accused the international body of presenting *biased and one-sided" information, and of "becoming an instrument of manipulation with a double standard, and of interfering in the internal affairs of the States".
Panama formally accepts WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: 9 signatures to go for entry into force (LINK) 12 June 2025
California's Marine Protected Area Network joins IUCN Green List, more than doubling number of sites worldwide (LINK) 12 June 2025
— Four other new listings to its prestigious Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas: Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire; Taï National Park–N'Zo Complex, Côte d'Ivoire; Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area, Saudi Arabia; Pin Supu Forest Reserve, Malaysia. First ecological network to be certified: 124 sites governed under a single, science-based, stakeholder-driven system spanning California's entire 1,770 km coastline and protecting 16% of state waters.
UN: International Day of Play: 2025 Theme: Choose Play Every Day (LINK) 11 June 2025
— A high-level event to promote the importance of play will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 11 June, co-hosted by UNICEF and UNESCO. Senior government representatives from Member States are expected to attend. It is estimated that 160 million children around the world are working instead of playing or learning. Only 1 in 4 children play out regularly on their street compared their grandparents generation where almost three-quarters said they played outside a few times a week. 41% of children had been told to stop playing out by either their parents or other adults such as neighbours.
National Review: The United Nations is protecting criminals — and worse (LINK) 11 June 2025
— "The U.N. is using its privileges to derail efforts to prosecute Hamas members, protect criminals, and shield rapists from justice."
Grim World Bank update warns Trump ushers in worst growth in 60 years: "trade tension is setting the stage for the weakest decade of growth since the 1960s. Economic development in many of the poorest parts of the world has come to a standstill" (LINK) 10 June 2025
High Seas Treaty gains momentum as 18 new countries pledge support bringing the total to 49 — 11 short of the 60 needed for the agreement to enter into force (LINK) 9 June 2025
High Seas Treaty: UN's Guterres warns of 'wild west' (LINK) 9 June 2025
UNOC: The mining industry's growing appetite for the ocean floor drives debate at UN ocean conference (LINK) 9 June 2025
As the UN Ocean Conference opens in France, a push to turn promises into protection (LINK) 9 June 2025
Scientists at United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health propose 'minerals trust' to power green energy, protect communities (LINK) 7 June 2025
UNCTAD Global Trade Update (June 2025): Sustainable ocean economy (LINK) 7 June 2025
— Between 1995 and 2020, the ocean economy grew 2.5 times, outpacing the 1.9-fold growth of the global economy. Developing countries drove much of this expansion. About 600 million people rely on the ocean economy. It supports 100 million jobs, mainly in fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. UNCTAD calls for "stronger ocean economic governance and better data collection." It also "urges investment in climate-adaptive and resilient marine infrastructure, more South-South trade, and scaled-up blue finance and sustainable marine-based innovations".
UN Ocean Conference: Tonga poised to be the first country to recognize rights of whales: "The time has come to recognize whales not merely as resources but as sentient beings with inherent rights" (LINK) 4 June 2025
— Tongan Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku'ahos remarks were made during a speech she gave before the One Ocean Science Congress on 4 June, an event aimed at providing scientific insights about the ocean's health to global policymakers.
ILO chief ready to face up to necessary reforms (LINK) 2 June 2025
— At the start of the 113th International Labour Conference, Gilbert Houngbo called for a "more efficient" organization. He added that "firmness" was needed to reduce expenditure and make the institution more robust, with human beings at its centre.
Nations urged to make UN 9-13 June ocean summit a 'turning point' for oceans (LINK) 2 June 2025
— On Sunday hosts France are expecting about 70 heads of state and government to arrive in Nice for a pre-conference opening ceremony, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Nations present are expected to adopt a "Nice Declaration": a statement of support for greater ocean protection, coupled with voluntary additional commitments by individual governments. Greenpeace has slammed the text, agreed in months of negotiation, as "weak" and said it risked making Nice "a meaningless talking shop".
World coming up short on promised marine sanctuaries (LINK) 2 June 2025
— "With less than 10% of the ocean designated as MPAs (marine protected areas) and only 2.7% fully or highly protected, it is going to be difficult to reach the 30% target."
Nicaragua 101st WTO member to formally accept 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies: 10 more acceptances needed to enter into force (LINK) 2 June 2025
— Pact sets new, binding, multilateral rules to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. The Agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, for fishing overfished stocks, and for fishing on the unregulated high seas. It also establishes a fund to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to help governments which have formally accepted the Agreement implement the new obligations. "WTO members also agreed at MC12 to continue negotiating on remaining fisheries subsidies issues."
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