[JURIST] United Nations researchers called for a global ban on human cloning in a report [PDF text] issued Saturday. The United Nations University Institute for Advanced Studies [official website] did not call for a ban on all types of cloning, recommending that therapeutic cloning for research purpose be allowed to continue, but did strongly recommend the outlawing of reproductive cloning.

In 2005, the UN General Assembly passed [JURIST report] a non-binding resolution [PDF text] 84-34 that called for a total ban on human cloning after negotiations for a binding treaty collapsed. UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights [text] calls for a ban on human cloning. Over 50 countries have thus far banned human cloning domestically. AP has more.