Asia

• December 17, 2021

The Security Council vetoes a resolution linking conflict to climate change; Afghan girls return to middle school; the Wagner paramilitary group may deploy in Mali. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, …

Africa, Asia, This Week @UN

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THIS WEEK @UN

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 12, 2021

PassBlue probes the global body granting licenses to mine the deep seas; UN staff detained in Ethiopia; global famine rises. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, Mexico’s president proposes a plan …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Middle East, Migration, Myanmar, Refugees, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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The Obscure Organization Powering a Race to Mine the Bottom of the Seas

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 8, 2021

On the seafloor, anemones with eight-foot-long tentacles live alongside blind crabs that cultivate food in their arm hair, sharks with glow-in-the-dark bellies and glass sponges that have been thriving since before the invention of the wheel. “Because of the lack of light and the fact that creatures do need to see each other to …

Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Climate Change, UN Agencies

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THIS WEEK @UN

Spoilers of Peace in Yemen; COP26’s First Week; Morale Boosting by Blinken

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 5, 2021

COP26 opens with a foreboding announcement from the UN secretary-general; peacekeepers shot by the presidential guard in the Central African Republic; Mexico’s agenda on the Security Council. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, General Assembly, Humanitarian Aid, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Agencies, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

Bonfire of the Vanities: Afghanistan and the Crisis of State-Building

Alan Doss

• October 28, 2021

The Taliban’s dramatic takeover of Afghanistan in August sparked a predictable outpouring of angst and argument as to why it happened despite the massive, two-decade effort to prevent that result. Much of the commentary focused on the supposed failures of nation- and state-building. It is important now to take stock of these concepts and …

Asia, Peace and Security, WORLDVIEWS

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Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore Is Named the UN’s New Envoy for Myanmar

Barbara Crossette

• October 26, 2021

Noeleen Heyzer, an expert in conflict resolution, economic development and women’s rights, has been named the next United Nations special envoy for Myanmar/Burma. Heyzer, from Singapore, was the first women to head the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, from 2007 to 2014. Under her leadership, the Bangkok-based Commission focused …

Asia, Myanmar, Secretary-General, UN Diplomats

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THIS WEEK @UN

Human Rights for Western Sahara?; a Cease-Fire Comes to Central African Republic; Weapons Spending Drives Gender Inequalities

Anna Bianca Roach

• October 22, 2021

The UN boss points to rising global military spending as a source of gendered violence; the UN’s tech envoy, mired in controversy, may be exiting; the Human Rights Council rolls out a multimillion-dollar project with the Philippines. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is …

Africa, Asia, Gender Violence, General Assembly, Human Rights, ICC, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Agencies, UN Special Envoys, US-UN Relations

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Critics Wonder If a New $10 Million UN-Philippines Human-Rights Project Will Work

Anna Bianca Roach

• October 18, 2021

As the International Criminal Court begins an investigation into the thousands of extrajudicial killings committed by the Philippine government during its antidrug campaign, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is partnering with the country on a three-year program to hold the government accountable for its behavior. On Oct. 7, …

Asia, Gender Violence, Human Rights, International Justice

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THIS WEEK @UN

The Surreal Saga of Gitmo; US Rejoins the Human Rights Council; the Taliban Break Promises

Anna Bianca Roach

• October 15, 2021

The Taliban break promises to women in Afghanistan; Mali moving toward combatant reintegration; the Kafkaesque legal work representing Gitmo detainees. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, frozen assets and aid funding …

Africa, Asia, Middle East, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Diplomats, UN Special Envoys, US-UN Relations

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Afghan Students Reach Kyrgyzstan After a Risky Journey

Barbara Crossette

• October 13, 2021

Nearly 200 students from Afghanistan, escaping the Taliban’s tightening grip on education, have been safely evacuated from Kabul under an ambitious plan led by the American University of Central Asia and the Kyrgyzstan government. About 60 percent of the students, undergraduates and graduates, are women, according to the university. “Yes, we have largely succeeded,” …

Asia, Education, Refugees

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THIS WEEK @UN

UN’s Guterres Strikes Back; Kenya Pilots the Security Council; a Promising Malaria Vaccine

Anna Bianca Roach

• October 8, 2021

A new vaccine for malaria; the Security Council goes to the Sahel; the Human Rights Council’s actions, criticized and praised. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This week, we include discussions in the …

Africa, Asia, General Assembly, Health and Population, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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Pressure Builds to Mine International Waters Amid Questions About Ecosystems and Profit-Sharing

Anna Bianca Roach

• September 29, 2021

A wealth of resources lies beneath international waters, including cobalt, copper, manganese and other minerals used to power smart phones and other technology. Safeguarding “the common heritage of mankind,” as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea terms this vast store, is a regulatory body called the International Seabed Authority, or …

Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Climate Change

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COVID-19

As UNGA Winds Down, Mali Warns of Rising Dangers in the Sahel as France Claims a Recent Success

Barbara Crossette

• September 27, 2021

On the last day of global leaders’ speeches at the opening of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the array of countries on the roster ranged from Israel to Iceland, from Algeria to North Korea, from Canada to Guinea. Two long-scheduled countries to deliver messages — Afghanistan and Myanmar — were …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Covid-19, General Assembly, UNGA76, US Foreign Relations

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India and Pakistan, Next-Door Neighbors That Stand Worlds Apart at the UN

Barbara Crossette

• September 25, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India cautioned today that tolerating extremism in Afghanistan would open the way to renewed terrorism in the region. The message was aimed at Pakistan, where the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan is promoting a policy of incentives to change the Taliban’s behavior and not rely on punitive responses. …

Asia, General Assembly, UNGA76

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Venezuela’s Maduro Fires Up UNGA, While a Fight for Afghan Women’s Rights Has Big-Name Backing

Maurizio Guerrero

• September 22, 2021

The second day of world leaders’ speeches delivered at the United Nations General Assembly continued on Sept. 22, after the heavily reported appearance of United States President Joe Biden at the fabled rostrum in the Assembly Hall; a last-minute video presentation by China’s Xi Jinping; and a video by Iran’s new president, Ebrahim Raisi, …

Asia, Gender Violence, General Assembly, Human Rights, UNGA76, US-UN Relations

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The Human Rights Council: How well do you know the crucial details?

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Asia

Trending UN News: Week Ending Dec. 17

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

The Obscure Organization Powering a Race to Mine the Bottom of the Seas

Spoilers of Peace in Yemen; COP26’s First Week; Morale Boosting by Blinken

Bonfire of the Vanities: Afghanistan and the Crisis of State-Building

Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore Is Named the UN’s New Envoy for Myanmar

Human Rights for Western Sahara?; a Cease-Fire Comes to Central African Republic; Weapons Spending Drives Gender Inequalities

Critics Wonder If a New $10 Million UN-Philippines Human-Rights Project Will Work

The Surreal Saga of Gitmo; US Rejoins the Human Rights Council; the Taliban Break Promises

Afghan Students Reach Kyrgyzstan After a Risky Journey

UN’s Guterres Strikes Back; Kenya Pilots the Security Council; a Promising Malaria Vaccine

Pressure Builds to Mine International Waters Amid Questions About Ecosystems and Profit-Sharing

As UNGA Winds Down, Mali Warns of Rising Dangers in the Sahel as France Claims a Recent Success

India and Pakistan, Next-Door Neighbors That Stand Worlds Apart at the UN

Venezuela’s Maduro Fires Up UNGA, While a Fight for Afghan Women’s Rights Has Big-Name Backing

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