Covid-19

Wanted: Small Investors to Boost Development Money Beyond Banks

August 31, 2020

For nearly two years, an international group of 17 specialists on the finance frontier have been connecting digital technologies to new sources of money for the faltering Sustainable Development Goals. On Aug. 26, they unveiled an ambitious report on what can be done when traditional pools of capital are broadened and deepened by including …

Covid-19, Development

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COVID-19

Sweden Is Not a Model in Managing Covid-19 but a Special Case

August 28, 2020

by Kjell Engelbrekt

STOCKHOLM — For those of us who have tried to keep up with the international commentary on Sweden’s response to Covid-19 during the last months, it has been bewildering. As Sweden failed to contain the coronavirus at its borders and shifted to a mitigation strategy in March, most Western democracies moved in the opposite …

Covid-19, Health and Population

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COVID-19

In Mexico, the UN Refugee Agency Alleviates a Crisis Created by the Trump Administration

August 26, 2020

by Maurizio Guerrero

“Yes, there’s always the fear of being kidnapped,” said Óscar, a 30-year old asylum seeker who fled political persecution in Cuba in May 2019 and landed in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez, where violent crime and gang activity are common. Óscar, who used a pseudonym to protect his privacy, knew of asylum …

Covid-19, Human Rights, Refugees, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

Nikki Haley Didn’t Get on Trump’s Re-Election Ticket, but 2024 Is Around the Bend

August 25, 2020

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

If pundits were to be believed earlier in August, there was a chance for a historic vice-presidential debate in 2020: two women of color facing off for the second-highest position in the United States. The speculation was that Nikki Haley, a former US envoy to the United Nations and a South Carolina governor, would …

Covid-19, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Lebanon’s Crisis on Top of a Crisis: Our Latest Podcast Episode

August 17, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

The devastating series of explosions that rocked Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on Aug. 4, killed nearly 200 people, injured thousands of others, destroyed most of the city’s port, flattened surrounding neighborhoods, damaged six hospitals and more than 20 health clinics and wiped out 120 schools. Five days later, on Aug. 9, the international …

Covid-19, Middle East, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping

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COVID-19

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

August 11, 2020

by Rhona Scullion

Just four months ago, Sudan took the monumental step to ban female genital mutilation, a painful, unnecessary and dangerous procedure that leaves lasting scars. Generally carried out on girls before they reach puberty, genital mutilation is now punishable in Sudan by up to three years in prison and subject to a fine. In a …

Africa, Covid-19, Gender-Based Violence

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COVID-19

The UN Development Goals Are ‘Seriously Off Track,’ an Expert Says

August 10, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

The shock of the unexpected coronavirus pandemic will make it harder to achieve success on the Sustainable Development Goals, now a third of their way to the finish line, in 2030. However, the problems that have stymied or reversed progress go back long before Covid-19 hit, leading development experts say. In conjunction with a …

Covid-19, Sustainable Development Goals

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COVID-19

En‌ ‌Malí,‌ ‌la‌ ‌Primera‌ ‌Muerte‌ ‌de‌ ‌un ‌Pacificador‌ ‌de‌ ‌la‌ ‌ONU‌ ‌por‌ ‌Covid-19‌ ‌Mantiene‌ ‌a‌ ‌Su‌ ‌Familia‌ ‌Adivinando‌ ‌

August 5, 2020

by Clair MacDougall

OUAGADOUGOU,‌ ‌Burkina‌ ‌Faso‌ ‌–‌ ‌Fernando‌ ‌Guillén,‌ ‌un‌ ‌jugador‌ ‌de‌ ‌22‌ ‌años‌ ‌y‌ ‌YouTuber,‌ ‌encendió‌ ‌su‌ ‌computadora,‌ ‌tomó‌ ‌un‌ ‌sorbo‌ ‌de‌ ‌agua, y ‌respiró‌ ‌hondo‌ ‌y‌ ‌agradeció‌ ‌a‌ ‌Dios‌ ‌por‌ ‌estar‌ ‌vivo ‌antes‌ ‌de‌ ‌comenzar‌ ‌su‌ ‌transmisión‌ ‌en‌ ‌vivo‌ ‌a través de‌ ‌videojuegos‌ ‌desde‌ ‌su‌ ‌habitación‌ ‌en‌ ‌San‌ ‌Antonio,‌ ‌Texas. ‌Sentado‌ ‌en‌ ‌una‌ ‌silla‌ ‌de‌ ‌juego‌ ‌de‌ ‌respaldo‌ …

Africa, Covid-19, UN Peacekeeping

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COVID-19

Haiti Could Face a ‘Perfect Storm’ With the Pandemic

August 4, 2020

by Fiona Shukri

As Covid-19 continues to ravage many parts of the world, the effect of the virus in Latin America and the Caribbean region has been particularly devastating. The situation in Haiti, for example, has alarmed international humanitarian groups, as the country lacks sufficient virus-testing ability and has limited health-care infrastructure, among other serious problems. On …

Caribbean, Covid-19, Human Rights

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COVID-19

In Mali, the First Death of a UN Peacekeeper From Covid-19 Keeps His Family Guessing

July 27, 2020

by Clair MacDougall

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Fernando Guillén, a 22-year-old gamer and YouTuber, switched on his computer, took a sip of water and a deep breath and thanked God for being alive, before beginning his live stream on video games from his bedroom in San Antonio, Tex. Sitting in a high-backed gaming chair and dressed in …

Covid-19, UN Peacekeeping

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COVID-19

Missing the Love at the Canada-US Border Crossings

July 23, 2020

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

BUFFALO, N.Y. — In the middle of a recent Zoom meeting with colleagues, I commented about the presence of United Nations flags on international borders, like the ones that flew, some until recently, on certain bridge border crossings between Ontario, Canada, and New York State in the United States, over Lake Erie and the …

Covid-19, US Foreign Relations

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COVID-19

The UN’s 75th Birthday: A Critical Chance for the Globe to Save Itself

July 22, 2020

by Giovanna Kuele

As consensus was finally achieved on July 7, a final draft of the UN-75 political declaration has been approved and is expected to be adopted by world leaders on Sept. 21 at United Nations headquarters through virtual means. Given the political climate, the declaration is concise, clear, forward-looking and inspiring. But it is not …

Climate and Environment, Covid-19

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COVID-19

How to Land a Job at the UN, Even in a Pandemic

July 21, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

Ever wonder how to crack the door open to a prestigious United Nations position? That’s a question that Stephanie Playford, the founder of United Career Coalition, was asked over and over again when she worked for the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN entity based in Vienna. So she left that job and created …

Covid-19, UN Careers

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Does the New US Envoy for Women’s Rights Have Anything to Do?

July 13, 2020

by Fiona Shukri

Six months into her job as the United States ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues, Kelley Currie has done little to demonstrate that she can restore American leadership on women’s rights while reporting to an ideologically driven administration known for its regressive stance on gender equality. While the ambassador’s office is charged with promoting women’s …

Covid-19, Gender-Based Violence, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Don’t Even Try to Make Sense of Lockdown Rules in the ‘United’ Kingdom

July 9, 2020

by Rhona Scullion

WHITCHURCH, England — Britain currently has the highest death toll from Covid-19 in Europe and the third-highest death rate in the world, according to the World Health Organization statistics. The central government in London is being repeatedly criticized for its handling of the crisis, while each of the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and …

Covid-19, Governance, Health and Population

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Covid-19

Wanted: Small Investors to Boost Development Money Beyond Banks

Sweden Is Not a Model in Managing Covid-19 but a Special Case

In Mexico, the UN Refugee Agency Alleviates a Crisis Created by the Trump Administration

Nikki Haley Didn’t Get on Trump’s Re-Election Ticket, but 2024 Is Around the Bend

Lebanon’s Crisis on Top of a Crisis: Our Latest Podcast Episode

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

The UN Development Goals Are ‘Seriously Off Track,’ an Expert Says

En‌ ‌Malí,‌ ‌la‌ ‌Primera‌ ‌Muerte‌ ‌de‌ ‌un ‌Pacificador‌ ‌de‌ ‌la‌ ‌ONU‌ ‌por‌ ‌Covid-19‌ ‌Mantiene‌ ‌a‌ ‌Su‌ ‌Familia‌ ‌Adivinando‌ ‌

Haiti Could Face a ‘Perfect Storm’ With the Pandemic

In Mali, the First Death of a UN Peacekeeper From Covid-19 Keeps His Family Guessing

Missing the Love at the Canada-US Border Crossings

The UN’s 75th Birthday: A Critical Chance for the Globe to Save Itself

How to Land a Job at the UN, Even in a Pandemic

Does the New US Envoy for Women’s Rights Have Anything to Do?

Don’t Even Try to Make Sense of Lockdown Rules in the ‘United’ Kingdom

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