Fiona Shukri

Fiona Shukri is an American living in Brooklyn, N.Y. She lived in Kabul, Afghanistan, from 2008 to 2018, where she worked as an adviser to the Afghan government. Previously, she was a Middle East senior program manager for the National Democratic Institute in Washington, D.C.; and a communications strategist at Unesco in Paris and at UNA-USA in New York City. http://www.fiona-shukri.com

Fiona Shukri

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

In the Pandemic, $3,200 Drugs for the Rich and Sanitizers Too Pricey for the Poor

July 6, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Across the world, the rise of nationalist leaders has prompted fears that democracy and international cooperation are endangered. Now the public health systems of many countries are also being menaced by the politics of authoritarianism in the Covid-19 pandemic era. On June 29, the United States announced that it had more or less cornered …

Covid-19

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COVID-19

Coronavirus Soars, Trump Golfs, Pence Falls: Who the Hell Is in Charge of the US?

June 30, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Deep uncertainty and unease are descending across the United States just as Americans are preparing to celebrate their most important “political” holiday, Independence Day, on July 4. Contrary to what Trump administration officials are proclaiming, the US is not containing the Covid-19 pandemic infection rate, which has suddenly surpassed its April high point, marking …

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

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COVID-19

The Pandemic May Have Tested French Discipline, but Kisses on the Cheek Are Back

June 22, 2020

by Léontine Gallois

AUXERRE, France — I was in Paris when President Trump declared the travel ban for European travelers on March 12. I had just been issued my new visa for a six-month internship in New York City, which I’d been waiting on for months. I booked the last Paris-New York plane, filled up my suitcase …

Covid-19

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COVID-19

The Pandemic’s Cruelty Visits the World’s Children

June 18, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

There are about two billion young children in the world today, ranging from infancy to 14 years old, and most of them live in developing nations in the global south. That is also where the Covid-19 pandemic is spreading the fastest. Three of the top 10 countries in numbers of rapidly rising cases, as of …

Covid-19, Development, Education, Secretary-General

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COVID-19

India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway to Join the UN Security Council

June 17, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion

An almost empty General Assembly Hall, masks of all types and colors and diplomats rejoicing to see their colleagues that they probably have seen only on their computer screens for months marked this year’s General Assembly elections at the United Nations. On June 17, Norway and Ireland won the two open seats on the …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Security Council, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

The Human Rights Council Confronts Racism in the USA

June 16, 2020

by Stéphanie Fillion

In the 1960s, the African-American activist Malcolm X launched a lobbying campaign to “internationalize” the civil rights movement in the United States by calling on the United Nations to focus on the lives of black Americans through a human-rights lens. “When you expand the civil-rights struggle to the level of human rights,” Malcolm X …

Covid-19, Human Rights

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COVID-19

The Collateral Damage in Trump’s War on the WHO: Ending Polio for Good

June 15, 2020

by Fiona Shukri

Already struggling with a surging Covid-19 pandemic, United Nations health agencies must now face the possible abdication of the United States’ leading role in fighting polio — just as the world gets tantalizingly close to eradicating it for good. Polio-free since 1979, the US has historically made combating the infectious disease its top funding …

Covid-19, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

In Latin America, Panama Battles the Coronavirus Between Two Oceans

June 11, 2020

by Isabel Saint Malo

PANAMA CITY, Panama — March 2 marked the beginning of the school year in Panama, when about a million students, a quarter of the population, headed for school. One week had passed when the first Covid-19 case was reported, a national emergency was declared and full lockdown began. My husband and I live with …

Covid-19, Latin America

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COVID-19

Biden’s Toughest Task: Linking Foreign Policy to a Changed America

June 10, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

With Joseph Biden taking an unassailable lead by June 7 as the Democratic Party’s choice for president of the United States, many Americans foresee a desperate, ugly political campaign for re-election by Donald Trump coming. The magnitude of his damage to America’s role in the world will be an issue for Democrats, along with …

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

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COVID-19

The UN Must March for Justice and Racial Equality

June 9, 2020

by Mona Ali Khalil

As the world knows, George Floyd, a black man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a store in Minneapolis, Minn., was killed on May 25 by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer. Chauvin had pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, despite Floyd being handcuffed and on …

Covid-19, Human Rights, Secretary-General

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COVID-19

The IAEA Voices ‘Serious Concern’ Over Blocked Access to Certain Iranian Sites

June 8, 2020

by Stephanie Liechtenstein

VIENNA — The International Atomic Energy Agency issued an alarming report on June 5, voicing “serious concern” over Iran’s refusal to allow the agency’s inspectors to investigate two sites where the country is suspected of having conducted undeclared nuclear activities in the past. The report is unrelated to the agency’s quarterly updates on Iran’s …

Covid-19, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

The Coronavirus vs. Multilateralism: Who Will Win?

June 4, 2020

by Harris Gleckman and Georgios Kostakos

Covid-19 has pretty much shut down important negotiations at the United Nations, ranging from climate change to biodiversity. The General Assembly has not been able to meet as a group physically, but Security Council meetings have migrated online, with the Secretariat supporting the Council remotely and Secretary-General António Guterres and his people holding the …

Covid-19

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COVID-19

As Protests Sweep the US, the UN Tweets Platitudes

June 3, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

In New York City, protesters swarm the roadway portion of the Brooklyn Bridge, heading from the City Hall area of lower Manhattan into Brooklyn. The crowd stopped incoming traffic, but there was no violence, May 30, 2020. JOHN PENNEY Amid curfews in New York City, constant marches and protests, sirens from the streets and …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council

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Fiona Shukri

Fiona Shukri

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

In the Pandemic, $3,200 Drugs for the Rich and Sanitizers Too Pricey for the Poor

Coronavirus Soars, Trump Golfs, Pence Falls: Who the Hell Is in Charge of the US?

The Pandemic May Have Tested French Discipline, but Kisses on the Cheek Are Back

The Pandemic’s Cruelty Visits the World’s Children

India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway to Join the UN Security Council

The Human Rights Council Confronts Racism in the USA

The Collateral Damage in Trump’s War on the WHO: Ending Polio for Good

In Latin America, Panama Battles the Coronavirus Between Two Oceans

Biden’s Toughest Task: Linking Foreign Policy to a Changed America

The UN Must March for Justice and Racial Equality

The IAEA Voices ‘Serious Concern’ Over Blocked Access to Certain Iranian Sites

The Coronavirus vs. Multilateralism: Who Will Win?

As Protests Sweep the US, the UN Tweets Platitudes

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