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General Assembly

THIS WEEK @UN

6 African Peacekeepers Killed; UN Chief Pursues a Second Term; US Sanctions Houthis in Yemen

January 15, 2021 
by Ivana Ramirez
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pursues a second term; a total of six peacekeepers were killed in Mali and the Central African Republic; Britain helps raise $1 billion for the UN’s Covax vaccine program. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered …

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THIS WEEK @UN

Deadly Violence in D.C.; a Beloved UN Diplomat Dies; Fatal Attacks in Niger

January 8, 2021 
by Ivana Ramirez
Pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol c
The United States Capitol stormed by pro-Trump rioters; a legendary UN diplomat dies at 101; Islamist jihadists blamed for fatal assault in Niger. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, original reporting and other sources. …

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WORLDVIEWS

Many Countries Cheer Gains to Ending the Death Penalty Globally, but Foes Harden Their Stance

December 17, 2020 
by Navi Pillay  and  Ruth Dreifuss
UN GA Vote on Death Penalty Moratorium
MADRID — A record-breaking vote on a resolution for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty has been passed by the United Nations General Assembly, with 123 countries in favor, 38 voting against and 24 abstaining. The vote, held on Dec. 16, was an improvement over an earlier vote, on Nov. 17 …

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WORLDVIEWS

The Process to Choose the Next UN Leader Should Start Now

November 29, 2020 
by Ben Donaldson
LONDON — This time five years ago, Mogens Lykketoft, the president of the United Nations General Assembly, was working with members of the Security Council to create the first open process to appoint the next secretary-general, after the adoption of General Assembly Resolution 69/321. In 2021, the process will begin again to select the …

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The $75 Billion UN Pension Fund: Kicking Reforms Down the Road

November 12, 2020 
by Loraine Rickard-Martin
Flags of UN Member States outside of the UN in New York
A new governance study has confirmed what many United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund observers have long surmised: there are significant variances between the fund’s own operations and best practices and those of pension funds elsewhere. The areas reviewed by Mosaic Governance Advisors, who prepared the study, include standards of professional and ethical conduct, …

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TOPIC: WOMEN

The UN General Assembly President Turns His Focus on Women, but Why?

November 10, 2020 
by Barbara Crossette
When it comes to power and influence in the United Nations system, the president of the General Assembly has little control beyond a procedural role in managing an often-fractious body of member nations, now numbering 193, each with policies of its own. The Assembly is forbidden by Article 12 of the UN Charter, for …

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THIS WEEK @UN

A Norwegian Diplomat Disgraced; Covid Strikes the UN Security Council; Russia Fails to Promote Women’s Rights

October 31, 2020 
by Dulcie Leimbach
A scandal involving a Norwegian diplomat erupts; Covid-19 rears its head at the United Nations; and who could become its 194th member state? Greetings from This Week @UN, highlights of the most important news on the world body. The information is drawn from the UN spokesperson’s briefings, our original reporting and other sources. Scoop: In …

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COVID-19

Covid Forces the UN to Pause Physical Meetings Just as It Slowly Returns to Normal

October 28, 2020 
by Dulcie Leimbach
After finally reopening the United Nations Security Council chamber to physical meetings in October, the UN just announced that five members of one national delegation have tested positive for Covid-19. That means ending all in-person meetings in the Council chamber and General Assembly sessions in New York City headquarters for the rest of the …

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THIS WEEK @UN

Libya’s New Cease-Fire; UN Hits 75 Years Old; New York City Mayor Snubs UN

October 23, 2020 
by Dulcie Leimbach
A “permanent” cease-fire is reached in Libya; Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City declines to meet with the president of the UN General Assembly; and what’s going on behind closed-door meetings at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. Greetings from This Week @UN, highlights of the most important news on the world …

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COVID-19

The Path to Ending Our Global Chaos Is Through the UN

October 22, 2020 
by Mona Ali Khalil
By all accounts, 2020 has been a terrible year so far — but is it worse than 1920? In 1920, World War I, which killed 16 million people, had just ended. The two-year influenza pandemic that followed killed 50 million more. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has already killed more than one million people …

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THIS WEEK @UN

Where Are the Women Leaders?; War Sparks in the Caucasus; Sadness and Hope at the Beijing+25 Event

October 3, 2020 
by Dulcie Leimbach
President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica
The annual debate of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly ended on Sept. 29, after a weeklong screening of prerecorded video speeches by 190 member states. The numbers were impressive: videos by 102 heads of state, 1 vice president, 55 heads of government, 1 deputy prime minister and 26 ministers. Startling, however, …

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TOPIC: WOMEN

25 Years After the Beijing Accord, Women Across the Globe Ask: Where Is the Equality?

October 2, 2020 
by Barbara Crossette
The 25th anniversary of the landmark global action plan that was adopted to expand the equality and rights of women and girls was jinxed from the start. The celebratory event, long scheduled for March, was hastily postponed as the Covid-19 virus spread. When the commemoration finally took place on Oct. 1, it was virtual, with …

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UN75

India Renews Claim for a Permanent Security Council Seat; UK Seeks Global Unity Against Covid

September 26, 2020 
by Barbara Crossette
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India accused the United Nations of failing to update its work and adopt overdue reforms in his speech to the General Assembly’s 75th-anniversary session, on Sept. 26. He praised what he saw as India’s leading role in the world on many fronts and asked, in a focus of his …

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UN75

Trump’s Foreign Policy Brilliance? Let Me Count the Disasters

September 25, 2020 
by Irwin Arieff
Fake news alert: President Donald Trump said something vaguely positive about the United Nations during his speech marking the opening of this year’s General Assembly session. “God bless you all. God bless America. And God bless the United Nations,” Trump intoned on Sept. 22. Comically, the world body may justifiably be relieved, having braced …

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