Human Rights

• September 15, 2021

For more than two decades, sexual violence against women in Somalia has become more pervasive as the country has been torn by civil conflict and state collapse. However, after an alarming 80 percent increase in the number of confirmed cases of sexual violence from 2019 to 2020, the United Nations is calling for urgent …

Africa, Gender Violence, Human Rights, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

The UN Sticks to Afghanistan; Ireland Steers the Security Council; Preying on Mothers’ Fears

Anna Bianca Roach

• September 3, 2021

The UN’s priorities in Afghanistan for now; how certain multinational corporations feed on new-mothers’ fears amid Covid; Ireland’s envoy defends the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. 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. …

Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Agencies, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

How Tough Can Ireland Be on Protecting Afghan Women’s Rights?

Stéphanie Fillion

• September 1, 2021

The day after the Taliban took over Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland spoke directly to Afghan women through her remarks in the United Nations Security Council, telling them: “Women of Afghanistan: we hear you and we hear your pleas to the international community at this dark time. The fear, indignation …

Human Rights, Security Council Presidency

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TOPIC: WOMEN

How Infant-Formula Makers Feed Off Fears of Covid

Lori Silberman Brauner

• August 31, 2021

As just about every expert agrees, breast milk beats formula on every score, from the health of the baby to out-of-pocket costs. But that hasn’t stopped formula makers from pushing their products, cutting deeply into breastfeeding rates around the world. Their current practices include using Covid-19 as a scare tactic: “Hey Mama, Now’s the …

Health and Population, Human Rights, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Iceland May Be the World’s Most Gender-Equal Society, but Covid Exposed Vital Gaps

Dulcie Leimbach

• August 26, 2021

REYKJAVIK — Iceland is reportedly one of the most gender-equal societies in the world, but during a visit to the country in July, it was not immediately obvious how this progress plays out in everyday life. The clearest sign came during trips to public pools throughout parts of the island. In the midafternoon, men …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

This Afghan Activist Keeps Telling the Taliban to Respect the Rights of Women and Girls

Fiona Shukri

• August 18, 2021

The Taliban seized Afghanistan’s second-largest city of Kandahar just last week, marking the beginning of the quick takeover of the country. Kandahar, a city of 60,000 that borders Pakistan, is a historic center of Pashtun culture and power and was once Afghanistan’s capital. Three days later, on Sunday, the nation’s capital of Kabul was …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, Women

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The US’ Humble Approach to Running for a Human Rights Council Seat, Albeit on a Clean Slate

Lucas Dias Rodrigues dos Santos

• August 5, 2021

GENEVA — The United States is campaigning for election to the Human Rights Council in October for the 2022-24 term, starting a new chapter in its volatile relationship with the Geneva-based body. Its current re-engagement, including more acceptance of criticism about its own country, has been praised by Council members and experts, but its …

Human Rights, US-UN Relations

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The UN Refugee Agency’s Bold Plan to Manage the Crisis of Climate Migrants

Dali ten Hove

• August 1, 2021

As the world inches closer to catastrophic global heating and vulnerable communities from Mali to Myanmar are already suffering the consequences, the United Nations Refugee Agency has been grappling with the growing role of climate change as a driver of displacement. In a first for the agency, it has begun considering whether international refugee …

Human Rights, Refugees, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

A First in Canada: The New Governor-General Is an Inuit

Barbara Crossette

• July 28, 2021

There was brassy military music and the thud of a 21-gun salute. But there were also the drumbeats and songs of the polar north as Mary May Simon was sworn in on July 26 as Canada’s 30th governor-general, the first Indigenous Canadian to hold the office. It is the last link with the British …

Human Rights, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

US Delegation to Haiti Cut Short; Risks for the UN Pension Fund?; an Ex-Guantánamo Detainee May Face Torture in Russia

Ivana Ramirez

• July 24, 2021

A US delegation to Haiti returns early; potential risks for the $87 billion UN pension fund; an ex-Guantánamo detainee may face torture in Russia. 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. We are inching closer …

Africa, Asia, Human Rights, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, Unesco, US-UN Relations

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UN Human-Rights Experts Raise Alarm Over the Fate of a Russian Ex-Guantánamo Detainee

Clair MacDougall

• July 20, 2021

Yusuf Mingazov met his father, Ravil, for the first time through a videocall between a Red Cross office in Nottingham, Britain, and the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, where he had been imprisoned for more than 14 years. “It was kind of difficult to explain the emotions and everything, but it was nice …

Human Rights, Terrorism, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Crucial Aid Into Syria; Will a Feminist Lead UN Women?; Haiti’s Downfall

Ivana Ramirez

• July 9, 2021

Crucial aid into Syria continues; will a feminist head UN Women?; the good and bad of Security Council Arria meetings; Haiti on the edge. 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. We are closer …

Africa, Asia, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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A UN Rights Expert Criticizes Recent US Laws Targeting Protesters

Adam DuBard

• July 7, 2021

Recent laws passed by some states in the United States to restrict the right to protest have drawn the attention of Clément Voule, the United Nations expert on the rights to peaceful assembly and association. The UN released a statement from Voule criticizing new legislation passed by numerous state legislatures regarding the right to …

Human Rights, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Seeking Racial Justice; $6 Billion for Peace Ops; Gender Equality on the Front Burner, for Now

Ivana Ramirez

• July 2, 2021

Ending racism across the world; UN peacekeeping’s $6 billion annual budget O.K.’d; Norway’s diplomatic troubles; gender equality on the front burner (for now). 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. We are halfway through …

Africa, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Peacekeeping

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Spirited Demands for Better Lives Dominate the Generation Equality Forum in Paris

Barbara Crossette

• June 30, 2021

The most important day of the widely anticipated United Nations-backed Generation Equality Forum’s second session ended Wednesday night in Paris. But before the dozens of speeches were heard, a gulf emerged among people who at heart all want to make the world a better, safer place for women and girls. On one side of …

Gender Violence, Health and Population, Human Rights, Women

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What to Expect From This Year’s UN General Assembly, So Far

Stéphanie Fillion

TOPIC: WOMEN

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Human Rights

The UN Urges the Somali Government to Stop a Surge in Sexual Assault Cases

The UN Sticks to Afghanistan; Ireland Steers the Security Council; Preying on Mothers’ Fears

How Tough Can Ireland Be on Protecting Afghan Women’s Rights?

How Infant-Formula Makers Feed Off Fears of Covid

Iceland May Be the World’s Most Gender-Equal Society, but Covid Exposed Vital Gaps

This Afghan Activist Keeps Telling the Taliban to Respect the Rights of Women and Girls

The US’ Humble Approach to Running for a Human Rights Council Seat, Albeit on a Clean Slate

The UN Refugee Agency’s Bold Plan to Manage the Crisis of Climate Migrants

A First in Canada: The New Governor-General Is an Inuit

US Delegation to Haiti Cut Short; Risks for the UN Pension Fund?; an Ex-Guantánamo Detainee May Face Torture in Russia

UN Human-Rights Experts Raise Alarm Over the Fate of a Russian Ex-Guantánamo Detainee

Crucial Aid Into Syria; Will a Feminist Lead UN Women?; Haiti’s Downfall

A UN Rights Expert Criticizes Recent US Laws Targeting Protesters

Seeking Racial Justice; $6 Billion for Peace Ops; Gender Equality on the Front Burner, for Now

Spirited Demands for Better Lives Dominate the Generation Equality Forum in Paris

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A Jordanian Diplomat With Development Expertise Will Lead UN Women

UN’s Guterres Proposes a 2023 Summit of the Future in ‘Our Common Agenda’ Report

Myanmar’s Credentials at the UN

#UNGA76 Is Here; Women on Edge in Afghanistan; Biden’s Hit-and-Miss With Allies

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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