LGBT

• June 25, 2021

Rafael Grossi of the IAEA on Iran, gender bias and diplomacy; nuke-weapons countries just keep spending billions; European peacekeepers attacked in Gao, 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. We are nearly halfway …

Africa, LGBT, Nuclear Disarmament, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

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

Dulcie Leimbach

• October 23, 2020

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 …

Africa, Disarmament, General Assembly, LGBT, Libya, This Week @UN

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At the UN, Scrooge Haunts the Holiday Season

Dulcie Leimbach

• December 20, 2019

In this season of giving, the United States delegation offered free bourbon from Kentucky to the media and is splurging on a holiday party paid for by Kelly Knight Craft, the US ambassador, while in more serious business at the United Nations, the Russians not only held up a vote for one day regarding …

LGBT, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Trump’s Candidate for UN Diplomat in Geneva Faces Dissent as Senate Vote Nears

Dulcie Leimbach

• July 22, 2019

Is President Trump’s nominee to represent the United States at the United Nations in Geneva in last-minute trouble? A long, detailed letter, sent to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by prominent global human-rights groups and those concentrating on women’s health, voices strong opposition to the candidacy of Andrew Bremberg as US ambassador in Geneva. …

Gender Violence, LGBT, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

An Ode to Joy: The UN Expert on LGBTIQ Rights Stands

Sahar Moazami

• July 21, 2019

I woke to a flurry of messages from LGBTIQ activists across the world, coordinating activities. It was July 12 and the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva was about to vote on renewing the mandate of the independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity — the SOGI expert, as it is called …

Gender Violence, LGBT, WORLDVIEWS

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Pompeo’s Religion Is Carrying More Sway in US Foreign Policy

Barbara Crossette

• July 14, 2019

When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo convenes the second of his ministerial-level, multifaith conferences on religious freedom around the world on July 16 to 18, global threats to Christianity are likely to figure prominently, if recent comments by American officials are any guide. Pompeo is a guiding light. An Evangelical Christian, he says he sees a …

Human Rights, LGBT, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Heather Nauert, Trump’s Nominee for UN Envoy, Faces Heated Opposition

Dulcie Leimbach and Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• December 12, 2018

The nomination of Heather Nauert to succeed Nikki Haley as United States ambassador to the United Nations has quickly enraged some international women’s rights groups and a major Islamic advocacy organization based in the United States, portending a tense confirmation hearing in the US Senate for Nauert. The announcement of her nomination last week …

Human Rights, LGBT, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

US Congress Strikes Back at Trump’s Goals to Curtail Family Planning

Barbara Crossette

• March 25, 2018

In a rare act of legislative sabotage, the Trump administration’s plan to starve international family planning of funds has been killed for now as committees in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate slipped hundreds of millions of dollars to support reproductive health programs into a 2,232-page, $1.3 trillion US budget …

Gender Violence, LGBT, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, Women

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In East Africa, Threats to LGBTQ Rights Intensify

Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein

• December 12, 2017

STONE TOWN, Tanzania — When a story circulated in August 2017 of male lions attempting to copulate with each other in Kenya’s Masai Mara national park, headlines and Twitter feeds went wild with speculation, ridicule and accusation. Despite Kenya being one of the more progressive countries in East Africa regarding LGBTQ awareness and rights, the …

Africa, Gender Violence, Human Rights, LGBT

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WORLDVIEWS

Nikki Haley: Don’t Forget LGBTI Rights at the UN Security Council

Ryan Kaminski and Ted Piccone

• April 17, 2017

WASHINGTON, D. C. — Nikki Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, has articulated an ambitious blueprint for the American presidency of the UN Security Council this month. One pillar of the US approach will be what she called an “unprecedented” thematic session on human rights to enable the achievement of international peace and …

Human Rights, LGBT, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Suriname Should Do the Right Thing on LGBT Rights at the UN

Boris Dittrich and Faisel Tjon-A-Loi

• December 13, 2016

Suriname’s government is on the right track at home when it comes to protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination and violence. In 2015, the government introduced antidiscrimination legislation, including sexual orientation on grounds for nondiscrimination complaints. The government also understands that it needs to protect the rights of same-sex couples living …

Human Rights, Latin America, LGBT, WORLDVIEWS

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Hate Crimes Rocket Across the US, and UN Condemnation Comes Quickly

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

• November 22, 2016

Hate crimes have risen dramatically in the United States since the election of Donald Trump as president on Nov. 8. The United Nations has quickly taken note, criticizing its strongest financial and moral supporter, America. “Recent reports of hate crimes in the United States are of great concern,” began a statement from the office …

Human Rights, LGBT, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Colombia’s Rejection of the Peace Agreement Creates New Hurdles for Women

Isabella Flisi

• October 30, 2016

BOGOTÁ — By a thin margin, Colombian voters said no in early October to a peace agreement to end the decades-long war in the country between the guerillas, FARC-EP, and the government. The painstakingly written peace pact was developed with considerable contributions from women to embed commitments to gender rights in the country’s post-conflict …

Gender Violence, Human Rights, LGBT, Peace and Security, Women

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A New Commission to Focus on Women’s Rights Gaps in the Global Goals

Barbara Crossette

• January 11, 2016

A respected medical journal and a leading American population research and policy organization have teamed up to create a commission to fill gaps and turn vague promises in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into real gains for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. The initiative, sponsored by the London-based journal The Lancet …

Health and Population, LGBT, Women

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From the US Supreme Court, a Shot Heard Round the World

Barbara Crossette

• June 26, 2015

As news of the United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage spread across America, reactions around the world were both celebratory and cautious — cautious because in 76 countries gay relationships are criminal relationships, and fear of arrest, violence and even death at the hands of adversaries haunts many lives. According to a …