Secretary-General

Growing Crises in Myanmar and Tigray; Getting to Know the US Envoy; Will the UN’s Top Humanitarian Job Go to the UK Again?

March 6, 2021

Continuing crises in Myanmar and Ethiopia; the US envoy to the UN’s first week; why Britain has held the top humanitarian job for so long; and women’s gains in the African Union. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN …

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

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THIS WEEK @UN

The New US Envoy Begins Working; Iran’s Threatening Nuke Actions; Murders in the Congo

February 26, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States envoy to the UN, starts her job; Iran’s troubling nuclear developments; UN-convoy murders in the Congo. 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, PassBlue reporting and other sources. As International Women’s …

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

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Must Select a Woman Secretary-General Now, Not Later

February 23, 2021

by Simone Filippini

António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, announced early last month that he would seek a second five-year term, starting in January 2022, as the organization’s highest official, “if it would be the will of the member states.” The respective presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council have since defined the “selection and appointment …

Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

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THIS WEEK @UN

The US Rejoins the Paris Agreement; Climate-Related Conflicts; Intrigue With a UN Envoy

February 19, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

The United States jumps back into the Paris Agreement; the Security Council tackles climate-security risks (for now); a new UN envoy’s letter from the past returns to haunt him. 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, …

Africa, Climate and Environment, General Assembly, Middle East, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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A Norwegian Diplomat, Now a UN Envoy, Praised a Notorious Israeli Businessman Accused of Corruption

February 16, 2021

by Dulcie Leimbach

A controversial letter written in 2019 by a Norwegian diplomat who is now a leading United Nations envoy in the Middle East, vouching for an Israeli billionaire’s role in the release of a Norwegian-British citizen sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was recently published by The Norwegian Business Daily (Dagens …

Africa, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Diplomats

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THIS WEEK @UN

US Recommits to the Human Rights Council; Atrocities in Mali; a New Candidate for the UN’s Top Job

February 12, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

The US returns to the Human Rights Council; atrocities documented in the Mali conflict; a woman declares her candidacy for UN secretary-general. 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, PassBlue reporting and other sources. In …

Gender-Based Violence, General Assembly, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Peacekeeping

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A Millennial UN Staffer Who Is Daring to Run Against Secretary-General António Guterres

February 11, 2021

by Stéphanie Fillion

Arora Akanksha, a 34-year-old staff member who works as an audit coordinator for the United Nations Development Program, has announced her candidacy for the job of UN secretary-general, so far the only person to challenge António Guterres, the incumbent. Guterres announced in January that he would run for another five-year term, which begins in January …

General Assembly, Secretary-General, Security Council

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UN Probe Details Atrocities in Mali and Civilian Deaths From French Airstrikes

February 8, 2021

by Clair MacDougall

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — A recent United Nations investigation has documented years of grave human-rights violations, including war crimes and other atrocities, in Mali that have gone unpunished as the UN peacekeeping mission there struggles to stabilize the troubled West African nation. A highly detailed, 336-page report on the abuses, obtained in full by …

Africa, Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Military Takeover in Myanmar; a UN Feminist Dies; Aleksei Navalny’s Sentencing

February 5, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

A coup staged in Myanmar; the UN’s first unofficial feminist dies; Aleksei Navalny’s sentencing. 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 PassBlue reporting and other sources. Sunday, Jan. 31 • Margaret C. Snyder, the …

General Assembly, Humanitarian Aid, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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Could Angela Merkel Save the UN? She’s Not Interested

February 4, 2021

by Stéphanie Fillion

This year marks the last stretch of Secretary-General António Guterres’s term at the United Nations, but in January he finally announced his desire to seek a second five-year term, ending speculation as to whether he would run or not. If many diplomats and others think it’s going to be a smooth ride for Guterres as …

Secretary-General, Security Council

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THIS WEEK @UN

US Nominee Grilled on China; Guterres’s Top Goals for 2021; UN Tech Envoy Put on Leave

January 29, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

Biden’s nominee for UN envoy faces the Senate; Guterres’s main focus in 2021; the UN’s brand-new tech envoy accused of harassment. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the international organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, original PassBlue reporting and other sources. …

Gender-Based Violence, Health and Population, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Agencies, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Feminists Grade the UN’s Guterres With a ‘B’ for 2020

January 27, 2021

by Barbara Crossette

The widely shared hopes in 2016 that a woman could finally be elected secretary-general of the United Nations at the end of Ban Ki-moon’s two terms were crushed when the big powers chose a man from a large field of candidates from across the world — seven women and six men. The General Assembly …

Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

Worsening Strife in the Sahel; Biden Sworn In; Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect

January 23, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

The Sahel humanitarian crisis grows; Biden is sworn in as the 46th United States president; the nuclear ban treaty enters into force. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the international organization. The information is gathered from the United Nations spokesperson’s press briefings, original PassBlue reporting and other sources. …

Africa, Nuclear Disarmament, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, UN Peacekeeping, US-UN Relations

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Biden Is Sworn in as 46th US President, Marking a New Era for the Globe

January 20, 2021

by Dulcie Leimbach

Capping the most tumultuous and dangerous 14 days in American politics, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States just before noon today. Only two weeks ago, on Jan. 6, a pro-Trump mob swarmed the US Capitol demanding that Biden’s election be overturned, sending legislators, fearing for …

Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Diplomats, US-UN Relations

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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 …

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

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WORLDVIEWS

The Job of the World’s Top Humanitarian Official Is Open. Will a Briton Get the Post Again?

Ian Martin

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Secretary-General

Growing Crises in Myanmar and Tigray; Getting to Know the US Envoy; Will the UN’s Top Humanitarian Job Go to the UK Again?

The New US Envoy Begins Working; Iran’s Threatening Nuke Actions; Murders in the Congo

The UN Must Select a Woman Secretary-General Now, Not Later

The US Rejoins the Paris Agreement; Climate-Related Conflicts; Intrigue With a UN Envoy

A Norwegian Diplomat, Now a UN Envoy, Praised a Notorious Israeli Businessman Accused of Corruption

US Recommits to the Human Rights Council; Atrocities in Mali; a New Candidate for the UN’s Top Job

A Millennial UN Staffer Who Is Daring to Run Against Secretary-General António Guterres

UN Probe Details Atrocities in Mali and Civilian Deaths From French Airstrikes

Military Takeover in Myanmar; a UN Feminist Dies; Aleksei Navalny’s Sentencing

Could Angela Merkel Save the UN? She’s Not Interested

US Nominee Grilled on China; Guterres’s Top Goals for 2021; UN Tech Envoy Put on Leave

Feminists Grade the UN’s Guterres With a ‘B’ for 2020

Worsening Strife in the Sahel; Biden Sworn In; Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect

Biden Is Sworn in as 46th US President, Marking a New Era for the Globe

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

This Week's Most Popular

Ban Ki-moon Tells All: He Was Miserable Watching Trump Run Wild

Women Gain Power in the African Union, While Rwanda’s President Strives for More Too

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the New UN Envoy, Heads Into Her Job Sprinting

A Millennial UN Staffer Who Is Daring to Run Against Secretary-General António Guterres

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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