Security Council Presidency

• February 1, 2021

February marks the beginning of a yearlong period that could make or break Britain’s post-Brexit foreign policy, also known as “Global Britain.” This month, Britain presides over the United Nations Security Council, then the Group of 7 meeting, in Cornwall in June, and in November, the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow. “I …

Security Council Presidency, UN Diplomats

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Tunisia, Delicately Straddling the Politics of North Africa and the Mideast

Stéphanie Fillion

• January 6, 2021

It’s become the origin story of Tunisia’s revolution and the broader Arab Spring: In December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire after years of being harassed by police officers and experiencing a series of humiliating encounters with local officials. His self-immolation became the focus of long-simmering anger toward the …

Africa, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Libya, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

South Africa, Bringing the Continent Inside the Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• December 3, 2020

In the last hurrah of its two-year term, South Africa happens to be president of the Security Council in December, so it is making the most of its final month by holding a debate on the all-important United Nations-African Union relationship. South Africa is also chairing the African Union this year, until February 2021, …

Africa, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

The Smallest State to Ever Lead the UN Security Council: St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Stéphanie Fillion

• November 2, 2020

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines may be the smallest country to ever sit on the Security Council, but it doesn’t mean it is intimidated by the big powers. Instead, the island nation is already amplifying the voices of Africa and the Caribbean in the UN forum. “I think that what the small state does …

Caribbean, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Russia Brings Human Contact Back to the UN Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• October 4, 2020

From the very moment that the United Nations decided to work online, after the pandemic hit, Russia has been the strongest and loudest opponent of going virtual at the world body. For its Security Council presidency, in October, Russia finally got its way: the Council will be meeting once again in its chamber, sitting …

Africa, Middle East, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Niger Brings the Voice of the Sahel Into the UN Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• September 1, 2020

Niger hasn’t been a member of the Security Council for almost 40 years, and now that it has a voice on one of the world’s most visible platforms, it intends to use it to build more alliances with influential world powers while furthering a regional agenda. September will require Niger, a landlocked country in …

Africa, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Indonesia’s Legacy in the Security Council: Daring to Save Lives

Stéphanie Fillion

• August 3, 2020

A big power in Southeast Asia and a middle power globally, Indonesia plays a “bridge builder” role in the United Nations Security Council, it says. It’s a strategy that is getting harder and harder to embody, however, with rising tensions among the five big powers in the Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the …

Asia, Security Council, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Germany Renews Its Push for Multilateralism as the Top Dog in July

Stéphanie Fillion

• July 5, 2020

Germany is anticipating two milestones between now and Dec. 31 — make that three. On July 31, its monthly rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council ends, and on Dec. 31 its two-year stint on the Council is over. Meanwhile, Angela Merkel has said she will not seek re-election as German chancellor in …

Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

France’s Printemps Européen on the Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• June 1, 2020

Even if Belgium’s presidency took place in February and Estonia’s, in May, is over, the European Union just held a virtual press conference from its mission in New York City to say that this spring was a European one in the United Nations Security Council. The goal of the briefing, on May 29, was …

Security Council Presidency, US-UN Relations

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Estonia to Deliver High Tech, at Last, to the UN Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• April 30, 2020

Estonia assumed its first two-year term on the United Nations Security Council in January, and it will hold the presidency in May. It’s a tough time for international diplomacy, in light of the pandemic. “I don’t know exactly what’s waiting for us,” Estonian Ambassador Sven Jurgenson told PassBlue over Zoom from New York, where …

Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

The Dominican Republic’s Hope for April: Smooth Sailing

Stéphanie Fillion

• April 2, 2020

With the incremental transformation the Security Council has gone through in March by transferring the bulk of its meetings online, the Dominican Republic’s special envoy to the United Nations intends to preside over the Council “like a sailboat, we’ll go wherever the wind takes us.” As the agenda of the Council will be adopted …

Caribbean, Peace and Security, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

China Is in the Hot Seat as Covid-19 Shadows Its Diplomacy

Stéphanie Fillion

• March 5, 2020

Over the past year China’s presence at the United Nations got suddenly noticed. It may be its more outgoing ambassador, Zhang Jun, its lobbying against human rights, its accession to high-level roles or the disengagement of the United States — perhaps all of the above that has drawn attention. But just as the country …

Peace and Security, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

From Five to Four: Belgium Strives to Fill the European Gap in the Security Council Left by Brexit

Stéphanie Fillion

• February 6, 2020

In Brussels, the month started with the removal of Britain’s flag from the European Union headquarters, while in New York, Belgium became rotating president of the United Nations Security Council for February, ready to fill the political vacuum left by Britain’s departure from the European bloc on the Council, thanks to Brexit. PassBlue met …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Vietnam’s Pivotal Month as Leader of the Security Council and of Asean for 2020

Stéphanie Fillion

• January 8, 2020

With tensions becoming more and more serious in the Middle East and with two crucial leadership roles to play internationally, diplomats in Hanoi are probably working hard to make sure Vietnam’s big diplomatic month of January is a success. Vietnam’s diplomacy has arrived at a critical moment, as it presides over the United Nations …

Asia, Security Council Presidency

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Kelly Knight Craft’s Menu for the UN: Bourbon, Basketball and Bonding

Dulcie Leimbach and Stéphanie Fillion

• December 6, 2019

GLASGOW, Kentucky — “There’s no place like home for the holidays” is the United States’ theme for the Security Council presidency in December, while at the same time, in a slight contradiction, the US wants to tackle the problem of the Council’s credibility. To illustrate her point about the Council’s “credibility,” as she said, …