Security Council

The UN-Led Peace Process for Syria Has Failed. Women Must Be Part of the Next One.

March 8, 2021

COPENHAGEN — In her book, “The Second Sex,” Simone de Beauvoir argued that one is not born but rather becomes a woman. De Beauvoir emphasized that destiny is not a cosmic force but a human choice, a result of circumstances and culture. It follows that circumstances and social determinants dictate a woman’s role in …

Gender-Based Violence, Middle East, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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THIS WEEK @UN

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

by Ivana Ramirez

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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The UN Nuclear Watchdog Reaches a Temporary Inspection Plan With Iran

February 21, 2021

by Stephanie Liechtenstein

VIENNA — Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, that it will significantly limit inspections of its nuclear facilities as of Feb. 23. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the Vienna-based agency, traveled to Tehran over the weekend to meet with Iranian officials to try to preserve at …

Middle East, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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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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Can the Issue of Climate-Induced Wars Stick to the UN Security Council Agenda? The UK Tries It Out

February 18, 2021

by Stéphanie Fillion

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to preside over a Security Council meeting virtually on climate and security risks on Feb. 23. The British introduced the topic to the Council in 2007, but with Washington’s 180-degree turn toward climate change action and certain new Security Council members that are climate-friendly, 2021 could be …

Africa, Asia, Climate and Environment, Security Council

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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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WORLDVIEWS

Danger Still Lurks in Jammu and Kashmir

February 2, 2021

by Munir Akram

The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is one of the oldest unresolved issues on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. At the heart of the dispute is India’s illegal occupation and persistent refusal to allow the people of Kashmir to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. Several resolutions of the Security Council have …

Asia, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, WORLDVIEWS

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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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Biden’s UN Nominee Fends Off Questions About Being Soft on China

January 27, 2021

by Barbara Crossette

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, appearing before a Senate committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 27 for her nomination as United States envoy to the United Nations, handled a barrage of Republican accusations that the new Biden administration and she were not tough enough on China. The rhetoric from the Republican camp reached a crescendo when Senator Ted …

Africa, General Assembly, Human Rights, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, 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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Security Council

The UN-Led Peace Process for Syria Has Failed. Women Must Be Part of the Next One.

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 Nuclear Watchdog Reaches a Temporary Inspection Plan With Iran

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

Can the Issue of Climate-Induced Wars Stick to the UN Security Council Agenda? The UK Tries It Out

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

Danger Still Lurks in Jammu and Kashmir

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

Biden’s UN Nominee Fends Off Questions About Being Soft on China

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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