Security Council

• April 9, 2020

VIENNA — Since moving to Austria in 2018, I have enjoyed the comparably high standard of living and relatively low cost of living that the city offers. As a foreigner, I feel at home in this beautiful city, which is also home to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Atomic …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Health and Population, Security Council

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COVID-19

Was China a Less-Than-Ideal President to Lead the UN Security Council in a Crisis?

Stéphanie Fillion

• April 7, 2020

In early March, China appeared to be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel back home in containing the coronavirus spread, while in New York City, the country was preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Zhang Jun of China told the media that one …

Covid-19, Security Council, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

Is Kelly Craft Out of the Loop on Trump’s Pandemic Plans?

Irwin Arieff

• April 4, 2020

President Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo love to label Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus.” But Kelly Craft, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, is calling on Washington to work hand in hand with China and end the “blame game” of trying to hold Beijing responsible for the …

Covid-19, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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COVID-19

The Security Council Goes Silent as the Secretary-General Opens Up

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• March 27, 2020

For the coronavirus outbreak, UN-Scripted, our podcast series, is ramping up its coverage by offering a bonus episode this week. This time, we look at how the United Nations Security Council is slowly restarting its program of work but offering few details on its operations to the media and all the countries that don’t …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Health and Population, Secretary-General, Security Council

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COVID-19

The UN’s War Plan Against the Coronavirus as It Attacks the Globe

Dulcie Leimbach and Stéphanie Fillion

• March 26, 2020

The coronavirus officially hit the United Nations at its New York City headquarters on March 12, when the first reported case was announced by the Philippines mission to the UN that one of its diplomats had Covid-19 and was recovering. Twenty-four hours later, the UN announced that its personnel in New York — with …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Humanitarian Aid, SDGs, Secretary-General, Security Council

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COVID-19

The UN Security Council Is MIA as the Coronavirus Ravages the World

Mona Ali Khalil

• March 24, 2020

Although much of the world is closing temporarily due to the rapid spread of Covid-19, the United Nations Security Council must stay open — meeting physically if possible and virtually if not — in order to fulfill its Charter responsibilities not only to address the threats posed by the pandemic but also to respond …

Covid-19, Health and Population, Security Council

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COVID-19

Can Global Diplomacy Survive Covid-19? Our Latest Podcast Episode

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• March 19, 2020

On March 13, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres ordered New York-based personnel to start working from home as of March 16, to last until April 13. His announcement came one day after the UN confirmed that a diplomat from the Philippines who represents her country at the UN in New York had tested positive …

Covid-19, Health and Population, Security Council

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COVID-19

The UN in New York Shuts Physically as Most Personnel Telecommute: Updates

Dulcie Leimbach and Stéphanie Fillion

• March 15, 2020

The coronavirus has officially hit the United Nations at its New York City headquarters. On Thursday, March 12, the first reported case was confirmed by a diplomat with the Philippines mission to the UN, who said that a Filipino colleague had tested positive for Covid-19 and had notified the “UN medical director’s office.” The …

Child Soldiers, Covid-19, Health and Population, Secretary-General, Security Council

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US Ambassador Kelly Craft Resumes Campaign Donations with a Big Gift to Trump

Irwin Arieff

• February 26, 2020

Kelly Craft has taken a big step toward helping to ensure her political future, lavishing a campaign contribution of $360,600 on the re-election of her boss, President Donald Trump. The gift is the first that Craft, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, has dished out since joining the diplomatic corps as ambassador …

Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Palestine v. Israel, and the US Democratic Race: Our Double-Episode Podcast

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• February 20, 2020

President Trump has made good on his campaign promises to redefine America’s relationship with the rest of the world — for better or for worse — and the United Nations has in many ways been the epicenter of his “American First” policy abroad. Most recently, his peace proposal for Israel and Palestine scraps decades …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Despite Common Rejection of Trump’s Mideast Plan, Some Hope to Restart Talks

Stéphanie Fillion

• February 11, 2020

A few days after Jared Kushner, President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, met with United Nations Security Council members offsite in New York to sell the United States’ Mideast deal for peace, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas came to the Council to vehemently oppose it. While Abbas’s criticisms were echoed by most members of the Council, …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Middle East, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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Will Trump’s ‘Vision’ Shake Up the Middle East?

Irwin Arieff

• February 3, 2020

When is a peace plan not a peace plan? Look no further than Donald Trump’s cynically timed initiative to end the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. If a breakthrough does result, it will be in spite of itself. Released in late January after three years lurking in the shadows, it would jettison decades …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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As Kenya and Djibouti Fight Over a UN Security Council Seat, China Pops Up

Maurizio Guerrero

• January 24, 2020

Djibouti is vying with Kenya to win an elected seat in the United Nations Security Council for the 2021-22 term among the African bloc. The candidacy contest for the current open seat has revealed a rare open disagreement between African nations that is linked to China’s control in parts of the continent. The African …

Africa, Security Council

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The Topic Was the UN Charter, but the Backdrop Was a Just-Averted US-Iran War

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 9, 2020

Six days after the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani of Iran by the United States and high-wire threats sent between President Trump and top officials of Iran, the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council and other nations finally had a chance to speak about the fight in an open forum. As …

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

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GEOPOLITICS

China’s UN Playground & Talking Gender With the UN’s Rosemary DiCarlo: Our Latest Episode

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• December 23, 2019

This year was a big one for China, and 2020 is likely to be much the same — if not more intense, given the range of issues involving the United States and far beyond. For our last episode of the year, UN-Scripted looks at how China’s rise internationally is reflected at the United Nations. …