US Foreign Relations

Saeid Iravani: What to Expect From Iran’s New Ambassador to the UN

• November 9, 2022

Iran’s new ambassador to the United Nations stunned journalists recently when he read a contentious statement to them in response to an informal Security Council meeting on the current protests in Iran. The envoy delivered his remarks to reporters just before the Council met on Nov. 2 to discuss in particular women’s rights …

Gender Violence, Middle East, UN Diplomats, US Foreign Relations

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For the UN, the Russian Aviation Problem and Potential Money Losses Haven’t Gone Away

Dawn Clancy

• November 8, 2022

Four months ago, Russia was flagged for breaching international aviation law, and the United Nations has yet to replace dozens of grounded Russian-leased aircraft as a result of the violation. The UN’s response to the International Civil Aviation Authority’s warning to Russia about its actions directly compromises the safety of critical UN peacekeeping and …

Secretary-General, Ukraine-Russia War, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations

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Day 2, UN General Assembly’s Big Week: Russia’s War on Ukraine Dominates

Dawn Clancy

• September 21, 2022

On Day 2 of the “high-level” week, featuring many of the world’s heads of state and government, President Joe Biden shared the forum with a diverse roster of speakers, who stood at the rostrum, one by one, stretching from the early morning to late evening on the cusp of the fall equinox, in New …

Africa, Asia, General Assembly, Latin America, Secretary-General, Ukraine-Russia War, US Foreign Relations

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Trending UN News: Week Ending June 17

Damilola Banjo

• June 17, 2022

This week, our focus is on the failure of the decades-old women, peace and security agenda and Britain’s stalled plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. This …

Africa, Gender Violence, Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Special Envoys, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

US Secretary of State Blinken’s Homage to the UN

Stephen Schlesinger

• June 7, 2022

If there is a mantra for United States foreign policy under the Biden administration, it is the idea of a “rules-based international order.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a major speech delivered at the Asia Society on May 26 on US-China relations, cited the phrase or variations of it 16 times in his …

General Assembly, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

US to Address Soaring Global Food Prices as Chair of the Security Council

Damilola Banjo

• May 8, 2022

The United States is making the tackling soaring prices of food commodities the main focus of its presidency of the United Nations Security Council in May. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the country’s permanent representative to the UN, elaborated on the topic at a press conference to mark the start of the rotating presidency. “You may …

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

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In the Middle of an Emergency UN Session on Ukraine, Russia Declares War

Dawn Clancy

• February 24, 2022

As the 15 ambassadors in the United Nations Security Council hurried late Wednesday night into the chamber to meet for an emergency session on Ukraine — and most of them calling for a de-escalation of tensions — President Vladimir Putin, eight time zones away, declared war, authorizing a “special military operation” in the country. …

Peace and Security, Secretary-General, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Helga Schmid, the Persistent European Negotiator

Stephanie Liechtenstein

• January 10, 2022

VIENNA — The name Helga Schmid probably does not ring a bell beyond diplomatic circles in this very diplomatic city. Nor is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, which Schmid leads, a household name, either. But the German career diplomat is about to become better known this week. United States …

Peace and Security, US Foreign Relations, Women

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Weeks After a Cease-Fire Agreement, the Central African Republic Hangs By a Thread

Yujie Zhou

• December 9, 2021

The Central African Republic has long suffered from internal strife and human-rights abuses, but the situation now is perhaps the worst it has ever been and could grow more dire. The central government controls only a small portion of this landlocked country, which is just under the size of Texas. Much of the rest …

Africa, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Biden Nominates an Envoy for Global Women’s Issues, but How Soon Will the US Senate Act on It?

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 30, 2021

President Joe Biden has nominated Geeta Rao Gupta as the next ambassador at large for global women’s issues at the United States State Department. Gupta is a senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that promotes the UN. The ambassador post leads the Secretary’s Office of Global …

US Foreign Relations, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

Anna Bianca Roach

• November 12, 2021

PassBlue probes the global body granting licenses to mine the deep seas; UN staff detained in Ethiopia; global famine rises. 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. This week, Mexico’s president proposes a plan …

Africa, Asia, Climate Change, Human Rights, Humanitarian Aid, Middle East, Migration, Myanmar, Refugees, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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US Envoys Encouraged to Voice Dissent in New Diplomacy Policies

Barbara Crossette

• November 3, 2021

It is not news that morale in the American State Department hit new lows during the Trump administration, under a president who despised and insulted the institutions and people engaged in international affairs. On Oct. 27, however, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at the United States Foreign Service Institute to diplomats, members of …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

My Work on the Origins of Minurso, the UN Mission in Western Sahara

Joseph Alfred Grinblat

• October 27, 2021

It is now 30 years since the United Nations referendum mission for Western Sahara, known as Minurso, was created, and I was one of the original staff members. Starting in 1971, Sahrawi students in Morocco started a movement for the independence of Spanish Sahara. The Sahrawi are the Indigenous people of the western region …

Africa, Peace and Security, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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US Senators Want Human-Rights Work Added to UN’s Western Sahara Mission

Maurizio Guerrero

• October 21, 2021

As abuses against Sahrawi activists and journalists mount in Western Sahara, 10 United States Republican and Democratic senators are urging the Biden administration to include a human-rights element in the work of the United Nations referendum mission in the disputed region, according to an Oct. 14 letter obtained by PassBlue. As the file holder …

Africa, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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A US Lawyer Who Has Worked With Gitmo Detainees Details Her Journey Into a ‘Kafkaesque’ World

Clair MacDougall

• October 11, 2021

As a lawyer, Beth Jacob has represented both victims of the 9/11 attacks and the men imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay suspected of committing terrorism against the United States. A New Yorker now living in Washington, D.C., her Guantánamo clients have ranged from artists who make delicately crafted model ships, like Moath al-Alwi, and writers …

International Justice, Terrorism, US Foreign Relations

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PassBlue Quiz: Women in Politics. Test your knowledge of female leaders and the issues they confront.

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The UN’s Top Labor Expert Resumes Work on ‘Our Common Agenda’ as Controversy Clouds World Cup

Damilola Banjo

WORLDVIEWS

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US Foreign Relations

Saeid Iravani: What to Expect From Iran’s New Ambassador to the UN

For the UN, the Russian Aviation Problem and Potential Money Losses Haven’t Gone Away

Day 2, UN General Assembly’s Big Week: Russia’s War on Ukraine Dominates

Trending UN News: Week Ending June 17

US Secretary of State Blinken’s Homage to the UN

US to Address Soaring Global Food Prices as Chair of the Security Council

In the Middle of an Emergency UN Session on Ukraine, Russia Declares War

Helga Schmid, the Persistent European Negotiator

Weeks After a Cease-Fire Agreement, the Central African Republic Hangs By a Thread

Biden Nominates an Envoy for Global Women’s Issues, but How Soon Will the US Senate Act on It?

Further Souring of Ethiopian-UN Relations; Deep-Sea Mining Dangers; Polish-Belarusian Standoff

US Envoys Encouraged to Voice Dissent in New Diplomacy Policies

My Work on the Origins of Minurso, the UN Mission in Western Sahara

US Senators Want Human-Rights Work Added to UN’s Western Sahara Mission

A US Lawyer Who Has Worked With Gitmo Detainees Details Her Journey Into a ‘Kafkaesque’ World

This Week's Most Popular

Navi Pillay, Who Leads a UN Rights Probe on Palestine and Israel, Hits Back on Slurs Against Her

How Might Iran React to Being Ousted From the UN Commission on the Status of Women?

How to Move From Hostility to Cooperation in the UN Security Council

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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