WORLDVIEWS

In the Central African Republic, Verging on Peace or Back to War

• November 12, 2018

This is a make-or-break moment for the Central African Republic. After years of conflict, a small window of opportunity is open to make real progress toward peace. The United Nations peacekeeping mission’s mandate is being renewed by the Security Council by Nov. 15. Soon after, the final round of the African Union-led peace negotiations …

Africa, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Where Does the UN Security Council Stand on Yemen?

Kristine Beckerle

• November 7, 2018

BEIRUT — A Yemeni father’s voice, proudly telling us about his son, was nevertheless infused with sorrow: Ahmed was about 12 and smart. He lived with his father, his mother and his eight siblings until “the war came.” The Saudi-led coalition bombed their home about a year ago. The Houthi armed group that had …

Middle East, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Will the UN’s Grand Strategy for the World’s 1.8 Billion Youths Work?

Dali ten Hove

• October 25, 2018

The status of young people around the world is gaining traction at the United Nations. In September, it introduced a strategy called Youth 2030, its end date coinciding with the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s main plan for global development. And on Nov. 1, Africa Youth Day, the African Union will appoint an envoy modeled …

UN Special Envoys, WORLDVIEWS

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Reviving Multilateralism on the Road to 2020

Richard Ponzio, Joris Larik and William Durch

• October 17, 2018

As humanity struggles with mass violence, mass migrations and the widening effect of climate change, the international system inaugurated nearly 75 years ago to manage such global problems seems to be crumbling. Over the last year, the United States has turned its back on the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Paris climate accord. …

General Assembly, Sustainable Development Goals, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Six Steps to End Sexual Violence in War

Melanne Verveer and Zainab Bangura

• October 11, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nadia Murad, a human-rights activist from Iraq’s Yazidi minority, and to Denis Mukwege, a Congolese physician, for their fight against sexual violence as a weapon of war. On the one-year anniversary of the reporting that sparked the #MeToo movement, the committee’s recognition …

Gender Violence, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

It’s All Clean Slates for the Next Human Rights Council Vote

Peter Splinter

• October 8, 2018

GENEVA — The annual ritual of holding elections for vacant seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term is set for Oct. 12. All five regional groups have clean slates: the number of candidates is equal to the number of open seats. Notwithstanding talk about the need to improve the …

Human Rights, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

To Save the Earth, Deepen Incentives for a Carbon-Free World

Franz Baumann

• October 6, 2018

When United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke passionately about the frightening prospect of a climate catastrophe recently, he called it “the defining issue of our time.” Everything in his powerful speech was backed by science. Yet, because secretaries-general cannot say everything, it was incomplete. What Guterres did not say is that global warming is the flip side …

Climate and Environment, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

New US Policies on Visas Can Hurt Same-Sex Couples at the UN

Alfonso Nam

• October 2, 2018

The recent decision by the United States State Department requiring all foreign nationals working in America for international organizations, including the United Nations, to be married in order for their same-sex spouses to receive a derivative visa, called the G-4, increases the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ couples in same-sex relationships. This much is clear. …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Is Under Siege, So Where Is the Secretary-General?

Thomas G. Weiss

• September 18, 2018

Was it only two years ago that so many people were elated by the appointment of António Guterres as secretary-general of the United Nations? After public debates organized by the president of the General Assembly and informal ones by the 1-for-7-Billion “Find the Best UN Leader” coalition, he emerged as the top candidate in …

Secretary-General, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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The UN Mission in Lebanon, Saved From the US Ax for Another Year

Karim Makdisi

• September 11, 2018

BEIRUT — In late August, the United Nations Security Council unanimously renewed its peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon, called Unifil. The less confrontational tone around the negotiation of Resolution 2433, contrasting with the heated debate on the renewal a year ago, can be read as a positive sign for Lebanon and the UN. It …

Middle East, UN Peacekeeping, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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The US vs. Unrwa: Who Really Loses?

Mona Ali Khalil

• September 6, 2018

It is entirely the United States’ prerogative to cut off its voluntary contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or Unrwa. In her statements about why the Trump administration has decided to do so, however, Ambassador Nikki Haley misses the mark on who should be grateful …

Human Rights, Middle East, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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The Devastating Decline of Human-Rights Justice Across the World

Bertrand Ramcharan

• August 20, 2018

The soul of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being destroyed with the disappearance of human-rights justice in the world. Everyone should be concerned if not frightened. The appointment of Michelle Bachelet of Chile as UN high commissioner for human rights, who has personally experienced injustice, offers hope that her voice will …

Human Rights, International Justice, WORLDVIEWS

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No Justice for Yazidi Women Yet: Why Not?

Akila Radhakrishnan

• August 10, 2018

It has been four years since ISIS launched its genocidal assault on the Yazidi community in the Middle East. ISIS fighters have faced terrorism charges in Iraq and abroad, yet not a single ISIS fighter has been prosecuted for, much less convicted of, genocide. For the Yazidis, justice remains out of reach. In light …

Gender Violence, International Justice, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Violence Against Women Worsens by the Day in the Congo

Justine Masika Bihamba

• July 26, 2018

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been placed on the United Nations Security Council agenda for several decades, in one form or another through various peacekeeping missions. The Council regularly meets on the status of the Congo, with the most recent session occurring on July 26, 2018, concentrating on progress toward scheduled presidential and …

Africa, Gender Violence, Security Council, UN Peacekeeping, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Secretary-General’s Human-Rights Crisis Can Be Solved

Bertrand Ramcharan

• June 26, 2018

There is a crisis in the United Nations human-rights system. Secretary-General António Guterres can lead the way out of it. Indeed, the world continues to look to the UN secretary-general to stand up for the principles of the organization. One of the highest responsibilities of the incumbent is to help steer a course toward …