Online Program Enrolling Now - Seton Hall - United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Online Program Enrolling Now - Seton Hall - United Nations Institute for Training and Research

BLUE SMOKE: A monthly column, from PassBlue and UNA–UK, spotlighting senior appointments at the UN

António Guterres

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His Peace Plan Will Save Both Ukraine and the UN, Zelensky Tells the Security Council President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine promoted his 10-point peace formula to the United Nations Security Council, meant to end Russia’s war in his country….

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The common thread woven across the dozens of speeches by world leaders at the opening of the two-day United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Summit was a clarion call for faster progress toward achieving the goals’ deadline of 2030. National…

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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 week, we focus on the bookended natural disasters in Libya and Morocco….

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The world is wary that the Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved by their deadline of 2030, but Lachezara Stoeva thinks that people should instead be focusing on how to speed up progress at this crucial midpoint. “Although…

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There’s an old Irish proverb, “Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb.” Roughly translated, it means that “the day of the wind is not the day for fixing the thatch” — a common roofing material for homes in…

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We are back with our ever-popular weekly summary after a pause in August, grappling with the hottest summer on record. We continued to publish exclusive stories, provocative opinion pieces and a podcast episode, staying active on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow us…

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In 2014, the Syrian conflict appeared to be spinning out of control. Reaching new levels of horror and suffering that inflicted death, displacement and destruction on a massive scale within Syria, it had also developed into a full-fledged regional…

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It is no secret that United Nations mediation is in a state of decline. The UN is no longer in the lead role in conflict countries where the secretary-general and his representatives or special envoys are mandated to provide…

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As we celebrate Women’s Equality Day, on Aug. 26, Afghanistan sits in stark contrast to much progress elsewhere in the world. It’s clear that the country is going backward and that the prospects for equality for Afghan women and…

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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has not discouraged the United Nations from buying millions of dollars of goods and services from Moscow, according to the latest annual statistical report on UN procurement, published in July. In 2022, UN purchases…

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Hundreds of cluster munitions have been used on Ukrainian territory since the full-scale war began in February 2022 as countries across the world have continuously condemned their deployment. Now it appears that the munitions the United States is sending…

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For the disarmament agenda to progress, its machinery needs to be revisited. Current efforts by the Conference on Disarmament — the United Nations body tasked with negotiating treaties on weapons control — have stalled for almost 30 years because…

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As the sun rises over the picturesque landscape of Kashmir, it’s easy to believe that all is well in the region. But beneath the scenic beauty is a harsh and unsettling reality — composed of a military occupation, oppression…

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This week, we focus on the coup in Niger, which has been condemned by the United Nations, African Union, United States, European Union and regional organizations. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the…

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The United Nations Office of Counterterrorism says it is growing its offices overseas to become more efficient, but some civil society experts who follow the UN’s counterterrorism work closely remain skeptical. They contend that the new centers expand a…

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UNGA78: A quiz from PassBlue
Online Program Enrolling Now - Seton Hall - United Nations Institute for Training and Research

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