Boris Johnson

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

• February 18, 2021

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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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Will 2021 Determine the Future of ‘Global Britain’?

Stéphanie Fillion

• February 1, 2021

February marks the beginning of a yearlong period that could make or break Britain’s post-Brexit foreign policy, also known as “Global Britain.” This month, Britain presides over the United Nations Security Council, then the Group of 7 meeting, in Cornwall in June, and in November, the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow. “I …

Security Council Presidency, UN Diplomats

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THIS WEEK @UN

6 African Peacekeepers Killed; UN Chief Pursues a Second Term; US Sanctions Houthis in Yemen

Ivana Ramirez

• January 15, 2021

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres pursues a second term; a total of six peacekeepers were killed in Mali and the Central African Republic; Britain helps raise $1 billion for the UN’s Covax vaccine program. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered …

Africa, General Assembly, Human Rights, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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UN75

India Renews Claim for a Permanent Security Council Seat; UK Seeks Global Unity Against Covid

Barbara Crossette

• September 26, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India accused the United Nations of failing to update its work and adopt overdue reforms in his speech to the General Assembly’s 75th-anniversary session, on Sept. 26. He praised what he saw as India’s leading role in the world on many fronts and asked, in a focus of his …

General Assembly, UN75

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COVID-19

Don’t Even Try to Make Sense of Lockdown Rules in the ‘United’ Kingdom

Rhona Scullion

• July 9, 2020

WHITCHURCH, England — Britain currently has the highest death toll from Covid-19 in Europe and the third-highest death rate in the world, according to the World Health Organization statistics. The central government in London is being repeatedly criticized for its handling of the crisis, while each of the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and …

Covid-19, Governance, Health and Population

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TOPIC: WOMEN

A New UK Hotline for Victims of Sexual Harassment Is ‘Constantly Ringing’

Rhona Scullion

• October 21, 2019

A new hotline is offering free, confidential legal advice to women in England and Wales who are experiencing sexual harassment at work. Launched in August, it is the only hotline of its kind dedicated to addressing a problem affecting women from all walks of life. Already, the hotline has been inundated with calls from …

Health and Population, Human Rights, Women

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The Oscars of International Politics: A #UNGA74 Recap

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• September 26, 2019

This year’s opening session of the United Nations General Assembly stood out for revealing the stark divide now defining international relations: the split between globalists and patriots. On this week’s UN-Scripted podcast, PassBlue reporters Kacie Candela and Stéphanie Fillion look at the similarities in speeches at the high-level debates, between Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro …

General Assembly

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Strongmen to Kick Off the UN General Assembly Session in September

Stéphanie Fillion

• August 14, 2019

Donald Trump will shake hands with Emmanuel Macron, Jair Bolsonaro and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. But will Benjamin Netanyahu; Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel be there, too? The 74th opening debate of the United Nations General Assembly, which starts on Sept.17 and ends on Sept. 30; the general debate begins on Sept. 24. With most …

Climate and Environment, General Assembly, US-UN Relations

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NIKKI HALEY WATCH

As Expected, the US Quits the UN Human Rights Council

Barbara Crossette

• June 19, 2018

In a long-expected decision, the United States announced it was withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council, the world body’s primary organ for promoting and protecting the rights of people worldwide. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, delivered comments on June 19 in the …

Human Rights, Nikki Haley Watch, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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UNGA72

Trump on the UN: ‘I Saw Great Potential Right Across the Street’

Kacie Candela

• September 18, 2017

In a much-anticipated gathering, the United States led a high-level meeting on United Nations reform on Sept. 18, with President Donald Trump and UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaking to the assembled world leaders. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, also spoke briefly; in Trump’s entourage was his chief of staff, John Kelly, …

UNGA72, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Men Voting for Men: UN Security Council Holds Its First Straw Poll to Pick a Secretary-General

Dulcie Leimbach

• July 21, 2016

The first straw poll to test the support of Security Council members for candidates vying to become the next United Nations secretary-general occurred Thursday morning. The vote took place amid strong interest by global media who report on the world body as well as the dozen candidates, the UN’s 193 member states and people …

Secretary-General, US-UN Relations, Women

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In Post-Brexit Tangle, Scotland’s Leader Acts Decisively

Rhona Scullion

• July 4, 2016

DUNDEE, Scotland — Before dawn on June 24, Britain voted by a majority to leave the European Union. Yet every region in Scotland voted to remain, and now Scots face the prospect of being pulled from the European Union against their will. Striding confidently into the press room in Edinburgh, the home of the …