Iran nuclear deal

• April 1, 2022

This week, the spotlight remains on the desperate plight of millions of people around the world. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. This week, we bring you an analysis of President Putin’s mind-set, a look at Canada’s provocative envoy at the UN and the announcement of a …

Peace and Security, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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THIS WEEK @UN

Trending UN News: Week Ending Jan. 28

Anna Bianca Roach

• January 28, 2022

A coup in West Africa; a recap of Biden’s first year at the UN; a US-Russia showdown coming to the Security Council. 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, learn about Barbados’s …

Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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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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From Tiny Barbados, a Scolding to the World: ‘We Have Not Moved the Needle!’

Anna Bianca Roach

• September 24, 2021

The fourth day of the United Nations General Assembly debate soldiered on, with pointed speeches by, among others, the Caribbean island nation of Barbados, whose prime minister, Mia Amor Mottley, asked the General Assembly Hall, “How many crises and natural disasters need to hit before we see that old conventions of aid mean that …

Climate Change, General Assembly, Health and Population, UNGA76, US-UN Relations

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In Biden’s UN Debut as President, He Says America Is Ready for Diplomacy

Barbara Crossette

• September 21, 2021

Joe Biden, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 21 for the first time as president of the United States, did not say again to the world that America was back. His message was that it never left and that his administration was looking to more productive engagement with nations in “this …

General Assembly, UNGA76

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THIS WEEK @UN

#UNGA76 Vaccination Rules; Gabon Peacekeepers Ousted; Macron Drops Out of UN Debate

Anna Bianca Roach

• September 18, 2021

Vaccine-policy confusion as delegates arrive for UNGA; Gabon’s troops repatriated from a United Nations peacekeeping mission; President Macron of France won’t participate in the UN high-level debate. 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. UNGA …

Gender Violence, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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‘We Are on a Ventilator’: IAEA Chief Laments Reduced Access to Iran’s Nuclear Sites

Stephanie Liechtenstein

• June 20, 2021

VIENNA — In an interview here with Rafael Grossi, the 60-year-old director-general of the United Nations nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — he revealed that he has not had a reply yet from Iran on a possible extension of the agency’s current inspections agreement of the country’s nuclear facilities, which runs out …

Nuclear Disarmament, UN Diplomats, US Foreign Relations

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BOOKS

Ban Ki-moon Tells All: He Was Miserable Watching Trump Run Wild

Irwin Arieff

• March 2, 2021

Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a memoir due out in June, is done concealing his anger over Donald Trump’s bad behavior on the international stage. The UN has always tried hard to maintain strong ties with the United States, its biggest dues-payer and the world’s leading superpower. And Ban, it seems, was …

BOOKS, Nuclear Disarmament, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

The New US Envoy Begins Working; Iran’s Threatening Nuke Actions; Murders in the Congo

Ivana Ramirez

• February 26, 2021

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States envoy to the UN, starts her job; Iran’s troubling nuclear developments; UN-convoy murders in the Congo. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. As International Women’s …

Africa, Asia, Nuclear Disarmament, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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US Reacts to Alarming New Information From UN Agency on Iran’s Nuclear Activities

Stephanie Liechtenstein

• February 25, 2021

VIENNA — The International Atomic Energy Agency reported in a confidential document, seen by PassBlue, that Iran has added 17.6 kilograms of uranium, enriched up to 20 percent, to its total stockpile. The enrichment process, which had been announced by Iran in January, is occurring at Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility. The 20 percent …

Middle East, Nuclear Disarmament

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The UN Nuclear Watchdog Reaches a Temporary Inspection Plan With Iran

Stephanie Liechtenstein

• February 21, 2021

VIENNA — Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, that it will significantly limit inspections of its nuclear facilities as of Feb. 23. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the Vienna-based agency, traveled to Tehran over the weekend to meet with Iranian officials to try to preserve at …

Middle East, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council, US Foreign Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

The US Rejoins the Paris Agreement; Climate-Related Conflicts; Intrigue With a UN Envoy

Ivana Ramirez

• February 19, 2021

The United States jumps back into the Paris Agreement; the Security Council tackles climate-security risks (for now); a new UN envoy’s letter from the past returns to haunt him. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, …

Africa, Climate Change, General Assembly, Middle East, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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Biden’s UN Nominee Fends Off Questions About Being Soft on China

Barbara Crossette

• January 27, 2021

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, appearing before a Senate committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 27 for her nomination as United States envoy to the United Nations, handled a barrage of Republican accusations that the new Biden administration and she were not tough enough on China. The rhetoric from the Republican camp reached a crescendo when Senator Ted …

Africa, General Assembly, Human Rights, Nuclear Disarmament, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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Biden Is Sworn in as 46th US President, Marking a New Era for the Globe

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 20, 2021

Capping the most tumultuous and dangerous 14 days in American politics, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States just before noon today. Only two weeks ago, on Jan. 6, a pro-Trump mob swarmed the US Capitol demanding that Biden’s election be overturned, sending legislators, fearing for …

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

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Why the EU Is Hopeful About the UN in 2021: An Interview With Ambassador Olof Skoog

Dulcie Leimbach

• January 12, 2021

Olof Skoog knows the United Nations like the back of his hand. As the European Union ambassador to the world body since 2019, he speaks for the 27-member bloc at the UN headquarters in New York City; most recently, he was Sweden’s envoy to the UN. He is known for his optimism — even …