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

Linda Thomas-Greenfield

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Remarkably, it was business as usual at Monday’s much-anticipated United Nations Security Council debate on “effective multilateralism” through the defense of the UN Charter, chaired by Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister. The meeting occurred as Russia, a permanent member,…

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This week, we focus on yet another migration disaster off Italy’s coast, resulting in approximately 180 deaths, including children, while attempting what UN and other officials call “irregular migration.” You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing…

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Everyone talks about reforming the United Nations Security Council but change remains elusive after decades of debates. This past year, the voices for expanding the Council became louder, yet few can agree on how to do it. And they…

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This week, opinion seemed divided on the decision to expel Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from…

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This week, the Taliban carried out their first execution, letting a man shoot the person who allegedly murdered his son. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from…

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President Joseph Biden has invited 49 African national leaders and the head of the African Union to the White House this month for a summit emphasizing America’s “enduring” commitment to the continent and continued collaboration on such global priorities…

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This week, we focus on the issues of intensifying violence in the Mideast raised separately by UN special envoys in the Security Council. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information…

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This week, world leaders are gathering in Egypt to renew their commitments to sustainable climate conditions.  You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue…

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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…

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It was UN day this week! Hurray!! We saw schoolchildren around the world celebrate the creation of the organization on Oct. 24, 1945, and we also took a cue from the message of the UN secretary-general. You are reading…

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As I left the talk on “The Future of the United Nations,” given at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel by United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, I found myself disoriented, slipping into a Hitchcockian vertigo triggered by witnessing opportunities missed and…

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After weeks of negotiations and delayed voting, the United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly agreed to sanction Jimmy Cherizier and other gang leaders accused of raping and terrorizing Haitian people. The sanctions were approved on Oct. 21 in a resolution…

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This week, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child amid various restrictions on and violations of girls’ rights globally.  You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the organization. The information is gathered…

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In a surprising move, President Volodymr Zelensky of Ukraine showed up at the United Nations Security Council by videoconference on Tuesday, rallying the 15 members to pay attention to him, saying: “Dear Ladies and Gentlemen! Dear members of the…

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As the speeches by world leaders in the General Assembly begin to wind down, the focus stays on the devastating war in Ukraine and its rippling effects across the globe, the warming Earth and other serious crises that continue…

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

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