SDGs

In Latin America, Panama Battles the Coronavirus Between Two Oceans

June 11, 2020

PANAMA CITY, Panama — March 2 marked the beginning of the school year in Panama, when about a million students, a quarter of the population, headed for school. One week had passed when the first Covid-19 case was reported, a national emergency was declared and full lockdown began. My husband and I live with …

Covid-19, Latin America

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COVID-19

In Spain, a Strong Sense of Solidarity Drives Endurance in the Pandemic

April 27, 2020

by Susana Malcorra

MADRID — The first two cases of Covid-19 infections here were identified on Feb. 26, 2020. That day, 23 people had become infected in Spain in less than 24 hours. Three days later, the number was 80. From then on, Madrid rapidly became the city with the most cases in the country, and by …

Covid-19, Health and Population

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COVID-19

The UN’s War Plan Against the Coronavirus as It Attacks the Globe

March 26, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach and Stéphanie Fillion

The coronavirus officially hit the United Nations at its New York City headquarters on March 12, when the first reported case was announced by the Philippines mission to the UN that one of its diplomats had Covid-19 and was recovering. Twenty-four hours later, the UN announced that its personnel in New York — with …

Covid-19, General Assembly, Humanitarian Aid, Secretary-General, Security Council

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Battle Lines Are Drawn on Women’s Rights Before #CSW64 Even Begins

February 27, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

From the start, the diplomats leading the negotiations on the new political declaration for the United Nations’ women’s rights conference in March wanted to keep it short and sweet. That meant five pages maximum, one diplomat told PassBlue before the discussions began, inevitably frustrating diplomats who had hoped to produce a generous endorsement of …

Gender-Based Violence, US-UN Relations, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Fannie Munlin, the Face of the African-American Community at the UN

January 23, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Fannie Munlin has led a long life of helping others, making her a natural fit to chair the NGO Executive Committee, the liaison for the 1,600 civil society organizations affiliated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. She is also “the face of the African-American community at the UN,” as she said, as …

Women

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WORLDVIEWS

Can UN Development Be Reformed? Not at This Rate

January 6, 2020

by Stephen Browne

GENEVA — Like his predecessors, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has been pushing a reform program to help the organization adjust to the demands of contemporary global governance. Over nearly 75 years, the UN has innovated and adapted. At first, humanitarian assistance was not envisaged to go beyond the needs of people displaced by …

Development, WORLDVIEWS

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For Census-Takers Worldwide, 2020 Could Be a Rough Year

December 21, 2019

by Barbara Crossette

For more than a week, protesters of all faiths have been marching by the hundreds of thousands on the streets of many Indian cities and towns to condemn a divisive new citizenship law targeting Muslims across the South Asian region. The trouble had been brewing for months, after the Hindu nationalist government of Prime …

Development, Refugees, Sustainable Development Goals

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TOPIC: WOMEN

At the Nairobi Summit, Spotlighting the Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls

November 13, 2019

by Mantoe Phakathi

NAIROBI, Kenya — More than 6,000 delegates in the population development sector are gathering in the Kenyan capital here this week to renew the promise made to girls and women 25 years ago in Cairo. In firm voices, young girls from African countries called on delegates to ensure that young people have access to …

Africa, Health and Population, Women

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WORLDVIEWS

Global Leaders Missed a Crucial Chance to Propel the SDGs, Especially on Good Governance

October 7, 2019

by A. Edward Elmendorf

Governments and other parties involved in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals missed an important opportunity to provide more impetus to the goals’ success at the recent opening session of the General Assembly, held in September. By engaging largely in self-congratulation, with few exceptions, the three-minute speeches by world leaders at the United Nations Sustainable …

Sustainable Development Goals, WORLDVIEWS

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Salvaging the SDGs: New Thinking to Spur Action Takes Shape

September 30, 2019

by Barbara Crossette

For the first time since a new development agenda was adopted in 2015 to make the world a better place for everyone, government leaders assembled at the United Nations in late September to take stock of progress. The verdict of this summit was not good. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the centerpiece of Agenda …

Sustainable Development Goals

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Highlights of the UN General Assembly’s Opening Session: A Podcast on What to Expect

September 18, 2019

by Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

The 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on Tuesday, Sept. 17, which means that the world’s leaders — mainly heads of state and heads of government and their entourages — are heading to New York City for the climate change meeting on Sept. 23; the annual speechmaking, called the general debate, …

General Assembly, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

They Call It Multistakeholderism. Where Does That Leave the UN?

September 2, 2019

by Harris Gleckman

Global governance is slipping away from the United Nations. Whether it is in managing the Internet, where the UN’s governing structure offers only an advisory role for governments; or climate change, where the most exciting actions are now corporate-led partnerships outside the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; or the Gates Foundation-sponsored Gavi, The …

Development, Governance, WORLDVIEWS

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TOPIC: WOMEN

The UN Headquarters Says Adiós to Single-Use Plastic

August 27, 2019

by Kacie Candela

People who regularly work or visit the United Nations headquarters in New York have surely noticed something new in the cafeteria this summer: no more single-use plastic, not even for takeout. The change also means that only metal cutlery is available at the condiment stations and the straws are now paper (plastic ones are …

Climate and Environment

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As the SDGs Falter, the UN Turns to the Rich and Famous

July 23, 2019

by Barbara Crossette

The Sustainable Development Goals are in trouble. United Nations officials are concerned and say so publicly. Secretary-General António Guterres joined in raising an alarm in mid-July when he introduced the most recent official UN report. “It is abundantly clear that a much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social …

Climate and Environment, Development, Poverty, Sustainable Development Goals

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WORLDVIEWS

Climate Change and Risk of Conflict: The Links Grow Clearer

May 7, 2019

by Adriana Erthal Abdenur

There is growing evidence that climate change can increase the risks of conflict and violence. When government authorities are unable or unwilling to mitigate and adapt to climate shocks such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and droughts, these extreme weather events are more likely to be followed by surges in crime, including homicide, robbery and sexual …

Climate and Environment, WORLDVIEWS

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SDGs

In Latin America, Panama Battles the Coronavirus Between Two Oceans

In Spain, a Strong Sense of Solidarity Drives Endurance in the Pandemic

The UN’s War Plan Against the Coronavirus as It Attacks the Globe

Battle Lines Are Drawn on Women’s Rights Before #CSW64 Even Begins

Fannie Munlin, the Face of the African-American Community at the UN

Can UN Development Be Reformed? Not at This Rate

For Census-Takers Worldwide, 2020 Could Be a Rough Year

At the Nairobi Summit, Spotlighting the Reproductive Rights of Women and Girls

Global Leaders Missed a Crucial Chance to Propel the SDGs, Especially on Good Governance

Salvaging the SDGs: New Thinking to Spur Action Takes Shape

Highlights of the UN General Assembly’s Opening Session: A Podcast on What to Expect

They Call It Multistakeholderism. Where Does That Leave the UN?

The UN Headquarters Says Adiós to Single-Use Plastic

As the SDGs Falter, the UN Turns to the Rich and Famous

Climate Change and Risk of Conflict: The Links Grow Clearer

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