SDGs

• April 6, 2021

During more than a year of tracking the parameters of Covid-19, medical science has made one thing clear: the virus hits the elderly hardest. Yet their vulnerability is often taken as fate. A new international study disagrees. Prejudice, institutional bias and societal discrimination against older people in both rich and poor countries, it says, …

Covid-19, Gender Violence, Health and Population, Human Rights

3 Comments

THIS WEEK @UN

Anti-Asian Threats; Troubles in the UN Humanitarian Aid Agency?; Yes, the UN Still Matters

Ivana Ramirez

• March 26, 2021

Anti-Asian violence; the closing window for a woman secretary-general; a UN expert threatened by Saudi Arabia; the UN’s humanitarian-aid agency cries out for changes. 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. Barbara Crossette, who …

Development, Gender Violence, Health and Population, Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals, This Week @UN, UN Special Envoys, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

The Audacity of Change: A Specific Example of How the UN Can Still Make a Difference

Alan Doss

• March 23, 2021

GENEVA — One of the quiet pleasures of life is an early-morning cappuccino in the company of a good newspaper. That was before Covid-19 came along. The pandemic and resulting disruption of newspaper deliveries and shuttering of cafes has obliged me to suspend my habits of a lifetime. Pending the resumption of normal service, …

Development, Sustainable Development Goals, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Should Adopt a Seventh Official Language, for the Deaf

Vera Dimoplon

• March 12, 2021

While recently attending a virtual tour of the United Nations Office at Vienna, I was astonished to learn that the translation services did not include sign language interpreters. There are six official UN languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish — that provide “clear and concise communication on issues of global importance,” according …

Disabilities, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN Must Select a Woman Secretary-General Now, Not Later

Simone Filippini

• February 23, 2021

António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, announced early last month that he would seek a second five-year term, starting in January 2022, as the organization’s highest official, “if it would be the will of the member states.” The respective presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council have since defined the “selection and appointment …

Secretary-General, WORLDVIEWS

2 Comments

UN-75: The Moment to Build a More Inclusive World Order Is Here

María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés and Tijjani Muhammad-Bande

• October 24, 2020

Since its founding 75 years ago, the United Nations has proven, with the support of its member countries and other partners, its worth in complex problem-solving. That includes preventing great-power wars, remedying humanitarian emergencies, safeguarding human rights and reducing extreme poverty. But as we commemorate UN Day, with world leaders having marked the world …

Development, Disarmament, Governance, Health and Population, Human Rights

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UN75

Finally, a Woman Leader Speaks at the UN General Assembly Debate: Slovakia

Sonah Lee-Lassiter

• September 23, 2020

A pre-recorded statement from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s President Sefik Dzaferovic kicked off Day 2 of the 75th General Assembly, and like many other world leaders, he called for heightened multilateralism amid today’s pandemic and global conflicts. Simultaneously, for the first hour of the day, a Unicef-sponsored virtual event about protecting future generations from the …

General Assembly, UN75

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THIS WEEK @UN

The UN’s 75th Birthday Is Here; Trump’s Not Coming to UNGA; What He Might Say Virtually

Dulcie Leimbach

• September 18, 2020

The most important week of the year at the United Nations has arrived, though expectations are low, given that the annual opening debate of the General Assembly is being held virtually because of Covid-19. No global leaders are coming to the debate; no wine-laden luncheons or “bilateral” meetings for them are scheduled; and no …

This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Beijing+25; ICC Prosecutor Sanctioned by US; Niger Leads the Security Council

Dulcie Leimbach

• September 5, 2020

The 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; the United States sanctions the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court; dissecting the failed ambitions of the US effort to force the UN mission in Lebanon to be more aggressive. Greetings from This Week @UN, our summary highlighting the most important news on the …

Middle East, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

One Comment

COVID-19

Wanted: Small Investors to Boost Development Money Beyond Banks

Barbara Crossette

• August 31, 2020

For nearly two years, an international group of 17 specialists on the finance frontier have been connecting digital technologies to new sources of money for the faltering Sustainable Development Goals. On Aug. 26, they unveiled an ambitious report on what can be done when traditional pools of capital are broadened and deepened by including …

Covid-19, Development

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THIS WEEK @UN

India’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels, Casting Light on UN Counterterrorism Ops, US Asylum Seekers Stuck in Mexico

Allison Lecce

• August 29, 2020

US asylum seekers pushed back into Mexico in unprecedented numbers amid Covid-19; an investigation into the mysterious work of the richly financed UN counterterrorism operations; chastising India for its support of fossil fuels; and a UN envoy’s assessment of the new United Arab Emirates-Israeli pact. Greetings from This Week @UN, our summary highlighting the most …

Climate and Environment, Middle East, Refugees, Terrorism, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

The Struggling SDGs, Money for Beirut, Resuming Vaccinations in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Allison Lecce

• August 15, 2020

The tremendous fallout from the explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4 continues as the United Nations offers direct aid, including providing a mobile health clinic and vaccines for children, while a new $565 million appeal to help the Lebanese recover has begun. And in a stunning rejection, a United States draft resolution submitted to …

This Week @UN

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Where Is Brazil as the UN Marks Its 75th Anniversary?

Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Maiara Folly

• August 12, 2020

RIO DE JANEIRO — This year marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. Amid the major economic and geopolitical effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a time to reflect on the successes and failures of the UN system, Brazil’s role in its story and what needs to be done to improve the …

Climate and Environment, Governance, Human Rights, Latin America, World Bank

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COVID-19

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

Rhona Scullion

• August 11, 2020

Just four months ago, Sudan took the monumental step to ban female genital mutilation, a painful, unnecessary and dangerous procedure that leaves lasting scars. Generally carried out on girls before they reach puberty, genital mutilation is now punishable in Sudan by up to three years in prison and subject to a fine. In a …

Africa, Covid-19, Gender Violence

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COVID-19

The UN Development Goals Are ‘Seriously Off Track,’ an Expert Says

Barbara Crossette

• August 10, 2020

The shock of the unexpected coronavirus pandemic will make it harder to achieve success on the Sustainable Development Goals, now a third of their way to the finish line, in 2030. However, the problems that have stymied or reversed progress go back long before Covid-19 hit, leading development experts say. In conjunction with a …

Covid-19, Sustainable Development Goals

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This Week's Most Popular

SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Can Vietnam Rally the Big UN Powers to Stop More Bloodshed in Myanmar?

Stéphanie Fillion

COVID-19

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SDGs

The Pandemic Reveals the Disturbing Depths of Ageism, Especially for Women

Anti-Asian Threats; Troubles in the UN Humanitarian Aid Agency?; Yes, the UN Still Matters

The Audacity of Change: A Specific Example of How the UN Can Still Make a Difference

The UN Should Adopt a Seventh Official Language, for the Deaf

The UN Must Select a Woman Secretary-General Now, Not Later

UN-75: The Moment to Build a More Inclusive World Order Is Here

Finally, a Woman Leader Speaks at the UN General Assembly Debate: Slovakia

The UN’s 75th Birthday Is Here; Trump’s Not Coming to UNGA; What He Might Say Virtually

Beijing+25; ICC Prosecutor Sanctioned by US; Niger Leads the Security Council

Wanted: Small Investors to Boost Development Money Beyond Banks

India’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels, Casting Light on UN Counterterrorism Ops, US Asylum Seekers Stuck in Mexico

The Struggling SDGs, Money for Beirut, Resuming Vaccinations in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Where Is Brazil as the UN Marks Its 75th Anniversary?

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

The UN Development Goals Are ‘Seriously Off Track,’ an Expert Says

This Week's Most Popular

The Pandemic Reveals the Disturbing Depths of Ageism, Especially for Women

The Boss of the UN’s Environment Agency Has Been Away for a Year From Its Nairobi HQ. Does It Matter?

Schools Fail the Youngest Where Population Grows the Fastest

Myanmar’s Coup Crisis Persists; Global Bias Against Older People; Vietnam Is in Charge

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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