Security Council and Syria

• July 16, 2021

Receding glaciers in Iceland; the UN’s use of public-relations firms; South Sudan’s promising women’s soccer league; Lebanon’s “reversal.” 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. We have reached two-thirds of the way to our important …

Climate and Environment, Gender Violence, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN

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THIS WEEK @UN

Crucial Aid Into Syria; Will a Feminist Lead UN Women?; Haiti’s Downfall

Ivana Ramirez

• July 9, 2021

Crucial aid into Syria continues; will a feminist head UN Women?; the good and bad of Security Council Arria meetings; Haiti on the edge. 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. We are closer …

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

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Does the UN Security Council Have an Arria-Formula Problem?

Stéphanie Fillion

• July 6, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought enormous changes and challenges to the United Nations Security Council. One result has been the heightened politicization and proliferation of the Arria-formula meetings, or informal sessions, of the Council that can be initiated by any member. The increasing use of these meetings has widened the splits among the big …

Peace and Security, Security Council

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THIS WEEK @UN

The Threats of Corruption; a Country Run by Women; Iran Loses Its UN Voting Rights

Ivana Ramirez

• June 4, 2021

Fighting global corruption; Estonia, run by women; Iran loses its voting rights at the UN; a sex-video scandal, unresolved a year later. 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. You are two clicks away from …

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

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UN Security Council Members Say to Israel and Hamas: Stop Killing Children

Dulcie Leimbach

• May 16, 2021

Across seven straight days of sudden, staggering violence between Israel and Hamas and rising death tolls of civilians, all 15 members of the Security Council aired their views publicly at the United Nations on Sunday, after the Council held two closed meetings last week on the continuing destruction in Israel and Palestine. Officials from …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

America’s Blinken ‘Visits’ the UN; Mexico’s Split Personality on Women’s Rights; New Secretary-General Applicants

Ivana Ramirez

• April 2, 2021

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken dials the UN; Mexico’s dual-personality approach to women’s rights; a deadly French airstrike on a wedding in Mali; two new applicants for secretary-general. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from UN press briefings, PassBlue reporting …

Africa, Gender Violence, General Assembly, Human Rights, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, UN Special Envoys, US-UN Relations

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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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THIS WEEK @UN

The Covid-19 Anniversary; Seeking a Woman Secretary-General; a Sad Women’s Day

Ivana Ramirez

• March 13, 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic anniversary; digitally recruiting women to run for the United Nations’ top job; International Women’s Day, a bit of a downer. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information is gathered from the UN spokesperson’s press briefings, PassBlue reporting and other sources. We encourage you …

Cities, Gender Violence, Migration, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, Syria, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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WORLDVIEWS

The UN-Led Peace Process for Syria Has Failed. Women Must Be Part of the Next One.

Mouna Ghanem

• March 8, 2021

COPENHAGEN — In her book, “The Second Sex,” Simone de Beauvoir argued that one is not born but rather becomes a woman. De Beauvoir emphasized that destiny is not a cosmic force but a human choice, a result of circumstances and culture. It follows that circumstances and social determinants dictate a woman’s role in …

Gender Violence, Middle East, Security Council, US Foreign Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Russia Brings Human Contact Back to the UN Security Council

Stéphanie Fillion

• October 4, 2020

From the very moment that the United Nations decided to work online, after the pandemic hit, Russia has been the strongest and loudest opponent of going virtual at the world body. For its Security Council presidency, in October, Russia finally got its way: the Council will be meeting once again in its chamber, sitting …

Africa, Middle East, Security Council Presidency

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THIS WEEK @UN

Climate Change Risks, Israel-Palestine Covid-19 Crisis, UN’s Partial Reopening

Allison Lecce

• July 24, 2020

The Security Council held a climate change and security debate, led by Germany, nearly 10 years since the first and last time the Council met on this specific issue and agreed to a presidential statement on it. The Dominican Republic also led a meeting on climate change in January 2019. Although no resolution was …

Climate and Environment, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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As Explosive Weapons Kill More Civilians Abroad, US Companies Just Sell More of Them

Allison Lecce

• July 15, 2020

For the ninth year in a row, 90 percent of people killed by explosive weapons in urban areas were civilians. The use of these devices is proliferating in conflicts because they are becoming easier to come by — sometimes they are even homemade. The United States is the world’s largest overall exporter of arms …

Disarmament, Middle East, Security Council, Syria

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THIS WEEK @UN

Finally, a Global Cease-Fire Resolution, US-Iran Venom, Desperate Syrians

Allison Lecce

• July 2, 2020

The United States took a beating in the Security Council on Tuesday in its goal to extend the arms embargo in the Iran nuclear deal, but the next day all 15 members of the United Nations’ elite body adopted a resolution calling for a global cease-fire during the pandemic to enable successful humanitarian responses. …

This Week @UN

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

From Five to Four: Belgium Strives to Fill the European Gap in the Security Council Left by Brexit

Stéphanie Fillion

• February 6, 2020

In Brussels, the month started with the removal of Britain’s flag from the European Union headquarters, while in New York, Belgium became rotating president of the United Nations Security Council for February, ready to fill the political vacuum left by Britain’s departure from the European bloc on the Council, thanks to Brexit. PassBlue met …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Security Council Presidency, Syria

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Reading the US Presidential Tea Leaves: Do the Candidates Even Care About the UN?

Jeffrey Laurenti

• January 29, 2020

President Trump was at the United Nations last fall telling world leaders that “the future does not belong to globalists” when Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the United States House of Representatives would launch an inquiry into his possible impeachment. It was the same General Assembly whose derisive laughter at Trump’s boast a year before …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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UN Signals That the Search for a New Tech Envoy May Be Underway

Laura E. Kirkpatrick

THIS WEEK @UN

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Security Council and Syria

Receding Ice in Iceland; UN Agencies’ Use of P.R. Firms; Lebanon on the Edge

Crucial Aid Into Syria; Will a Feminist Lead UN Women?; Haiti’s Downfall

Does the UN Security Council Have an Arria-Formula Problem?

The Threats of Corruption; a Country Run by Women; Iran Loses Its UN Voting Rights

UN Security Council Members Say to Israel and Hamas: Stop Killing Children

America’s Blinken ‘Visits’ the UN; Mexico’s Split Personality on Women’s Rights; New Secretary-General Applicants

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

The Covid-19 Anniversary; Seeking a Woman Secretary-General; a Sad Women’s Day

The UN-Led Peace Process for Syria Has Failed. Women Must Be Part of the Next One.

Russia Brings Human Contact Back to the UN Security Council

Climate Change Risks, Israel-Palestine Covid-19 Crisis, UN’s Partial Reopening

As Explosive Weapons Kill More Civilians Abroad, US Companies Just Sell More of Them

Finally, a Global Cease-Fire Resolution, US-Iran Venom, Desperate Syrians

From Five to Four: Belgium Strives to Fill the European Gap in the Security Council Left by Brexit

Reading the US Presidential Tea Leaves: Do the Candidates Even Care About the UN?

This Week's Most Popular

The Surreal Saga of Gitmo; US Rejoins the Human Rights Council; the Taliban Break Promises

US Senators Want Human-Rights Work Added to UN’s Western Sahara Mission

Critics Wonder If a New $10 Million UN-Philippines Human-Rights Project Will Work

Afghan Students Reach Kyrgyzstan After a Risky Journey

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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