violence against women

Military Takeover in Myanmar; a UN Feminist Dies; Aleksei Navalny’s Sentencing

February 5, 2021

A coup staged in Myanmar; the UN’s first unofficial feminist dies; Aleksei Navalny’s sentencing. 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, original PassBlue reporting and other sources. Sunday, Jan. 31 • Margaret C. Snyder, the …

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

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The New UN Tech Envoy Is Put on Leave, Pending an Investigation

January 27, 2021

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond has just been named as the United Nations first-ever technology envoy. Hochschild, a Chilean national who has been with the UN since 1988, has served the organization in numerous jobs in the field, starting in Sudan, and at headquarters in Geneva and New York City. Hochschild, 57, was most recently the …

Gender-Based Violence, General Assembly, Human Rights

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THIS WEEK @UN

Worsening Strife in the Sahel; Biden Sworn In; Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect

January 23, 2021

by Ivana Ramirez

The Sahel humanitarian crisis grows; Biden is sworn in as the 46th United States president; the nuclear ban treaty enters into force. You are reading This Week @UN, a summary of the most pressing issues facing the international organization. The information is gathered from the United Nations spokesperson’s press briefings, original PassBlue reporting and other sources. …

Africa, Nuclear Disarmament, Secretary-General, This Week @UN, UN Peacekeeping, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

For Women in Politics Globally, the Job Can Mean Abuse, Jail or Death

January 4, 2021

by Barbara Crossette

In the early afternoon of May 13, 2020, Joana Mamombe, a member of parliament in Zimbabwe, was seized by security officers after she participated in a pop-up protest, demanding aid for the poor during the Covid pandemic. She and two other rights advocates were accused of violating a lockdown, an act intended to demonstrate …

Gender-Based Violence, Human Rights, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Woman of the Year? You and Me and Every One of Us

December 31, 2020

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

How bad was 2020? So awful that Match.com made a commercial in which a woman named 2020 falls in love with the Devil and they live happily ever after. As annoying as it is that 2020 is portrayed as a woman, the ad sums up the year pretty well. The year began promisingly, at …

Gender-Based Violence, Women

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WORLDVIEWS

A New Year’s Hope: Restoring the Progressive Role of the US at the UN

December 28, 2020

by Jessica Neuwirth

A wave of relief and hope is sweeping across the United Nations, and the world, desperately awaiting the inauguration of Joe Biden and the beginning of the restoration of normalcy. Hopefully, we will quickly see the rebuilding of our country’s leadership and much-needed progress in the UN, as well as in other international forums …

Gender-Based Violence, Human Rights, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

President Trump’s Attacks on the Rule of Law, From A to Z

December 21, 2020

by Mona Ali Khalil

President Trump’s attacks on the rule of law in his four years in office have ranged from blatant disregard to outright breach of everything from well-established ethical values to universally accepted international norms, from United States laws and regulations to international laws and treaties. As the Trump presidency ends, there is hope that the …

Security Council, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Many Countries Cheer Gains to Ending the Death Penalty Globally, but Foes Harden Their Stance

December 17, 2020

by Navi Pillay and Ruth Dreifuss

MADRID — A record-breaking vote on a resolution for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty has been passed by the United Nations General Assembly, with 123 countries in favor, 38 voting against and 24 abstaining. The vote, held on Dec. 16, was an improvement over an earlier vote, on Nov. 17 …

General Assembly, Human Rights, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

Southeast Asia, Forging Ahead on Women, Peace and Security

December 8, 2020

by Noeleen Heyzer

SINGAPORE — With two Asean members, Vietnam and Indonesia, currently sitting in the United Nations Security Council, the region has advanced Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. This is the first global framework that addresses the changing nature of conflicts, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, the issues of …

Asia, Gender-Based Violence, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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TOPIC: WOMEN

The UN General Assembly President Turns His Focus on Women, but Why?

November 10, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

When it comes to power and influence in the United Nations system, the president of the General Assembly has little control beyond a procedural role in managing an often-fractious body of member nations, now numbering 193, each with policies of its own. The Assembly is forbidden by Article 12 of the UN Charter, for …

Gender-Based Violence, General Assembly, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

For This Afghan Woman, Midwifery Is a Labor of Love

November 8, 2020

by Lori Silberman Brauner

From a young age, Zahra Mirzaei, 32, decided to become a midwife after she encountered a kind doctor who encouraged her to pursue studies in the field. Observing the role that midwives played in her country — Afghanistan — while challenged by extremely limited educational opportunities for women and girls, Mirzaei said: “It spoke …

Health and Population, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

The Rough Road to Gender Equality; a Major Message on Hunger; No Saudis on the Human Rights Council

October 17, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

For once, two pieces of good news from the United Nations: The World Food Program receives the Nobel Peace Prize and the Security Council begins meeting physically again in its chamber. But some reality-checking: 25 years after the Beijing conference on women, the road to gender equality is still being dug. Greetings from This Week …

Africa, Health and Population, Human Rights, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: How Equality Became a US Foreign Policy Priority

October 14, 2020

by Rebecca Turkington and Melanne Verveer

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Twenty-five years ago this month, tens of thousands of women (and some men) gathered in Beijing for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. It was a profound moment in the history of women’s rights, convening 5,000 official delegates from nearly every country in the world and more than 30,000 …

Development, Gender-Based Violence, Human Trafficking, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, Women

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THIS WEEK @UN

Where Are the Women Leaders?; War Sparks in the Caucasus; Sadness and Hope at the Beijing+25 Event

October 3, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

The annual debate of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly ended on Sept. 29, after a weeklong screening of prerecorded video speeches by 190 member states. The numbers were impressive: videos by 102 heads of state, 1 vice president, 55 heads of government, 1 deputy prime minister and 26 ministers. Startling, however, …

General Assembly, This Week @UN

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TOPIC: WOMEN

25 Years After the Beijing Accord, Women Across the Globe Ask: Where Is the Equality?

October 2, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

The 25th anniversary of the landmark global action plan that was adopted to expand the equality and rights of women and girls was jinxed from the start. The celebratory event, long scheduled for March, was hastily postponed as the Covid-19 virus spread. When the commemoration finally took place on Oct. 1, it was virtual, with …

Gender-Based Violence, General Assembly, Women

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A Millennial UN Staffer Who Is Daring to Run Against Secretary-General António Guterres

Stéphanie Fillion

WORLDVIEWS

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violence against women

Military Takeover in Myanmar; a UN Feminist Dies; Aleksei Navalny’s Sentencing

The New UN Tech Envoy Is Put on Leave, Pending an Investigation

Worsening Strife in the Sahel; Biden Sworn In; Nuclear Ban Treaty Takes Effect

For Women in Politics Globally, the Job Can Mean Abuse, Jail or Death

Woman of the Year? You and Me and Every One of Us

A New Year’s Hope: Restoring the Progressive Role of the US at the UN

President Trump’s Attacks on the Rule of Law, From A to Z

Many Countries Cheer Gains to Ending the Death Penalty Globally, but Foes Harden Their Stance

Southeast Asia, Forging Ahead on Women, Peace and Security

The UN General Assembly President Turns His Focus on Women, but Why?

For This Afghan Woman, Midwifery Is a Labor of Love

The Rough Road to Gender Equality; a Major Message on Hunger; No Saudis on the Human Rights Council

Women’s Rights Are Human Rights: How Equality Became a US Foreign Policy Priority

Where Are the Women Leaders?; War Sparks in the Caucasus; Sadness and Hope at the Beijing+25 Event

25 Years After the Beijing Accord, Women Across the Globe Ask: Where Is the Equality?

This Week's Most Popular

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

What the World Learned About Women’s Talents in a Hellish Year

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

The UN Nuclear Watchdog Reaches a Temporary Inspection Plan With Iran

UN-Scripted, Passblue's UN podcast series

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