violence against women

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

November 10, 2020

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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TOPIC: WOMEN

The UNFPA Is Thriving as It Praises an American Who Kept US Interest Alive

September 29, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

In the rubble of what’s left of American commitments to international organizations, one survivor is doing well. The United Nations Population Fund, or UNFPA, the perennial target of Republican politicians and presidents since the 1980s, is thriving. Arthur Erken, director of communications and strategic partnerships at the Population Fund, said in an interview with …

Health and Population, Human Rights, Women

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UN75

At the UN: US Condemns China; France Lectures; China Plays Sage; Turkey Is Gifted

September 22, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

Donald Trump, speaking on the opening day of the United Nations’ 75th General Assembly session — the same day that the United States officially tallied a coronavirus death toll of 200,000 people — reiterated all his familiar grievances against China and added a few. He blamed the Chinese not only for spreading Covid-19 across …

General Assembly, UN75

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THIS WEEK @UN

Protecting a Nobelist, Dr. Mukwege; Climate Chaos; Where Are the Women at #UNGA75?

September 12, 2020

by Dulcie Leimbach

Iran continues to enrich low-grade uranium; the United Nations finally sent peacekeepers to protect Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, after he received more death threats; and the major General Assembly session of world leaders, starting Sept. 22, features only 11 women so far, and the first one to speak is No. …

Africa, Climate and Environment, Education, General Assembly, Human Rights, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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After Resisting, the UN Redeploys Peacekeepers to Protect Dr. Mukwege, Amid Death Threats

September 9, 2020

by Clair MacDougall

Dr. Denis Mukwege sat behind a desk in a sharp suit with a red tie and his eyes framed by thick black glasses, as his image was live-streamed from eastern Congo during a human-rights meeting of the European Parliament in Brussels on Aug. 31. Dr. Mukwege spoke matter-of-factly about women who had been buried …

Africa, Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Not All Human Rights Council Specialists Are Perfect: The Latest Controversy

August 19, 2020

by Barbara Crossette

To keep tabs on the lives and rights of people across the world, the United Nations Human Rights Council has the help of 44 independent monitors supposedly chosen for their expertise on a range of themes, from harsh government abuses to often-overlooked individual special needs. A dozen others are assigned specific countries to watch. …

Gender-Based Violence, Human Trafficking, Women

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COVID-19

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

August 11, 2020

by Rhona Scullion

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-Based Violence

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THIS WEEK @UN

UN to the Rescue in Beirut, a Billion Children Out of School, Hiroshima Anniversary

August 7, 2020

by Allison Lecce

A major explosion rocks a Beirut port, killing at least 154 people, and the United Nations and others come to the rescue; and Secretary-General António Guterres calls for the reopening of schools worldwide, “once local transmission of Covid-19 is under control.” Facing a “global catastrophe,” more than one billion students have been physically shut …

This Week @UN

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COVID-19

Haiti Could Face a ‘Perfect Storm’ With the Pandemic

August 4, 2020

by Fiona Shukri

As Covid-19 continues to ravage many parts of the world, the effect of the virus in Latin America and the Caribbean region has been particularly devastating. The situation in Haiti, for example, has alarmed international humanitarian groups, as the country lacks sufficient virus-testing ability and has limited health-care infrastructure, among other serious problems. On …

Caribbean, Covid-19, Human Rights

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THIS WEEK @UN

The Security Council Meets Physically (Twice), and More Details on the UN’s Big Week in September

July 17, 2020

by Allison Lecce

As the number of Covid-19 cases skyrockets globally — and the United States remains the epicenter with nearly 3.6 million confirmed cases — the United Nations Security Council met physically on July 14 for the first time since March 12. The setting was not the Council’s usual chamber in the UN headquarters but the …

Security Council, This Week @UN

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violence against women

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?

The UNFPA Is Thriving as It Praises an American Who Kept US Interest Alive

At the UN: US Condemns China; France Lectures; China Plays Sage; Turkey Is Gifted

Protecting a Nobelist, Dr. Mukwege; Climate Chaos; Where Are the Women at #UNGA75?

After Resisting, the UN Redeploys Peacekeepers to Protect Dr. Mukwege, Amid Death Threats

Not All Human Rights Council Specialists Are Perfect: The Latest Controversy

Sudan May Have Banned FGM, but the Harsh Practice Continues

UN to the Rescue in Beirut, a Billion Children Out of School, Hiroshima Anniversary

Haiti Could Face a ‘Perfect Storm’ With the Pandemic

The Security Council Meets Physically (Twice), and More Details on the UN’s Big Week in September

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