women’s rights

• July 13, 2021

Since 2008, the United Nations Security Council has been integrating part of the women, peace and security agenda into its sanctions regimes — albeit inconsistently and with mixed results. So far, this practice has mostly focused on protecting women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence in conflicts with a twofold approach. In six …

Gender Violence, Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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TOPIC: WOMEN

A Surprising Leg Up for Women in War-Torn South Sudan: On the Soccer Field

Ivana Ramirez

• July 12, 2021

In times of extreme adversity, hope and light can come from unexpected places. In South Sudan — haunted by a war for independence, followed by a civil war and continued unrest in its short history — people can point to one major victory: a first-time women’s soccer league. Started just this year, it is …

Africa, Child Soldiers, Gender Violence, Poverty, Women

2 Comments

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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WORLDVIEWS

Feminist Wanted: Seeking the Next Leader of UN Women

Anne Marie Goetz and Joanne Sandler

• July 8, 2021

UN Women is looking for a new executive director. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former vice president of South Africa, is stepping down after eight years at the helm. The appointment comes as the Generation Equality Forum in Paris just ended, with historically high financial pledges by some governments. But it comes at a moment of peril …

Gender Violence, Secretary-General, UN Agencies, WORLDVIEWS

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WORLDVIEWS

The German Envoy Did a ‘Good Job’ Shaking Up the UN Security Council

Helmut Volger

• July 4, 2021

BERLIN — When Christoph Heusgen was appointed Germany’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York City in 2017, there were critical comments by foreign policy experts and journalists in our country. They voiced doubts about whether Heusgen, who had been serving as security and foreign policy adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2005, …

Security Council, WORLDVIEWS

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SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Humanitarian Aid Is France’s Big Theme for July

Stéphanie Fillion

• July 1, 2021

France is in the diplomatic spotlight at the United Nations as it’s not only leading the Security Council for the month of July, but it is also just finishing up hosting the long-awaited Generation Equality Forum, a UN-led gathering that brings together governments, corporations and citizens groups to secure commitments for achieving gender equality. …

Africa, General Assembly, Humanitarian Aid, Security Council Presidency, UN Peacekeeping

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Spirited Demands for Better Lives Dominate the Generation Equality Forum in Paris

Barbara Crossette

• June 30, 2021

The most important day of the widely anticipated United Nations-backed Generation Equality Forum’s second session ended Wednesday night in Paris. But before the dozens of speeches were heard, a gulf emerged among people who at heart all want to make the world a better, safer place for women and girls. On one side of …

Gender Violence, Health and Population, Human Rights, Women

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Two High-Profile Norwegian Diplomats Are Criticized in a Government Audit

Dulcie Leimbach

• June 29, 2021

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lost control over how the International Peace Institute, a New York City think tank formerly financed by Norway, spent the money, an investigation by the country’s Office of the Auditor General found. The news was first reported in the Oslo business daily Dagens Naeringsliv. The audit also said …

Human Trafficking, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, UN Diplomats, UN Special Envoys

One Comment

THIS WEEK @UN

The UN Leader Is Sworn In (Again); Myanmar’s Downhill Slide; the US Envoy’s Rising Star

Ivana Ramirez

• June 18, 2021

The UN’s leader is sworn in for another term; Myanmar’s rapid instability; elevating the US ambassador’s profile. 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 about a third of the way through our mini-fundraiser, …

General Assembly, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Myanmar, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

Major UN Elections; Guterres Crosses One Finish Line; Long Working Hours Can Kill You

Ivana Ramirez

• June 11, 2021

The Ghana delegation posing outside the United Nations General Assembly Hall, June 11, 2021, after the Assembly voted on Security Council members for the 2022-23 term. Besides Ghana, the others are Albania, Brazil, Gabon and United Arab Emirates. They succeed Estonia, Niger, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam. JOHN PENNEY Major United …

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

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WORLDVIEWS

A Huge Missed Opportunity: Putting a Woman at the Top of the UN

Anna Samya Sri

• June 9, 2021

As the United Nations Security Council has just officially endorsed Secretary-General António Guterres for a second term, below, there is little regret being voiced publicly among the UN’s 193 member nations that in the organization’s 76-year history, there has never been a woman in charge. And once the General Assembly casts its vote behind …

General Assembly, Secretary-General, Security Council, US-UN Relations, WORLDVIEWS

2 Comments

SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

Estonia to Push the Security Council to Recommend UN’s Guterres to a Second Term

Stéphanie Fillion

• May 31, 2021

The small Baltic country of Estonia is ready to boost the prospects of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres winning a second term as the country holds its last Security Council presidency in June during its current elected term. “It will be very nice for us to do it,” Sven Jurgenson, Estonia’s ambassador to the …

Child Soldiers, Secretary-General, Security Council Presidency

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THIS WEEK @UN

A Peacemaker Revolts; Gaza in Ashes; the UN Security Council Moves Back Home

Ivana Ramirez

• May 28, 2021

Grass-roots activists know peace-building best; Gaza reconstruction goals begin; the UN Security Council returns home. 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. Scoop from Stéphanie Fillion: A new candidate, Patrick U. Petit, an international mediator living …

Africa, Climate and Environment, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Latin America, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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THIS WEEK @UN

A Mideast Cease-Fire; Myanmar Kills Its Own People; German Women Struggle in Politics

Ivana Ramirez

• May 21, 2021

Girls at a gated UN school in Gaza being used as a shelter amid the bombing by Israel in its fight against Hamas’s rocket fire. Thousands of families in Gaza have fled their homes since the conflict began on May 10, and dozens of children, mostly Palestinian, have been killed. A cease-fire between the …

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Secretary-General, Security Council, This Week @UN, US-UN Relations

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Despite Merkel’s Endurance as Chancellor, German Women Still Fight for Parity in Politics

Mikaela Conley

• May 17, 2021

BERLIN — In the seating snub heard round the world, the first woman president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was not offered a chair in April while meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and European Council President Charles Michel. Instead, she had to sit on a sofa nearby while the men talked at …

Governance, Women

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women’s rights

Thinking Outside the Box: How UN Sanctions Can Be Used to Bring More Women Into Peace Talks

A Surprising Leg Up for Women in War-Torn South Sudan: On the Soccer Field

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

Feminist Wanted: Seeking the Next Leader of UN Women

The German Envoy Did a ‘Good Job’ Shaking Up the UN Security Council

Humanitarian Aid Is France’s Big Theme for July

Spirited Demands for Better Lives Dominate the Generation Equality Forum in Paris

Two High-Profile Norwegian Diplomats Are Criticized in a Government Audit

The UN Leader Is Sworn In (Again); Myanmar’s Downhill Slide; the US Envoy’s Rising Star

Major UN Elections; Guterres Crosses One Finish Line; Long Working Hours Can Kill You

A Huge Missed Opportunity: Putting a Woman at the Top of the UN

Estonia to Push the Security Council to Recommend UN’s Guterres to a Second Term

A Peacemaker Revolts; Gaza in Ashes; the UN Security Council Moves Back Home

A Mideast Cease-Fire; Myanmar Kills Its Own People; German Women Struggle in Politics

Despite Merkel’s Endurance as Chancellor, German Women Still Fight for Parity in Politics

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