Seton Hall Graduate Degree in International Affairs
Seton Hall Graduate Degree in International Affairs

BLUE SMOKE: A new monthly newsletter, from PassBlue and UNA–UK, which shines a spotlight on senior appointments at the UN

World Food Program

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This week, we focus on yet another migration disaster off Italy’s coast, resulting in approximately 180 deaths, including children, while attempting what UN and other officials call “irregular migration.” You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing…

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This week, we focus on the sad news of the earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria, leaving approximately 22,000 people dead so far, thousands of others injured and everyone desperate for humanitarian aid. You are reading This Week @UN,…

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This week, we focus on UN reform (no joke!); visits by the UN peacekeeping boss to Lebanon, Syria and Israel; and glimmers of hope for Iraq. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the…

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A 20,000-metric ton donation of fertilizer by a Russian company to the government of Malawi is slowly making its way to the landlocked country from the busy port of Beira, Mozambique, in southeast Africa. The World Food Program told…

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Four months ago, Russia was flagged for breaching international aviation law, and the United Nations has yet to replace dozens of grounded Russian-leased aircraft as a result of the violation. The UN’s response to the International Civil Aviation Authority’s…

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This week, we focus on the preparations of the annual United Nations General Assembly opening session with world leaders — “high-level week” — from Sept. 20-26 and other stories around the world. The speakers’ list is constantly revising, though…

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Dozens of planes and helicopters leased from Russia by United Nations peacekeeping missions and humanitarian operations have been grounded as war-driven sanctions against Russia begin to bite, leaving UN officials scrambling to figure out how to keep critical air…

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With the world facing an unprecedented food crisis, the smallest of the three Rome-based agencies of the United Nations — the International Fund for Agricultural Development — has a new president. Álvaro Lario, its chief financial officer and a…

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Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, accused Russia of weaponizing food in its fight against Ukraine and creating a hunger crisis in many parts of the world as a result. Blinken made the remarks at an open…

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This week, we place the lens on the United Nations itself as the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine surge into the fourth week of war.  You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues before the…

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HARARE, Zimbabwe — In Zimbabwe’s city townships, where high food prices exact a toll on poor households, grocery shops run by entrepreneurial Congolese refugees defend against hunger. “The Congolese shops, they feed my family!” said Sara Moyo, 27, a…

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COP26 opens with a foreboding announcement from the UN secretary-general; peacekeepers shot by the presidential guard in the Central African Republic; Mexico’s agenda on the Security Council. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing…

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The UN’s priorities in Afghanistan for now; how certain multinational corporations feed on new-mothers’ fears amid Covid; Ireland’s envoy defends the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing…

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A US delegation to Haiti returns early; potential risks for the $87 billion UN pension fund; an ex-Guantánamo detainee may face torture in Russia. You are reading This Week @UN, summarizing the most pressing issues facing the organization. The information…

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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…

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Seton Hall Graduate Degree in International Affairs

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