United Nations
Kofi Annan: a leader with compassion
Those concerned with global peace and justice are grieving the death of Kofi Annan.
Annan was elected UN Secretary-General in 1996 after a vigorously contested election campaign…
Human Rights Council: reform rather than reject
The announcement the US was leaving the United Nations Human Rights Council did not come as a shock, especially after calls for an inquiry into clashes…
When Indonesia sits on the Security Council
Indonesia has successfully won its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council 2019–20, but what is the country likely to achieve?
There…
Gender parity at the UN: promises to keep
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to go before I sleep.
Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a…
Aid and development links: Nile dams, refugees as investment, teaching salaries, and more
The Davos summit is taking place this week. At the Center for Global Development, Michael Clemens and Kate Gough argue that human mobility and migration solutions should be a…
An emerging role for the UN in the North Korean crisis
Last month, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman visited North Korean officials to promote a political solution to heightened tensions over…
Does the nuclear weapon ban treaty warrant the Nobel Prize?
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for:
Its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian…
Trump breathes fire but the UN is safe
Thirteen post-war US presidents have addressed the UN General Assembly, from Truman to Obama, from Kennedy to Reagan, but Tuesday's address from Donald Trump will surely enter the…
How the UN Security Council failed Syria
The UN Security Council has unequivocally failed the Syrian people: over 400,000 of whom have been killed, over 5 million of whom are refugees, and around 6.3 million of whom…
The Interpreter's best of 2016: The UN secretary-general race
Around every five years the world takes a crash course in UN politics when the top job threatens to change hands. With Ban Ki-moon's second term finishing on 31 December 2016, and…