United Nations

Highlights:

The Just Security Podcast: What Happened at the 2026 UN General Assembly?

Daniel Forti and Mariea Sekijima join Viola Gienger to discuss the most important developments from the 2026 UN General Assembly.
A man walks through a street covered with rubble and collapsed concrete in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza Strip.

Under the Gaza Peace Plan, Who Is Responsible for the Treatment of Protected Persons and What Does That Require?

An analysis of the obligations that the Board of Peace and International Stabilization Force must fulfill with respect to the civilian population of Gaza.
President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during his last daily morning briefing at Palacio Nacional on September 30, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Persecution by Other Means: Mexico and the First Test of the ICC’s Cyber Policy

A new report finds that the Mexican government's actions against journalists from 2018 to 2024 could constitute grounds to investigate the crime of persecution.
Three blue-helmeted soldiers sit atop a heavy duty white pickup truck with "UN" on the side in the foreground, as three other "blue helmets" as the peacekeepers are called, stand or work on the ground,, with a white UN armored personnel carrier sits in the background under a large tree. The ground underneath it all is dry red earth, marked with vehicle tracks.

Keep the Blue Helmets Ready — They Are Needed More Than Ever

Member states must ensure that UN peacekeeping forces are prepared and equipped to deploy, mediate, protect civilians, and respond to global crises.
Rows of desks in an arc face a dias placed against the iconic soaring gold backdrop and U.N. seal of the General Assembly chamber. Only about a third of the seats behind the rows of desks are occupied.

As Leaders Gather at the U.N. General Assembly, Competition May Outdo Cooperation

The challenges facing the U.N. include recurrent financial shortfalls and political irrelevance to some of the world's major crises.
Flags stand outside the United Nations (UN) building in Geneva, Switzerland.

Expert Backgrounder: What to Watch for at This Week’s Pivotal International Meeting on Autonomous Weapons

A United Nations gathering this week could prove pivotal for the international governance of lethal autonomous weapon systems.
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Von der Leyen, in a white shirt and a light-red suit jacket, shakes hands with Frostadottir at the left of the image in a dark brown suit, both smiling towards the camera against a royal blue backdrop flanked by their respective flags -- blue with a red and white cross for Iceland and blue with a circle of gold stars for the EU.

Is Trump pushing Iceland into the EU?

Iceland may seek European integration partly as a hedge against a more capricious and unpredictable United States, and others may follow.
Naseer Ahmed Faiq, Charge d'Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the United Nations at his seat labeled Afghanistan as he makes an address.

A System Working: Five Years On, the Taliban Still Doesn’t Have a Seat at the U.N.

Five years after the fall of Kabul, the Taliban government still has not succeeded in achieving recognition at the United Nations.
Six people stand behind podiums in front of the U.N. General Assembly dias with its gold backdrop, all facing two individuals sitting at a desk in front of them (apparently the moderators of the discussion).

U.N. Secretary-General Candidates May Agree More than They Differ on the Way Forward

The seven candidates share a common premise: that the U.N. remains indispensable but is struggling to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
Officials sit around the iconic maple-colored wooden, horseshoe-shaped dias in the U.N. Security Council chamber, hands raised in a vote, as others seated behind them around the edges look on.

Reading the Signals of China’s U.N. Security Council Role in the Afghanistan Mission Renewal

China's prominent role in negotiations over the U.N. mission in Afghanistan marks a shift in its approach to Security Council diplomacy and illuminates its tactics.
A collage of images featuring scenes from the Russia - Ukraine War.

Just Security’s Russia–Ukraine War Archive

A catalog of over 100 articles (many with Ukrainian translations) on the Russia Ukraine War -- law, diplomacy, policy options, and more.
A view of the United Nations headquarters building in New York on September 17, 2025. The first day of high-level General Debate for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly will begin on September 23, 2025.

AI in the Military Domain: Multilateralism at a Crossroad

Recent U.N. discussions add a new forum on global governance and international norms on military uses of A.I.

Why the Dearth of Female Nominees for U.N. Secretary-General?

UN member states should expand the field of candidates for Secretary-General by nominating more women for the role.
The detectives sit in the foreground, the man in a suit jacket, the woman in a blouse, their backs to the camera, across a table from the prisoner, whose hands are folded atop the edge of the table, which is covered with files and photos and a tape recorder. A video recorder on a tripod is to the left.

Effective Interviewing, Not Torture: Lessons from the Méndez Principles Five Years On

The Mendez Principles, drafted to end the use of torture in interrogations, are being implemented variously across regions and institutions.
Wide view of the UN General Assembly Hall showing delegates standing at their desks, with the UN emblem illuminated on the gold wall behind the dias and a large screen displaying the chamber.

After a Failed U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Review, What Other Paths to Structural Reform?

The U.N.'s periodic review of its counterterrorism strategy again leaves human rights protections weak and its sprawling system unchecked.
A red and white cargo ship at sea in the distance, with a yellow crane-like piece of equipment, presumably at the terminal, in the foreground.

Merchant Mariners: Unseen in Peacetime and Forgotten in Conflict

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran illustrates how thousands of merchant mariners, so desperately needed globally, increasingly are trapped at sea during times of conflict.
A masked federal agent dressed in a tan, long-sleeved shirt, dark pants and a dark bullet-proof vest walks through a hallway in front of a wall covered with what appears to be a long blackboard with the words "Immigration Court" in large capital letters across the top and miscellaneous notices posted on the board below.

Key Trump Deportation Strategies: Removing, Replacing, and Pressuring Immigration Judges

New data shows how mass firings, loyalist replacements, and pressure tactics are turning U.S. immigration courts into a deportation enforcement arm.
Secretary-General António Guterres stands at a podium on a dias, with screens flanking him also showing his address before an arc of desks and chairs in a soaring U.N. chamber.

Will States Address Disability Invisibility in the Crimes Against Humanity Convention?

Only two of 64 proposed amendments submitted by U.N. member States for a draft Crimes Against Humanity Convention enumerate disability as a specific protected category.
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