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Members of the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Italian contingent gather in the village of Seddiqine in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre, from near where four rockets were fired towards Israel, on May 19, 2021. They stand in front of an armored vehicle.

Why the UN Needs a Comprehensive “Agenda for Protection”

The UN has repeatedly failed to fulfill its mission to protect civilians. A protection agenda could help it succeed.
Syrian defendant Eyad al-Gharib, accused of crimes against humanity in the first trial of its kind to emerge from the Syrian conflict, arrives to hear his verdict in the court room on February 24, 2021 in Koblenz, western Germany. He holds up a document or folder to hide his face as two officers in bullet proof vests touch him and move him forward.

Striking the Right Balance for a Draft Convention on Crimes against Humanity

A successful treaty will prompt States to adopt stronger national laws and cooperate with each other to stop atrocities.
The Chair of Afghanistan's independent human rights commission, Sima Samar, hands Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, a document while United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, stands beside them witnessing the event. A flag stands behind them.

The Failure of Transitional Justice in Afghanistan: Impunity Turned Into Law

How the international community and domestic power brokers undermined an initiative and sowed another seed of the ultimate collapse.
Norng Chan Phal, who survived internment at the Tuol Sleng prison known as S-21 as a child, looks at skulls displayed at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh on September 2, 2020.

As the Draft Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Moves Forward, a View on How It Relates to the Rome Statute for the ICC

Crimes against humanity is the only international crime not governed by its own treaty. It's time to formally recognize such heinous conduct.
Representatives sit at long desks for the United Nations General Assembly Seventy-first session, 57th plenary meeting.

How the UN General Assembly Can Respond to Atrocity Crimes at Its 76th Session

It has played a significant role in preventing and responding to atrocities in the past - it should take five priority actions now.
A view of the room where the session is held at International Court Of Justice on January 23, 2020 in The Hague, Netherlands. The judges sit in a room at the front of the room. People fill the rest of the seats in the room.

Towards a New Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity: Next Steps

Such a convention could dispel the notion that only genocide deserves international sanction and attention.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addresses a press conference in Kabul on September 7, 2021. Flags of the Taliban stand on both sides of the desk he sits at.

Between Legitimacy and Control: The Taliban’s Pursuit of Governmental Status

Recognition of a government involves calculations of both law and politics. What factors will influence States' response to the Taliban?
A small class of Afghan female students wearing facemasks attend a class on the first day after their school was reopened, which was earlier closed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, in Herat on August 22, 2020. They sit socially distanced from each other at desks. A teacher walks around the classroom.

How the International Community Can Protect Afghan Women and Girls

What leverage do foreign aid donors have on the Taliban and how should they use it to press for the rights of Afghan women and girls?
Empty UN Security Council chamber.

Addressing Masculinities and Gender Stereotypes to Prevent Violent Extremism and Terrorism

On the effort of states to develop a new discourse at the United Nations on gender stereotypes and masculinities as drivers of violent extremism and terrorism.
Volunteers carry relief aid for distribution to families who were victims of an attack by militants at a maternity ward, on the outskirts of Kabul. The place the supplies in the back of a pick-up truck.

Afghans Need More Than Solidarity

Humanitarian access will be essential for Afghans after August 31. Here's how the US & international community should ensure its continuation.
Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Ghulam M. Isaczai waits to speak during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on August 16, 2021 at the United Nations in New York.

Expert Backgrounder: How Can The Taliban Be Prevented From Representing Afghanistan In The United Nations?

A masterclass in law and practice, of United Nations credentials system by former U.N. Assistant-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs.
A Taliban fighter holds a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) along the roadside in Herat, Afghanistan's third biggest city, after government forces pulled out the day before following weeks of being under siege. People walk along the sidewalk in the background. August 13, 2021

In Afghanistan, Lest We Forget

As the UN Security Council hosts an emergency meeting, world leaders must understand what the abandonment of the Afghan people involves.
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