United Nations

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.

Sep. 13, 2021 Leila Nadya Sadat

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?

Sep. 7, 2021 Federica Paddeu and Niko Pavlopoulos

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?

Sep. 2, 2021 Heather Barr

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.

Aug. 30, 2021 Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga

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.

Aug. 25, 2021 Basma Alloush, Sarah Fuhrman and 1 more

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.

Aug. 18, 2021 Larry D. Johnson

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.

Aug. 16, 2021 Fionnuala Ní Aoláin KC (Hons)

A poster showing six wanted Russian military intelligence officers is displayed before a news conference at the Department of Justice, on October 19, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Cybercrime is Dangerous, But a New UN Treaty Could Be Worse for Rights

First proposed by Russia, this dangerous proposal has gained enough support at the United Nations for negotiations to begin early next year.

Aug. 13, 2021 Deborah Brown

Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders hosts the large international consultations with representatives of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the Anti ISIS coalition in the fight against terror In The Hague, January 11, 2016.

Behind the Scenes of the Global Counterterrorism Forum: A Bypass of Human Rights and UN Consensus?

It is time to take stock of what the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) has become and acknowledge what are the critical inflection points for its future development.

Aug. 10, 2021 Selina Daugalies and Delina Goxho

Secretary-General António Guterres and Volkan Bozkir, President of the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, speak to each other at the front of the hall ahead of the start of the General Assembly high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations. People begin to fill in seats.

What the Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy Tells Us About How Far We Have Come Since 9/11

The seventh review resolution shows both the progress that has been made since 2001 and reveals the many challenges that still lay ahead.

Jul. 27, 2021 Eelco Kessels and Melissa Lefas

Cars drive along an overpass beneath a giant electronic billboard showing a banner depicting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi next to words reading "together we can", placed atop a second newly-constructed bridge in the Nasr City district of Egypt's capital Cairo on January 15, 2021.

Biden’s Egypt Problem

With Egypt, President Joe Biden has inherited a worrying human rights situation in a country that’s strategically important to the United States and its allies.

Jul. 19, 2021 Philippe Nassif and Sara Salama

Senegalese soldiers of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali) patrol on foot in the streets of Gao, on July 24, 2019.

Protecting Civilians in Mali – More UN Peacekeepers Is Only Part of the Solution

The United Nations secretary-general is expected to deliver a report to the Security Council today that will make recommendations for or against the deployment of additional peacekeepers…

Jul. 15, 2021 Seán Smith