United Nations

Patmanathan Kokilavani holds a photo of her two children at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared on May 13, 2019 in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Patmanathan Kokilavani is missing her two children, Patmanthan Piratheepan and Patmanathan Tharsika. They were separated in a chaos of a bombing May 17 2009. Photographs of others who have been disappeared cover the wall behind her.

A Catalogue of Suffering Behind the Calls for Action on Sri Lanka’s War Crimes

Mapping a quarter century of war shows the patterns of violations that demand meaningful and credible truth and accountability processes.

Feb. 12, 2021 Daniela Gavshon

Government supporters hold cutouts of portraits of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa during a march outside the U.N. office in Colombo on March 15, 2012.

The Human Rights Council Must Establish an Accountability Mechanism for Sri Lanka’s Victims

The record is abundantly clear that the country’s domestic mechanisms lack effectiveness and credibility. This is a gap that the UN uniquely can fill.

Feb. 11, 2021 Laurel E. Fletcher, Ashleigh Lussenden and 2 more

General view taken at the opening of an urgent debate on "systemic racism" in the United States and beyond at the Human Rights Council on June 17, 2020 in Geneva. People sit socially distanced among the benches.

UN Human Rights Council: A Near-Term Approach for U.S. Re-Entry

The council is much more than its flaws. A strategic US re-engagement could include membership, China, a critical review, and a programmatic agenda.

Feb. 8, 2021 David Kaye

Supporters of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa attempt to push through barricades during a protest against the UN Human Rights Council's annual session, in Colombo on February 27, 2012.

US Re-Engagement in UN Human Rights Council Brings Influence, Leverage, Amb. Donahoe Says

On Sri Lanka and other issues, the Biden administration's decision sends the message that the protection of human rights is a deeply rooted priority.

Feb. 8, 2021 Beth Van Schaack

Sri Lankan journalist C.A Chandraprema gives a copy of 'Gota's War' to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse as defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa looks on during the launch of the book 'Gota's War' in Colombo on May 14, 2012.

Sri Lanka’s UN Efforts to Stave Off Justice for War Crimes

The Rajapaksa government has gone so far as to install someone allegedly associated with a death squad on the Human Rights Council.

Feb. 3, 2021 Brad Adams

Linda Thomas-Greenfield appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2021.

Biden’s UN Nominee Thomas-Greenfield Awaits Vote After Questioning on China, Iran, Israel and More

As President Joe Biden prepares for his first major foreign policy speech in office this week, his nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, awaits…

Feb. 1, 2021 Tess Graham

Relatives and friends hold photos of their missing loved ones at Galle Face promenade in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on August 28, 2018.

Spotlight on Sri Lanka as UN Human Rights Council Prepares Next Session

Concerns over impunity and a troubling decline in human rights will be prominent, with a long-awaited report by the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Feb. 1, 2021 Beth Van Schaack

Security Council meeting on peace and security in Africa, with a focus on countering terrorism and extremism in Africa.

If the US Wants to Push Back on Authoritarian Agendas at the UN, Get Counterterrorism Right

If the Biden administration is serious about promoting democracy and pushing back on authoritarianism, then it’s time for a policy response that confronts the way in which counterterrorism…

Feb. 1, 2021 Chris Rogers and Jordan Street

Soldiers in action during a drill on day three of the China-Russia counter-terrorist Cooperation-2017 on December 5, 2017 in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. They hold guns and speak in a circle.

Violent Extremism and the Governance Challenge

Revisiting "Human rights impact of policies and practices aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism," a recent assessment of the P/CVE field released last year at the…

Jan. 29, 2021 Marc Sommers

US Vice President Joe Biden holds a file folder and talks with US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, August 4, 2015.

How Samantha Power Can Restore USAID’s Crucial Role in US Foreign Policy

The nomination signals that international cooperation is back in the toolbox for America's pursuit of an equitable, prosperous, and just world.

Jan. 13, 2021 Ambassador Donald Steinberg

Security Council members hold a videoconference in connection with the Middle East (Syria).

National Security This Week at the United Nations (Dec 11 – Dec 18)

Equitable Distribution of Vaccines an “Acid Test” On Dec. 16, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Munir Akram said the equitable distribution…

Dec. 18, 2020 Tim Hirschel-Burns and Tess Graham

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden speaks during the White House Summit on the United State of Women June 14, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Reviving the US Commitment to Women’s Rights and Gender Equality: The UN Commission on the Status of Women

The Biden administration should use the March gathering to highlight policies or programs to advance gender equality at home and abroad.

Dec. 15, 2020 Susan Markham and Stephenie Foster