United Nations

Secretary-General António Guterres holds a lecture at Columbia University entitled “State of the Planet”. The UN flag is behind him and beside him is a large television screen with the presentation title.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (Nov 27 – Dec 4)

U.N. Negotiates for Humanitarian Access in Ethiopia Crisis On Dec. 2, United Nations (U.N.) spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced that the Ethiopian government had agreed to…

Dec. 4, 2020 Tim Hirschel-Burns

Libyan delegates, including Abdessalam Shuha, Abdallah Shibani, Hussein Mohamed Elansari, an unidentified participant and Abdel Majid Mlayqtah attend the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum hosted in Gammarth on the outskirts of Tunisia's capital, on November 9, 2020. They stand side by side not socially distanced and wear face masks, though two of them do not wear the face masks properly, ie. not covering their noses.

Libya: Subnational Governance as a Potential Anchor of Stability

As the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum proceeds, a government structure that genuinely responds to legitimate grievances will be key to sustainable peace.

Dec. 2, 2020 Simona Ross and Stefan Wolff

A banner from EIPR reading, “Free EIPR Staff.” Cropped greyscale photographs of four EIPR staff that have been detained are shown over the banner – Patrick Zaki, Gasser Abdel Razek, Mohammad Basheer, and Karim Ennarah.

Defending Human Rights Is Not Terrorism: The Egypt Arrests as a Case in Point

The UN's global counterterrorism system creates a permissive and enabling environment that sustains and facilitates abuse of rights defenders,

Nov. 30, 2020 Mary Lawlor and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin KC (Hons)

A young girl in Rwanda receives her HPV vaccination while her classmates nervously wait their turn.

National Security Last Week at the United Nations (Nov 13-20)

U.N. General Assembly Condemns Iran’s Human Rights Record The United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly passed a resolution on Wednesday calling on Iran to end its ongoing human…

Nov. 23, 2020 Lyes Jalali

Staff in masks wearing PPE prepare food aid rations to be henceforth delivered to refugee family homes rather than distributed at a UN a center, in Gaza City.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (Nov 6-Nov 13)

U.N. congratulates President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris Top United Nations (U.N.) officials sent their congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect…

Nov. 13, 2020 Tim Hirschel-Burns

A picture taken on October 16, 2020 shows a destroyed tank in the city of Jabrayil, where Azeri forces regained control during the fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict and the Exercise of “Self-Defense” to Recover Occupied Land

The fighting raised a fundamental but surprisingly overlooked question of international law on the use of force.

Nov. 10, 2020 Tom Ruys and Felipe Rodríguez Silvestre

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor Fatou Bensouda gives a press conference in Sudan's capital Khartoum on October 20, 2020, at the conclusion of her five-day visit to the country.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (Oct 30-Nov 6)

“Unwavering Support” for ICC Amid U.S. Sanctions 72 countries at the U.N. on Monday offered their “unwavering support” for the International Criminal Court…

Nov. 6, 2020 Lyes Jalali

Suzan Aref, founder and director of Women Empowerment Organization in Iraq discusses a national report on implementation of the country’s first national action plan on women, peace and security, pursuant to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, at the United Nations in January 2019.

UN Resolution on Women, Peace, and Security Stumbles in Iraq When It’s Needed Most

Civil society fights hard to be heard above the din of war, displacement, political dysfunction and the ebbs and flows of international aid.

Oct. 31, 2020 Viola Gienger

Veronika Tsepkalo, the wife of opposition figure Valery Tsepkalo, who was barred from running for presidency, presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Maria Kolesnikova, Viktor Babaryko's campaign chief, pose during a press conference in Minsk on July 17, 2020.

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda at 20: Setbacks, Progress, and the Way Forward

Two decades after the landmark UN resolution, the rise of authoritarianism and extreme rightist ideologies have generated backlash against gender equality and the idea of involving…

Oct. 30, 2020 Chantal de Jonge Oudraat and Kathleen Kuehnast

Secretary-General António Guterres briefs reporters on the signing of a ceasefire agreement by the Libyan parties in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations.

National Security This Week at the United Nations (October 23-30)

Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons gains 50th signatory; schools face terror attacks in multiple countries; COVID-19 infections interrupt UN meetings; UN expresses concern…

Oct. 30, 2020 Tim Hirschel-Burns

The final day of negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the United Nations in New York in July 2017.

A Turning Point in the Struggle Against the Bomb: The Nuclear Ban Treaty Ready to Go Into Effect

The US and other major nuclear powers tried to slow the momentum, but the treaty has already changed the conversation.

Oct. 27, 2020 Daryl G. Kimball

Argentinean Activist Chiarra Sacchi speaks during a press conference where 16 children from across the world, present their official human rights complaint on the climate crisis to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child at the UNICEF Building on September 23, 2019 in New York City.

Intergenerational Co-Leadership for Global Governance Innovation

This generation is ready to move beyond street protests and play an active role in politics and governance. Thinking about youth only as the future has hindered us from recognizing…

Oct. 24, 2020 Aya Chebbi