insert_link World Small Countries Are Crucial for the UN’s Long-Term Survival, and Singapore Leads the Way Burhan Gafoor, ambassador of Singapore to the United Nations, photographed at the country’s mission, Feb. 12, 2024. Gafoor has over decades corralled resources and knowledge for small countries “to use their voice and UN votes effectively,” the author writes. The coalition is now poised to assert itself vigorously in negotiations leading to the Summit of the Future in September. The goal of that gathering, at the UN, is to revitalize […] todayFebruary 28, 2024 13
insert_link World United Nations says Half a million in Gaza face starvation According to the United Nations at least half a million people in Gaza are facing famine with the entire Palestinian enclave suffering from acute food shortages. UN officials say calls for more food aid have either been denied or have been ignored. The UN Security Council will discuss the issue of food security during a meeting. William Denselow reports from New York where the UN is headquartered. todayFebruary 28, 2024 12
insert_link Opinion Pieces The Key to Security Council Reform Is Fewer Permanent Members, Not More The Security Council meeting on Dec. 8, 2023, on the war in Gaza. The author, a former United Nations under-secretary-general, proposes that amid the current intensified negotiations on Council reform, member states could “recognize that France and Britain no longer qualify geopolitically to be two of five permanent members of a post-colonial Council.” JOHN PENNEY/PASSBLUE By Ian Martin via PassBlue As the United Nations approaches its Summit of the Future in September, the […] todayFebruary 27, 2024 30
insert_link Videos US eyes Israel-Hamas ceasefire by next week A new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could start as soon as Monday, US President Joe Biden said, in a deal that may free dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for several hundred Palestinian detainees. In the protracted bid to bring about a truce, Egypt, Qatar, the United States, France and others have acted as go-betweens for Israel and Hamas, with negotiations ongoing. They are seeking a six-week […] todayFebruary 27, 2024 10
insert_link World UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession puts forward recommendations to allow teachers to become drivers of change in education Recommendations from the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, aimed at transforming the future of the teaching profession, were launched today at the 14th Policy Dialogue Forum of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF).“Teachers are central to nurturing every country’s greatest resource: the minds of its people. Yet today, we face a dramatic shortage of teachers worldwide, and millions of teachers who lack the […] todayFebruary 27, 2024 17
insert_link World United States blocks Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN Security Council The United States has blocked the ceasefire resolution in the Security Council on Tuesday. Despite overwhelming support, the text was vetoed by Washington which has now tabled its own resolution. Jody Jacobs reports. todayFebruary 21, 2024 7
insert_link Africa South Sudan: some spoilers want peace to fail, putting 2024 elections at risk By Edgar Githua, Strathmore University South Sudan is expected to hold its first general election in December 2024. It became an independent state in 2011. The long overdue election is one of the pillars of a peace agreement signed in 2018. It helped end the 2013-2018 civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions. Since then, the country has progressed in relative peace, with fewer […] todayFebruary 20, 2024 39
insert_link Opinion Pieces The zero draft to create a pact for the future has landed. The hard part begins. By Florence Syevuo and Dan Perell The zero draft of the Pact for the Future — the agreement to seal September’s much-anticipated Summit of the Future — was introduced recently by the co-facilitators, Namibia and Germany, to fellow members at the United Nations. The draft is the fruition of careful consideration, balancing an array of diverse aspirations from all 193 member states. It is built on the proposals made in Secretary-General António Guterres’s Our Common Agenda and related […] todayFebruary 9, 2024 15
insert_link World In Today’s Troubled World, Building Peace ‘Humanity’s Greatest Responsibility’, Secretary-General Stresses, Outlining Organization’s Priorities for 2024 UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ briefing to the General Assembly meeting on the priorities of the Organization for 2024, in New York: Let me begin by extending my very best wishes for 2024. I wish health and happiness for you and your families — and peace for our world. Our Organization was founded on the pursuit of peace. Peace is our raison d’être. Yet as I scan the landscape of today’s […] todayFebruary 8, 2024 7