Breaking the link between polycrisis and poverty
9/3/2023: This year marks the halfway point towards the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Multiple crises are converging on low income and lower-middle income countries, necessitating systemic change in our poverty eradication efforts.
Source: Inter Press Service
The unintended consequences of economic sanctions
27/2/2023: Sanctions imposed in response to Russia's aggression aimed to render the invasion of Ukraine politically and economically unsustainable. Shutting Russia out of global financial markets provoked Moscow into upending world energy and food markets, causing pain to consumers and industry across the world, but particularly in low-income countries.
Source: East Asia Forum
Interwoven global crises can best be solved together
2/3/2023: Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been hamstrung by biodiversity loss and climate change, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Nexus Assessment", a UN scientific programme, will study the interaction between biodiversity, water, food and health in a rapidly-changing climate.
Source: Inter Press Service
Five things to know about Least Developed Countries
3/3/2023: The conference of Least Developed Countries takes place every 10 years. The 2023 conference will focus on returning the needs of the 46 designated countries to the top of the global agenda, as they strive to get back on track to sustainable development.
Source: UN News
The global trust crisis: how the UN can respond
22/2/2023: The decline in trust between countries and global institutions has become existential, fueling polarization and undermining capacity to address the poly-crisis engulfing the world. The global director of advocacy for the Open Society Foundations suggests how the UN can embark on restoring effective multilateralism.
Source: PassBlue
Myanmar’s junta benefits from weak international response
6/2/2023: For two years, Myanmar's military junta has committed numerous crimes against humanity, widely documented by human rights groups. A wide range of responses by the international community have not been enough to change the junta’s conduct or calculations.
Source: Human Rights Watch
UN Secretary-General calls for rights-based governance in 2023
6/2/2023: In presenting his 2023 roadmap to the General Assembly, the Secretary-General has called on member states for a transformation in policy, grounded in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He affirmed that a rights-rooted approach is central to achieving a more peaceful and sustainable world.
Source: UN News
African leaders meet to seek peace and security
11/2/2023: The annual assembly of the African Union will shortly be held in Addis Ababa. Aspirations to adjust from fighting colonialism to encouraging economic integration are struggling. There have been four successful coups in West Africa and an unsuccessful attempt in Niger since 2020.
Source: The East African
Will UN reform happen this year? Don’t hold your breath
1/2/2023: Everyone talks about reforming the UN Security Council but change remains elusive after decades of debates. This past year, the voices for expanding the Council became louder, yet few can agree on how to do it.
Source: PassBlue
Myanmar’s neglected crisis demands a different response
1/2/2023: The UN system’s response to the crisis in Myanmar has been toothless, contributing to ineffective aid. A principled way to meet the overwhelming humanitarian needs in Myanmar is to provide support directly to local community-based organisations.
Source: The New Humanitarian