Is it time to say RIP to the Sustainable Development Goals?
15/4/2025: Even before the dramatic changes of the past few months, the Sustainable Development Goals were in trouble, with only 17% on track. But the Goals still enjoy almost universal support among UN members who recognize that humanity’s progress has happened when people work together, not when a ‘winner-takes-all’ mentality prevails.
Source: Inter Press Service
Reciprocal tariffs should exclude vulnerable developing economies
14/4/2025: A report by UN Trade and Development argues that vulnerable and small economies, whose activities have a negligible effect on trade deficits, should be exempt from new tariff hikes. Additional tariff revenue collected from these economies would be minimal.
Source: UN Trade and Development
Flip-flop US tariffs undermine World Trade Organization
11/4/2025: President Trump has withdrawn the US from the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. His on-off announcements on tariffs make life uncomfortable for the World Trade Organization.
Source: Inter Press Service
The US spins out of control, into an economic world of its own
7/4/2025: Donald Trump's imposition of a tariff wall around the US economy is a major blow to global economic integration. There is the added layer of confusion around whether Trump’s tariff policy will stick or whether he will try to use it as a bargaining chip.
Source: East Asia Forum
Is the UN a target of the US rampage?
26/3/2025: Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, who acts as a virtual Prime Minister to President Trump, has called on the US to exit both NATO and the UN. The threat against the UN has been reinforced following a move by several Republican lawmakers who claim that the organization does not align with the “America First” agenda.
Source: Inter Press Service
US dismisses tariff complaints from Canada and China at WTO
20/3/2025: Canada and China have lodged complaints about US trade tariffs, following procedures laid down by the World Trade Organization. The US has responded with attempts to justify its unilateral actions.
Source: Third World Network
Guterres launches plan to update the UN for the 21st century
12/3/2025: The UN80 Initiative aims to deliver tangible improvements in peace, development and humanitarian aid – all while ensuring that public funds are used wisely and transparently. The Secretary-General said: "the United Nations has never been more needed. Our values have never been more relevant."
Source: UN News
Is the world ready for a woman at helm of the UN?
10/3/2025: In closed-door negotiations at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the US has proposed that a provision encouraging states to nominate qualified female candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General should be watered down. The current head of the UN has warned of an aggressive backlash against gender equality – threatening hard-won progress on women’s human rights.
Source: Devex
The G20: how it works and why it matters
7/3/2025: The US seems intent on undermining the existing world order, raising concerns about mechanisms for global cooperation, such as the G20. The G20 tends to work well as a cooperative forum when the world is confronting an economic crisis but less well when confronted with other types of crises such as the COVID pandemic.
Source: The Conversation
It’s time for a woman to be UN Secretary-General
5/3/2025: As the UN prepares to host the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the UN itself remains stuck in a cycle of male dominance. There is no real collective effort to break the all-male stronghold at the highest leadership level. The 1 for 8 Billion Civicus campaign calls on UN member States to nominate feminist women candidates for the appointment of the next Secretary-General.
Source: Inter Press Service