UN peacekeeping – are there other avenues for armed conflict resolution?
There is currently within the UN an active discussion of UN peacekeeping efforts, their usefulness and their weaknesses. More attention to non-governmental peace teams may... Read More
An open letter to António Guterres – Sri Lanka’s troubling peacekeeping contributions
TransConflict is pleased to present an open letter from the Sri Lanka Campaign to the United Nations Secretary-General Mr António Guterres, urging him to use the... Read More
An introduction to financing the United Nations
The United Nations must be held to the same standards as other organizations of its size. These are legal, accounting, regulatory and transparency standards. It... Read More
How the United Nations can harness ‘People Power’
The United Nations has acknowledged that a vital element in peacebuilding is nonviolent, grassroots movements that can prevent violent conflict by providing ways for people... Read More
Peacekeeping, human rights and peacekeeper wrongdoing
The mandate of the United Nations is to protect the human rights of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. If people acting in its... Read More
What is the United Nations supposed to be doing?
The challenge the United Nations faces today is that the vast majority of people have forgotten what the UN is supposed to be doing, and... Read More
Chinese leadership on UN reform
The Chinese proposals for reform of the UN merit close attention. Most are not radically new. The proposals are very “State-centric”. The role and capacity... Read More
Conflict prevention – will the United Nations return to its roots?
The secretary general is an advocate for reform. But change will not be easy and the case of Bosnia shows how complex peacebuilding can be.
World Humanitarian Day
The United Nations General Assembly has designated 19 August as “World Humanitarian Day” but celebrated last Monday 21 August to pay tribute to aid workers... Read More
How do we fight anti-rights fundamentalism at the United Nations?
An extract from the first report of a new initiative tracks how fundamentalist groups have embraced the UN as a site to foster conservative social... Read More
UN peacekeepers – the limits and opportunities for creative action
UN Peacekeeping missions have become far more complex and ambitious: from supervising the disarming of armed factions and establishing protected areas, to monitoring elections and... Read More
The necessity of reforming the UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council requires holistic reform in order to confront the plethora of global challenges, including addressing violence, terrorism, refugees crises and nuclear... Read More
Negotiating a global nuclear ban treaty – nuclear-armed states vs the UN
UN negotiations started yesterday in New York on a global treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Ignoring cross-party commitments to multilateral nuclear disarmament, the British government... Read More
António Guterres – the ninth man
How will UN Secretary-General António Guterres demonstrate the UN’s intention to resist the rising tide of misogyny in the US and the global wave of... Read More
Multilateralism from the Zhou to Qing dynasties – lessons for the international community in the modern age
Chinese history, and the contemporary Chinese nation, have so much to teach an international public administration such as the United Nations still in its relative... Read More
How to reform the United Nations
It is time for a new and streamlined structure for legal and institutional accountability across the United Nations and its specialised agencies. There is much work... Read More
Syria – can the carnage be stopped?
State-building is never something to be undertaken lightly, by reason of the inherent dangers it always entails. But in some cases it is the least... Read More
The cataclysm of Haiti – what should the United Nations do next?
Funding solutions to the crisis in Haiti requires both ideas and innovation. That is why I support the fellowship work of UNHCR innovation and its... Read More
A European phoenix – a new role for the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The goals of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe remain every bit as imperative to the future stability of Europe as they ever have... Read More
Embracing diversity – an agenda for the United Nations
Respect for LGBT rights within the United Nations is an essential premise of advocating the moral principles of tolerance and minority respect amidst member states. The... Read More
Still no country for women? Double standards in choosing the next UN Secretary-General
Six of the twelve candidates for the job of UN Secretary-General are women, but in the first informal vote at the Security Council only one... Read More
Beyond the Security Council – four next steps for youth, peace and security
While a UN Security Council resolution on Youth, Peace and Security is important, it is meaningless unless other stakeholders take up the call and translate it... Read More
Security Council Resolution 2286 highlights a foundation of World Law
On 3 May 2016, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2286 calling for greater protection for health care institutions and personnel. We must support... Read More
The global crisis of leadership
Yes, leaders are a reflection of their time, and people the world over might have finally reached the breaking point. Their cry for trusting, caring, and... Read More
UN peacekeeping – blue banner for hope, or red flag for abuse?
For decades the ‘Blue Helmets’ have been sexually exploiting and abusing those they were sent to protect. The UN is complicit in creating an environment... Read More