The Paris Agreement officially entered into force on Friday, marking an unprecedented step in the international fight against climate change. It is a landmark achievement in collective political action and a much-needed step as temperatures continue to rise faster than scientists initially predicted. The key role of Leonardo DiCaprio

Friday's election of 14 members to the UN Human Rights Council saw Russia lose its seat and Saudi Arabia retain its place, as did China and Cuba, all countries criticized for repeated human rights violations. NGOs applauded Russia's removal while urging the international community to scrutinize other Council members' human...

The recent attack on a school in Syria was called a possible war crime by the UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, who said those responsible should be “hunted down and the case against them prosecuted.” The Special Envoy urged Member States to ask that the Security Council...

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov supports a bold new proposal by Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Syria, which would enable the removal of nearly 1,000 al-Nusra rebel fighters in Aleppo. Speaking to the rebels, de Mistura said, “If you did decide to leave, in dignity…I am...

Former UNHCR head António Guterres was chosen as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations by the Security Council during its sixth and final straw poll Wednesday morning. With his insider's perspective and command of public speaking, Guterres has the potential to become a formidable leader, if he is able...

Pope Francis and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura have called for an end to the recent airstrikes that have reigned down on the city of Aleppo. At least 250,000 people are trapped in what was once Syria’s largest city, the latest surge of violence part of a...

New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has resigned after facing intense criticism from civil liberties groups over his support of Broken Windows policing. Despite his many accomplishments, this policy tarnishes his long career. More than 5 million people have been stopped by police in New York since 2002, with nine...

At the High-Level Leaders’ Summit on Refugees on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, United States President Barack Obama urged leaders to focus their collective attention on helping the world’s 21.3 million refugees (65 million people are displaced globally). For the record: Obama has deported more people from...

In the fourth straw poll for choosing the next UN Secretary General, the Portuguese Antonio Guterres received 12 "Engourage" votes but still two "Discourages votes". Women candidates lag behind, with the Bulgarian Irina Bukova a distant fifth

The workshop report "Fighting Human Trafficking in Conflict: 10 Ideas for Action by the United Nations Security Council", was presented by the UK and Liechtenstein missions in partnership with Thomson Reuters, United Nations University and the Grace Farms Foundation