By Nadine Kaddoura* An Open Letter to Mr. Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Policy and Head of the UN80 Taskforce. LEUSDEN, Netherlands | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — I write to register a formal objection to the UN80 Task Force’s deployment of “early separation” agreements containing waiver clauses of sweeping breadth. Such provisions are inconsistent with […]
Sérgio Vieira de Mello: Achievements in Post-Conflict State-Building and Lessons for UN at 80
By Chimdi Chukwukere* ABUJA, Nigeria | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — August 19 marked both World Humanitarian Day and the 22nd anniversary of the death of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who was killed in a bomb blast while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq. This piece honors his transformative achievements, […]
The Need to Forge a Plan B & Plan C for a Plastic Pollution Treaty
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 19 August 2025 (IDN) — As of 15 August, those hoping for a strong binding plastic pollution treaty were hugely disappointed by the outcome that emerged from Geneva, where the previous round of intergovernmental negotiations, formally known as INC. 5.2 took place from August 5-14, 2025. Nevertheless, for a […]
Sudan: Sexual Violence and Economic Collapse Are Devastating the Nation
This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 16 August 2025 (IDN) — In Sudan, the war is fought not only with bullets and bombs, but on the bodies of women and in the fragile machinery of the economy. Since April 2023, a brutal conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese […]
Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council: “Engage to Disengage”
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Time is ticking off. And it is ticking off on Sri Lanka’s human rights and accountability front, in Geneva. In less than a month from today, the question of promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka will come up for consideration […]
How to Empower Youths? Give Them the Key to Decision Making
By Simone Galimberti* International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations on 12 August. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to specific cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August 2000. KATHMANDU, Nepal | 13 August 2025, (IDN) — This year’s International […]
From Degradation to Restoration: A Strategic Treaty Emerges as a Leading Global Initiative
By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 9 August 2025 (IDN) — In a world reeling from climate disruption, collapsing biodiversity, and mounting water and food insecurity, land has emerged as both a battleground and a beacon of hope. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) marks not only […]
Palestine: Worsening Humanitarian Catastrophe
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 8 August 2025 (IDN) — For eight decades, the world has witnessed the suffering of the Palestinians. Recently, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions”. The deplorable status of the Palestinians is a vivid example of how Israel […]
UN’s Reform Process Needs Intensive Deliberations and Consultations
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 3 August 2025, (IDN) — For several months, the United Nations has been in turmoil. The whole UN System, with myriad agencies and programs, is questioning itself. Staff in country offices are holding town-hall meetings because their jobs are in jeopardy. The UN Secretary General and his senior staff […]
Mandates Without Meaning: Why UN Reform Must Begin with a Mandate Cull
By Stephanie Hodge* NEW YORK | 1 August 2025 (IDN) — The UN has never been short on words. It’s drowning in them. Every year, thousands of meetings convene, resolutions multiply like rabbits, and the ink dries on mandates so outdated they might as well be written in Morse code. The recently released Mandate Implementation […]