Secretary-General

UN Chief Condemns Male Privilege as Many Nations Defy Such Bashing

UN Secretary-General António Guterres received an honorary degree from the New School university in New York City on Feb. 17. He spoke at length on “women and power,” blaming patriarchy for the injustices inflicted on women and girls. MARK GARTEN/UN PHOTO 
With International Women’s Day, March 8, on the horizon, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres blasted the intractable power of patriarchy, the cause of overwhelming gender injustice and an abuse of historical proportions, in his view.

The UN Moves Toward ‘Climate Neutrality,’ but Is It Fast Enough?

Solar panels installed on the roof of the United Nations in New York, Aug. 27, 2019. The complexity of the UN system makes it difficult for outsiders to assess its success in reducing its climate footprint. Moreover, some UN staff want the organization to be more of a global role model for environmental action. MARK GARTEN/UN PHOTO

Will the UN-75 Declaration Signify More Than a Birthday Party?

Secretary-General António Guterres stressed four threats to global progress for humankind in his State of the World speech in January 2020. Negotiations on writing a declaration to mark the UN’s 75th birthday could pinpoint ways to improve multilateral governance to make the anniversary truly meaningful to humanity, the essayist says. ESKINDER DEBEBE/UN PHOTO

Melissa Fleming Wants to Change the UN’s Public Image. Can She Do It?

Melissa Fleming, the new head of the UN’s Department of Global Communications, in New York, speaking at a Holocaust memorial ceremony, marking 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Jan. 27, 2020. Fleming, who is from the United States, was most recently the spokesperson for the UN refugee agency. Her goal now is to reshape the public image of the UN through a solutions-oriented approach. EVAN SCHNEIDER/UN PHOTO

The Topic Was the UN Charter, but the Backdrop Was a Just-Averted US-Iran War

Secretary-General António Guterres arriving at the Security Council meeting on upholding the United Nations Charter, Jan. 9, 2020. The debate was scheduled long before the recent US-Iran attacks, but those alarming actions were referred to directly or alluded to by member states as discouragement prevailed. MARK GARTEN/UN PHOTO

The Moment to End Turkey’s Other War, in Cyprus, Is Fading Fast

The flag of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, embedded in the mountains, can be seen from everywhere in Nicosia, the capital of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a stark reminder of the Mediterranean island’s division for the last 55 years. CREATIVE COMMONS
Anywhere from the capital of Nicosia, day and night, Greek Cypriots can see a giant flag painted into the mountains in the north, in a separate region that calls itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is an area that is recognized only by Turkey and isolated internationally.

The $67 Billion UN Pension Fund: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The UN pension fund for staff members has been mired in problems for years. Now, it is slow-walking reforms, says a close observer. Here, a scene at the UN General Assembly opening session, Sept. 28, 2019. CIA PAK/UN PHOTO
Since 2014, when staff members of the United Nations Pension Fund blew the whistle on serious mismanagement in its secretariat, a change in leadership has been made on both sides — assets and liabilities — of the $67.4 billion fund. Yet the turmoil persists.

Stalling the UN Report on Dag Hammarskjold’s Death Is Regrettable

Hours before the crash that killed UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold (with sunglasses) waiting to board the DC-6 Albertina, Ndjili airport, Léopoldville (now Kinshasa, Congo), Sept. 17, 1961. TARA BURGETT/LONDON DAILY EXPRESS
Fifty-eight years ago, Dag Hammarskjold, the United Nations secretary-general at the time, set off on a perilous journey across the African heartland.