UN General Assembly

The Cold War Returns as Russia and Iran Disrupt UN Work to Protest Visa Denials by the US

Vershinin Vasilievich, deputy foreign minister of Russia, chairs a Security Council meeting on Syria, Sept. 30, 2019. Behind him is Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN. Russia and Iran are delaying certain General Assembly committee meetings, including on disarmament, to protest the denial of visas for their delegations by the United States. KIM HAUGHTON/UN PHOTO

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.

Pakistan to India: ‘There Will Be Bloodshed’

Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan at the Sept. 24 world leaders’ luncheon, during the UN General Assembly week of high-level speeches. While Khan slipped quietly to his table at the lunch, his nemesis, Prime Minister Modi of India, worked the room. EUROPANEWSWIRE/UNCA POOL
War clouds hovered again when the leaders of India and Pakistan, the South Asian adversaries that have failed over decades to end their perilous standoff over Kashmir, spoke on the same day at the United Nations, Sept. 27.

The Oscars of International Politics: A #UNGA74 Recap

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, and Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, at the VIP luncheon during the annual UN General Assembly opening session, Sept. 24, 2019. It was Merkel’s first time to the UNGA, as it is called, in four years and may be her last. EUROPANEWSWIRE/UNCA POOL
This year’s opening session of the United Nations General Assembly stood out for revealing the stark divide now defining international relations: the split between globalists and patriots.

Women Sighted at #UNGA. Plus: Iran’s Warnings to the US and Russians Denied Visas

A historic first at the UN General Assembly high-level debate: an all-female bench from Norway. From left front row: Prime Minister Erna Solberg; Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide; Ambassador Mona Juul; and parliamentarians in the back row. NORWAY MISSION TO THE UN
How women’s issues could be more prominent at the United Nations General Assembly’s annual opening session remains an enigma. The topics of women’s rights and gender equality pop up in speeches by world leaders, including those by women, but their remarks just don’t stand out — especially this year.