Posts Tagged ‘United Nations’
Disinformation Threat in Europe
Main takeaways: The COVID pandemic has sparked an infodemic – a whirlwind of mis- and dis-information, spanning traditional media platforms, social media, and countries across the world. A key component of the infodemic has been the mushrooming of conspiracy theories, which have aided extremist groups and foreign actors in their efforts to undermine democratic governments…
Read MoreHumanitarian Affairs and Coordination in International Organizations
Main takeaways: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), headquartered in New York, and currently active in twenty countries, coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in crisis areas. OCHA cannot deliver its mandate without the support of its donors and therefore receives voluntary contributions from a diverse…
Read MoreTeam Effort: Global Institutions and their Role in Ukraine
By Colin Wolfgang September 1945 signaled the end of the deadliest war in history and ushered in a Western world order. The collapse of the Soviet Union decades later resulted in numerous political scientists positing on “the end of history” and what the future might hold. However, once again, the world is witnessing an unprovoked…
Read MoreI&T Initiative: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Global Conflict?
Main takeaways: Short definition of Artificial Intelligence: “[t]he theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages” [Mary B: 2018] Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used in different stages of a conflict, prevention, mediation and rebuilding. It can help…
Read MoreCOP26: Challenges, opportunities & implications
Main takeaways: Before COP leaders raise emissions ambition to narrow the gap to 1.5C & agree to a global finance package to support it. The window of opportunity to limit the permanent temperature increase of 1.5 Degrees is closing and the COP in Glasgow is the moment when countries update their plans for reducing emissions.…
Read MoreShrinking Space in the Name of Countering Terrorism: Why the United Nations Must Deliver on Civil Society Commitments
By Junko Nozawa Civil society actors—communities, victims’ rights groups, religious, and other authorities that follow traditional customs—have long been recognized as valuable partners in violence prevention and conflict resolution efforts. Recognition for their contributions to the field of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and terrorism has been more muted, despite the critical role that…
Read MoreA Bias for Action on Climate Change: An Addendum to the Command’s Planning Guidance for 2020
By Tom Persico The commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) is its highest-ranking officer. He is responsible for laying out the agenda in the years to come in a publication called the Commandant’s Planning Guidance. The 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps calls for a new fighting model to be a better fighting force…
Read MoreThe Gendered Impact of COVID-19: What Policymakers Can Learn from Gender and Conflict
By Bethan Saunders and Courtney Bale Dunlevie During this global public health crisis, leaders have used conflict-based language to describe the COVID-19 pandemic. From President Trump’s declaration of becoming a “wartime president” to Xi Jinping’s “people’s war,” they have cast the coronavirus as a metaphorical foe to be vanquished. Rhetorical flourishes aside, this public health…
Read MoreLearning from Climate Strikers: How to Increase Popular Engagement in International Relations
By Jennifer Zhang The foreign policy community puts out thousands of reports and position papers each year. Yet, these publications often receive little attention outside of diplomatic circles and vanish into a vortex of briefings and communiqués whose recommendations are rarely carried out. Reasons for low engagement This lack of interest can potentially be traced to the steep…
Read MoreTaking a Look at the Financials: How to Solve the Humanitarian Situation in Yemen
By Pierrepont Johnson Mark Lowcock, the humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations, is tired of sounding like a broken record during his monthly Security Council briefings. Every month, I update the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Today marks my fifteenth briefing and the thirty-sixth you will have heard since…
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