Regions Refocus 2015 Urges For Structural Shifts to Achieve Sustainable Development

The new initiative Regions Refocus 2015, housed at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, draws attention to the systemic and structural shifts required to achieve sustainable development.

When Oil Prices Drop, Some Lose & Some Win

The question of how the oil market is going to rebalance itself in 2015 is going to be one of the most challenging ones for the oil industry.

Think Tanks Discuss Role In Global Issues

A panel discussion last week focused on the connection between inter-governmental organisations and think tanks, especially how think tanks help to shape transnational policy issues at institutions like the United Nations and governments around the world.

General Assembly Holds Informal Meeting on Anti-Semitism

Responding to an increase in violence against members of the Jewish faith, the General Assembly Thursday held an informal meeting to discuss concerns about the rise in anti-Semitism worldwide.

UNHCR Study on Plight of Syrian Refugees in Jordan

A new United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) study “Living in the Shadows” released last week reveals the increasingly desperate conditions of Syrian refugees living in urban and rural areas across Jordan.

U.N. Demands More Commitment to Humanitarian Aid

Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations early this week, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, delivered the Distinguished Sorensen Lecture on the U.N.’s role in global humanitarian crises.

More Women in Management Positions Over Last 20 Years

A global report on “Women in Business and Management,” released Monday by the International Labour Organization (ILO), shows that the number of women in senior and middle management positions has increased over the past 20 years. In 80 of the 108 countries for which ILO data is available, the proportion of women managers has increased during this period.

U.N. Chief Delivers Condolences After Charlie Hebdo Attack

On Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his condolences to the French people concerning the massacre of 12 people by two gunmen at the Parisian office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Poverty & Homelessness Most Serious Issues Globally

A recently conducted poll released January 8th by GlobeScan and Oxfam International shows a dramatic increase in the concerns of German and Spanish citizens about the seriousness of poverty and homelessness in their countries.

Syrians Overtake Afghans as Largest Refugees Under UNHCR Mandate

For the first time, Syrians have become the largest refugee population under the mandate of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , overtaking Afghans, who had held that position for more than three decades.

Security Council Urged to Keep Commitments to Women’s Participation in Peace & Security

A leading non-governmental organisation (NGO), advocating the participation of women in efforts to maintain international peace, has urged the U.N. Security Council to do more to live up to its commitments to its longstanding agenda on women, peace and security (WPS).