Does the UN Overstep Its Responsibility to Protect Mandate?

The UN has been criticized by some member states for overstepping the mandate of its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine during a debate in the General Assembly.

UN80: Alternative Reform Pathways — Fiscal Prudence, Relocation Realities, & Underutilized Charter Mechanisms

Recent proposals to relocate UN operations to lower-cost duty stations ignore demonstrable economic patterns. Empirical evidence suggests that establishing UN hubs often triggers localized inflation, negating projected savings.

Democracy under Attack: Why the World Needs a New UN Special Rapporteur

When tanks rolled through Myanmar’s streets in 2021, civil society groups worldwide sounded the alarm. When Viktor Orbán systematically dismantled Hungary’s free press, democracy activists demanded international action. And as authoritarianism returns to Tanzania ahead of elections, it’s once again civil society calling for democratic freedoms to be respected.

From Parliaments to the G20: A Call to Champion Women’s Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights

About 21 million adolescent girls get pregnant annually in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond the numbers lie lost futures and deepening cycles of poverty that undermine girls’ education, wellbeing, and, ultimately, national development.

The Juggling of Aid: How WFP is Delivering More with Less

Serious-to-severe food insecurity has been widely felt among those living through the worst, protracted humanitarian crises. For organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), they must work under the “relentless demand” for humanitarian aid, including food.

FFD4 Must Deliver for the World’s Most Vulnerable Nations

Five years from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we face a development emergency. The promise to eradicate poverty, combat climate change, and build a sustainable future for all is slipping away. The SDG financing gap has ballooned to over $4 trillion annually—a crisis compounded by declining aid, rising trade barriers, and a fragile global economy.

Women and War: Victims of Violence and Voices of Peace

In 2023, approximately 612 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone, more than 50 percent higher than a decade ago. During war, they disproportionately suffer from gender-based and sexual violence.

US Mayors Renew Call for US to Lead World–Back from Nuclear Brink

July 16, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of “Trinity,” the first nuclear test detonation, at Alamagordo, New Mexico, and August 6 and 9 will mark the 80th anniversaries of the United States atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rather than commemorating those somber anniversaries as a grim reminder of the past, this year they serve as a foreboding warning of what may be to come.

As FfD4 Kicks Off in Spain, Global Cooperation Still Matters

As the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) kicks off in Sevilla, Spain, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Trump Undresses Rival Trade Myths

President Trump’s tariffs have exposed neoliberal trade ideology and undermined corporate lobbying in the name of free trade. But his rhetoric has also exposed the fallacies of his own economic strategy.

When Life-Saving Treatment Disappears: The Coming Crisis in Child Malnutrition

On July 1st, USAID officially shuts down and transfers operations to the U.S. State Department. Amid growing uncertainty about the future of U.S. foreign assistance structures and funding, supply chains that deliver life-saving treatment to malnourished children worldwide have broken down, triggering a global nutrition crisis.

Global Tobacco Control Efforts Protect up to 6.1 Billion People

Tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit, a grim reality that highlights the urgent mission of global tobacco control. A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while many countries have followed the organization’s protocols to reduce tobacco use, major gaps still remain in broader implementation.

The Demographic Struggle Over International Migration

Approximately 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, wish to leave their country permanently, while over a billion people believe that fewer or no immigrants should be allowed into their countries. This demographic struggle between the two sides over international migration is causing significant social, economic, and political repercussions for nations and their citizens.

UN Drug Office Warns that Global Drug Crisis Will Intensify

Since 1989, the United Nations (UN) has recognized June 26 as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in an effort to raise awareness around the global drug problem and foster a more compassionate world, free of drug abuse. Through this year’s campaign, “Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime”, the UN underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of global drug abuse and illegal drug trading, and investing in reliable systems that prioritize prevention, education, and health.

UN80: Beyond Disposable Staff Distracting Reforms Restoring UN Effectiveness

In an era defined by the gig economy and pervasive job insecurity, advocating for permanent contracts within the United Nations might seem anachronistic, even counterintuitive.

‘Enabling Machines to Make Life and Death Decisions Is Morally Unjustifiable’

 
CIVICUS discusses autonomous weapons systems and the campaign for regulation with Nicole van Rooijen, Executive Director of Stop Killer Robots, a global civil society coalition of over 270 organisations that campaigns for a new international treaty on autonomous weapons systems.

Fixing the House the World Built: A Realistic Plan for UN Reform

I’ve spent much of my life in the machinery of international development, navigating acronyms, crises, and committee rooms with stale coffee. Through it all—amid war zones, climate summits, and remote island consultations—one institution has remained constant: the United Nations.

A Crisis-Stricken UN’s Frantic Hunt for Low-Cost Locations—away from New York & Geneva

In the US, the success of a business enterprise or the value of real estate is reflected in a repetitive and alliterative phrase: “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION”. As the UN continues its plans for system-wide restructuring-- amidst a growing liquidity crisis-- one of the key issues on the negotiating table is the re-location of UN agencies: a choice between high-cost and low-cost duty stations.

A Growing Gap between Principle and Implementation: 20 Years of Responsibility to Protect

United Nations member states this week reiterated their commitment to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity—at a time when world powers are failing to meet these obligations.

Why Peacebuilding Needs a New Global Agenda

It has been 33 years since peacebuilding was formally recognized within the United Nations system, by the then UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali, who defined it as a long-term structural work aimed at preventing the recurrence of violence, setting the stage for the UN’s ongoing efforts to address the root cause of conflict and not just its consequences. “Post-conflict peacebuilding is the action to identify and support structures which will tend to strengthen and solidify peace in order to avoid a relapse into conflict,” Boutros-Ghali said.

Now is the Time to Remake International Financing

Leaders heading to the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development taking place in Sevilla, Spain, from 30th June to 3rd July, know full well that they are operating in a moment of crisis.