United Nations

Africa Monitor
Could South Africa become a global voice for human rights?

Although South Africa has a strong human rights record within the country, its foreign policy record is less exemplary, Human Rights Watch says.
Goldstone Report: Reexamining 5 key findings

The controversial Goldstone Report, the result of a UN fact finding mission following allegations of human rights violations during the 2008 to 2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, is under scrutiny again. What findings makes this nonbinding UN report such a flashpoint?
Invoking Libya, African leaders call for more UN action in Ivory Coast

West African leaders called on the UN to take "all necessary action" to protect Ivorian civilians caught in a political standoff that has turned violent, but some others insist on an "African solution."
Terrorism & Security
Beaten BBC journalists reveal details of Qaddafi's torture apparatus

Three BBC journalists detained outside Zawiyah said they were beaten and subjected to 'mock executions.' The UN is investigating separate allegations of torture.
Libya uprising: 5 steps the world is taking

The international community is struggling to respond to the escalating Libya conflict. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has warned of “bloodshed” if other countries intervene, and the opposition rebels have yet to formally request military assistance. Here's what's been done so far.
Africa Monitor
Does the Bill Gates approach to education work for peacebuilding?

Bill Gates and the UN Peacebuilding Commission seek to replicate successful techniques, but correspondent Jina Moore argues that the most successful peacebuilding techniques tend to be unique to each country.
Two candidates claim victory in Ivory Coast election. Who's right?

Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo was today declared winner of the election, a day after opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara was also declared the victor.
Why 300 million more people are suddenly poor

A United Nations index takes a multidimensional look at poverty and finds spikes from 'rising tiger' India to Hungary.
Africa Monitor
Resolution 1325: What the UN can learn from the women of Burundi

On the tenth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, guest blogger Jina Moore analyzes its impact in Africa and says that while concrete progress is minimal, it has changed the conversation.
Africa Monitor
In Congo mass rapes, UN guilty of negligence, not complicity

A report on the Congo mass rapes this summer makes it clear that while UN forces in the area were guilty of negligence by not knowing enough to stop the events, they did not play a direct role in the mass rapes.
7 most controversial UN speeches, from Ahmadinejad to Khrushchev

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, slated to speak to the UN General Assembly today, is not the only world leader to have delivered infamous remarks.
Iran's Ahmadinejad wants talks with West. Iran's hard-liners balk.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said this week he's open to talks, has lost the backing he enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of last year's election.
Top 5 Millennium Development Goal success stories

Ten years ago, the UN gave the world's poorest countries 15 years to halve their poverty rates, reverse the spread of AIDS, enroll 100 percent of their children in elementary schools, and give 100 percent of their pregnant women access to medical care. Now a decade into the program, which of these ambitious goals will be reached?
To meet UN Millennium Development Goals, fight energy poverty, report says

The chief economist for the International Energy Agency says the international community must mobilize to target the 1.4 billion people worldwide without electricity, and to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Africa Monitor
Kenya could be punished for welcoming Sudan's leader

Kenya allowed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is facing war crime charges, to visit. The move was smart for domestic and regional politics, although it brought international criticism.
Africa Monitor
Congo rejects recommendation in UN report on genocide

Guest blogger Jason Stearns says that the Congolese government's rejection of recommendations made in a UN report on the possible genocide makes it less likely that crimes will be adequately addressed.
Africa Monitor
UN report on Congo genocide could be game-changer

Guest blogger Lauren Seay says that the leaked UN report on the possible Congo genocide, which implicates the Rwandan government, brings crucial facts to light that could bring justice to the region.
Africa Monitor
Dissecting Rwandan criticism of UN report on Congo genocide

The Rwandan government claims there were flaws in the UN report that implicates it in the possible Congo genocide. Guest blogger Jason Stearns responds.
Africa Monitor
Surest sign of 'peacebuilding' in Sierra Leone? A trash truck.

Forget the lack of rebels roaming villages or how many fewer women now face sexual violence, the best sign that Sierra Leone is moving past its brutal civil war is the fact that a trash truck now plies the streets of Freetown.
Khmer Rouge tribunal prepares for first, and possibly only, verdict in Cambodia

The Khmer Rouge tribunal is set to deliver its first verdict Monday in the case of former torture chief Duch. It may also be the last verdict at a court beset by allegations of corruption and political interference
UN calls for Venezuela-Colombia dialogue over FARC row

Venezuela President Hugo Chávez severed ties after Colombia accused its neighbor of harboring Marxist guerrillas of the FARC rebel group. UN and Latin American leaders are calling for dialogue and restraint.
Civilian clashes with UN soldiers rise in Lebanon's Hezbollah heartland

Civilians in the southern Lebanese town of Qabrikha, where many support Hezbollah, attacked French soldiers with the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission last weekend. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the rising tensions today.
Terrorism & Security
Iran bars two UN weapons inspectors for spreading 'false information'

Iran says two United Nations weapons inspectors spread false information about Tehran's nuclear program, and both are now unwelcome. Analysts see it as a reaction to the newest round of UN sanctions on Iran.
Never mind the 'Freedom Flotilla.' Is Israel's Gaza blockade legal?

Israel has laid out a meticulous legal justification for its fatal raid on a Turkish-flagged boat, which was sailing in international waters as part of the 'Freedom Flotilla.' But most countries have focused on whether Israel's Gaza blockade is legal.
Sri Lanka, UN duel over wartime investigations

A UN panel is set to monitor how Sri Lanka responds to allegations of violating human rights during the end of its civil war with the Tamil Tigers. But Sri Lanka has resisted this and other outside attempts at accountability.