UN-Scripted

It is no secret that the global economy has taken a major hit from Covid-19. While graduations from universities, colleges and other schools were canceled or moved online, there is still an entire class of young people entering the job market who are passionate about multilateralism, global development, human rights and sustainability. But how can they land a coveted, highly competitive entry-level job at the United Nations or a related agency, in a pandemic? On today's episode, we chat with Stephanie Playford, the founder of United Career Coalition, an organization that advises students and young professionals on their careers and how to get noticed by the UN bureaucracy. We also chat with Daniel Naujoks, the interim director of the International Organization and UN Studies specialization at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs ("SIPA"), as well as two job-seekers: Monica Olveira, a former Global Citizenship Fellow and Community Engagement Associate at Unicef USA, and Nigina Khait

Germany is regarded as one of the most powerful defenders of multilateralism in the world right now and has largely resisted the current global wave of populism and isolationism. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, the face of Germany since 2005, is retiring in 2021. What role will the country play on the world stage without her? As Germany begins its last presidency of the Security Council in its two-year term in July, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen shares his plans for the month and his vision for Germany's future, promising that its light will not fade at the UN and in Europe. We also chat with Patrick Rosenow, editor-in-chief of the German Review on the UN, who knows his facts and figures on Germany in the UN. In July, he says that Germany’s ambition for the UN to appoint a special envoy on climate change and security will be important to watch. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN Instagram: @passblue ----- UN-Scripted is supported by Fordham University's Maste

Happy Birthday, UN Charter! As the United Nations turns 75, UN-Scripted looks at the past, present and future of the organization through the sharp eyes of elders and youth. In this episode, you’ll hear from former heads of states, diplomats and United Nations officials on what they believe are the UN’s greatest accomplishments and the path ahead for the organization. In this episode, you'll hear strong, controversial opinions: disillusioned UN youth delegates, elders desperate for international cooperation and pro-Asian scholars who believe the region is bound to lead the world soon. You’ll also hear from leading UN scholars who look at the key events that have shaped the United Nations since its its inception. For more information about our guests, in order of appearance: • Stephen Schlesinger, United States, Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation and former Director of the World Policy Institute at the New School; author of, among other books, “Act of Creation: The Founding of The United Nations," av

Bonjour! If you want to learn a new language to add to your list of quarantine ambitions, now may be the time to learn some very basic French — at least diplomatic French. In June, France assumes the Security Council presidency and is insisting on leading its meetings in la langue de Molière. On the show, we're joined by two longtime French diplomats: France’s current ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, who played a key role in the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, and a former French ambassador to the UN and to the US,Gérard Araud. Both interviews took place in New York City. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN ----- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Partnership for Transparency, a group of volunteer experts working to advance good governance and fight corruption in poor countries. Now, more than ever, health systems face major capacity challenges in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This makes many countries vulnerable to

Dr. Jillann Farmer has managed her share of crises as United Nations medical director, such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in West Africa and the Syrian chemical attacks that occurred in the country soon after that epidemic. Last winter, Dr. Farmer was ready to move on to a new job after 7 years at the UN to return to her native Australia, when the coronavirus pandemic quickly incapacitated New York City, putting the thousands of UN employees working at the Headquarters at risk. In this exclusive interview, from Australia, Dr. Farmer shares her perspective on the UN's preparedness and response to the pandemic, particularly in New York City, the epicenter of the virus in the United States. As she says, the crisis forced the UN medical team to contend with the biggest emergency response they has ever known, right at home. Links: PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN ----- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Partnership for Transparency, a group of volunt

In May, Estonia assumes the UN Security Council presidency for the first time ever, bringing with it global expertise in cybersecurity and digital governance, just when the world seems to need it most. On this episode, we are joined by Estonian Permanent Representative Sven Jorgensen, who has been representing Estonia abroad even before it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and Lauri Malksoo, an international law expert and professor at the University of Tartu, in Estonia. Links: PassBlue's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic at the UN: www.passblue.com/2020/03/15/the-u…s-rages-updates/ PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue Facebook: @PassBlueUN ----- Are you thinking of career working for the United Nations or its agencies around the World? Is it your dream to serve in your country’s foreign ministry, but you don’t know where to start? The Centre for United Nations Studies at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom is now offering a new, one-year masters degree program: in Unit

The coronavirus pandemic could change dynamics in the global political landscape that seemed unchangeable only last month. Will sanctions regimes be one of its victims? Many parties in the international community are debating whether to loosen sanctions in certain countries to help them fight the pandemic, but critics say that bad actors are using the pandemic as political opportunism to lift sanctions. On today's show, we welcome two experts: Hilal Elver, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food who is currently quarantined in the seaside Turkish town of Bodrum, and Loraine Rickard-Martin, a UN consultant specializing in international sanctions and a co-author of "The Evolution of UN Sanctions." Editor's note: we asked Ukrainian Permanent Representative Sergiy Kyslytsya on the show to discuss his letter to the UN secretary-general criticizing the Russian-led coalition at the UN calling for loosening sanctions. He did not follow up on many requests for comment. Links: PassBlue's live coverage of th

As the Dominican Republic assumes the Security Council presidency in April, Special Envoy José Singer Weisinger is inheriting a body fundamentally changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He's presiding over "informal" video teleconference meetings and a flexible schedule from his country's capital, Santo Domingo, instead of from the Security Council chambers in New York City. Still, Singer wants the world to know one thing: "the Security Council is engaged and completely transparent." Links: PassBlue's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic at the UN: www.passblue.com/2020/03/15/the-u…s-rages-updates/ PassBlue's Twitter: @pass_blue ----- Are you thinking of career working for the United Nations or its agencies around the World? Is it your dream to serve in your country’s foreign ministry, but you don’t know where to start? The Centre for United Nations Studies at the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom is now offering a new, one-year masters degree program: in United Nations and Diplomatic Studies

**BONUS EPISODE** Will the world's war against the coronavirus stop (at least temporarily) all other wars? Secretary-General Antonio Guterres certainly hopes so. Still working in a mostly-empty UN headquarters, Guterres has made a global call for cease fires of all conflicts...with mixed results. And if Guterres gets sick himself, who is in charge of the United Nations? PassBlue reporter Laura Kirkpatrick investigated the line of succession for the top position at the UN. No one knows how long the pandemic will last, and it may be a problem for the 75th annual UN General Assembly meetings in New York in September. Norwegian Mari Skare, the Chef de Cabinet of GA President Tijani Muhammad Bande of Nigeria, shares with us how she has moved the General Assembly to remote work and what options are currently on the table for this year's UNGA. Correction: The podcast mentions a press briefing by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Economic and Social Council President, Mona Juul and the Pre

On March 13, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres ordered New York-based personnel to start working from home from March 16-April 13. In this episode, we explore the question: How is working remotely affecting diplomacy? To answer it, we talked to four diplomats from four countries, all based in New York, about how their respective missions to the UN are handling the crisis: Rodrigo Carazo, the Costa Rican ambassador to the UN, Deputy Permanent Representatives Dmitry Polyanskiy of Russia and Odd-Inge Kvalheim of Norway and Mohamed Ali Jalardi, a counselor for Lebanon. And, we look at how the UN itself is transitioning from operating at the UN headquarters to...living room couches. Links: PassBlue's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic at the UN: https://www.passblue.com/2020/03/15/the-un-in-new-york-virtually-shuts-down-as-the-coronavirus-rages-updates/ PassBlue's Facebook Group, where our reporters are giving updates and answering your questions: https://bit.ly/3a4KNX7 PassBlue's Twitter

The coronavirus -- COVID-19 -- outbreak is on everyone's minds right now, and the United Nations is no exception. As China assumes the Security Council rotating presidency for March and tries to stay focused on its top priorities, we look at how the outbreak has affected Chinese diplomacy here in New York and how it led to limiting the biggest annual women's rights meeting in the world, the Commission on the Status of Women, to just one day, on March 9. A Hong Kong-based China expert, Dr. Courtney Fung, joins us to provide her insights on China's diplomatic handling of the virus so far and the country’s long-term foreign policy strategies at the UN. ----- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University. This summer, take your career to the next level and earn an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance. It’s a 4-week intensive taught by practicing humanitarian professionals, in New York City. Students will learn how facilitate dialogue an

**DOUBLE FEATURE ALERT** U.S. President Trump has made good on his campaign promises to redefine America's relationship with the rest of the world – for better or for worse, depending on perspectives -- and the United Nations has in many ways been the epicenter of his "American First" policy abroad. Most recently, his peace proposal for Israel and Palestine scraps decades of UN Security Council binding resolutions on the matter and even got one ambassador recalled. But what alternative visions to end the long conflict in the Middle East have been proposed by the Democrats hoping to unseat Trump in November? In this double feature episode, Al-Araby reporter Nabil Abi Saab, from Lebanon, walks us through the complicated background to the recent proposed UN resolution reacting to Trump’s Mideast plan and visits from relevant VIPS, including Jared Kushner, to New York that reflect the fallout of the American proposal in the Security Council so far. Plus, PassBlue contributor Jeffrey Laurenti explains how America

This month, A royal family comes to the UN, and it’s not Meghan and Harry on their first North American tour after Megxit. It’s the royal family of Belgium, making their first ever appearance before the UN Security Council. But that's not the only exciting event Belgian Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve has on the agenda for Belgium's presidency this month. In an exclusive interview, he opens up about his diplomatic experience, the European perspective on Brexit, and Belgium's top priorities in the Council. What we're watching: how US President Trump's Middle East Peace Plan plays out among the Council members as Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas the plan's architect (and President Trump's son-in-law) Jared Kushner visit the Council chambers. ------- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University. This spring, they’re offering online humanitarian training courses. Topics include cash, commodities, and services in a humanitarian resp

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words "United Nations"? Melissa Fleming, UN Under Secretary General for Global Communications, spends a lot of time thinking about how people all over the world answer that question. A newcomer to UN headquarters in September, with a big agenda ahead (like the UN's 75th anniversary), Fleming wants the UN to become synonymous with positivity and real solutions. In the process, can she improve what some see as the UN's image problem? ------- Hey there! Did you know UN-Scripted is part of a publication called PassBlue? We're a women-led news site with smart, exclusive articles on the UN almost daily. You can subscribe to get our articles right in your inbox by visiting www.passblue.com. ------- Support for UN-Scripted comes from the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs at Fordham University. This spring, they’re offering online humanitarian training courses. Topics include cash, commodities, and services in a humanitarian response, managing or ne

As the United Nations Security Council faces rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, Vietnam assumes the Council presidency this month as well as the chairmanship of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN)for 2020. On this week's show, we chat with two experts about how Vietnam may navigate the global crisis alongside its own priorities: Noeleen Heyzer, a distinguished fellow at the University of Singapore and former diplomat and high-level UN official, and Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran, a senior editor at The Diplomat and a fellow at the Carter Center. CORRECTION: The UN ambassador from China is properly referred to as "Ambassador Zhang" because of Chinese naming conventions. Last episode, we referred to him as "Ambassador Jun," which is his first name. Special thanks to our listeners who brought this to our attention. Whether correction or comment, we'd love to hear from you! We're at @Fillionsteph10 and @CandelaKacie on Twitter.

China's investments around the globe purportedly came with "no strings attached." But many countries on the receiving end of those investments are now declining at the United Nations to denounce China's human rights record, even as its treatment of the Uighurs becomes increasingly difficult to deny. Co-host Stéphanie Fillion brings us up to speed. Also, we bring you an exclusive interview with the highest-ranking US citizen at the UN: Rosemary DiCarlo. She shares with us what it’s like to be a female Under-Secretary-General as the UN strives for gender parity in senior posts, heading a brand new UN department, and moving "across the street" from the US mission to the UN to the UN Secretariat. To read our full coverage of the UN and receive our articles in your inbox, visit www.passblue.com and subscribe.

Because the UN is located in New York City, the ambassadors don't often get to see the rest of the US, let alone experience "Southern hospitality." No more. As Security Council President this month, US Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft is taking the council "home for the holidays" to her home state of Kentucky. PassBlue Editor Dulcie Leimbach travelled to the horse capital of the world to see what's in store for the ambassadors, and learn more about Knight Craft's hometown and family history. PassBlue Contributor Irwin Arieff also joins us to discuss Knight Craft's record since taking the UN post in September.

African summits may be in vogue, and Russia’s recent summit in Sochi is no exception. PassBlue correspondent Joe Penney traveled to to the Black Sea resort to report on Russian President Vladimir Putin's pitch to African leaders: promoting a second African independence, this time financial, including offers of major developments like nuclear power. Yet, Russia is the #1 supplier of weapons to Africa, and many Russian and African delegates didn't pass up a chance to hold and pose with Kalashnikovs at the summit. Also: highlights from our exclusive interview with former Swedish foreign mister and mother of feminist foreign policy, Margot Wallstrom, on whether feminist foreign policies are here to stay.

Amid Brexit turmoil at home and a looming election, the United Kingdom has assumed the November Security Council presidency with a mission: to remind the UN of its work serving ordinary people and civilians. As the UK hosts a series of meetings about conflicts in places it previously colonized or controlled, everyone is watching to see whether, post-Brexit, the UK will stick with Europe at the UN or carve out a position all its own.

You read that correctly: tensions between Russia and the United States are overshadowing important work at the United Nations, á la the Cold War. Only this time around, Iran has joined Russia's efforts to disrupt routine committee work to protest US denials of visas to Russian and Iranian diplomats and foreign officials. Our very own Stéphanie Fillion broke the story. Also on our radar: the gap between feminists in the global North and South is widening thanks to the debate about decriminalizing sex work. PassBlue's Sonah Lee joins us to help talk through it all.