As the field of candidates grows, their competing visions for reform, development, representation and the UN’s financial future offer an early glimpse of how each would lead an organization in crisis. As Manhattan’s sidewalks filled with bleary-eyed morning commuters, many carrying piping-hot cups of coffee, and city buses wobbled along traffic-packed streets, four candidates arrived…
The Emirati diplomat’s entry into the race raises questions about Washington’s support, the UAE’s foreign policy and Latin America’s claim to the UN’s top job. Long rumored as a potential candidate to lead the United Nations, Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh has finally thrown her hat in the ring at the eleventh hour. The 47-year-old candidate…
Young protesters are demanding a more affordable future, but violence in the streets and growing political polarization suggest a deeper crisis for France—and potentially Europe. Paris is burning, or so it seems, and France along with it. Manifestations are nothing new in France but the fervor and violence may signal deep schisms in French society…
Former UN torture rapporteur Alice Jill Edwards accuses colleagues of neglecting Israeli victims. Reem Alsalem fires back, exposing a bitter dispute over impartiality, accountability and the credibility of the UN human rights system. A bitter public confrontation has erupted among United Nations human rights experts over the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023,…
Former Senegalese president bows out a day after the Security Council’s sixth straw poll, citing a Council preference for a Latin American, and possibly female, candidate Former Senegalese President Macky Sall has withdrawn his bid to become the next UN Secretary-General. Sall’s campaign has struggled to gain traction from the start. In a statement released…
As wars take an unprecedented toll on children, Vanessa Frazier, the UN official charged with protecting them, must confront governments, withstand political pressure—and keep them talking. NEW YORK. The confrontation lasted only a few minutes, but it became one of the most talked-about moments at United Nations Headquarters this summer. During an event to mark…
At a moment of profound geopolitical rivalry, Ecuador’s UN ambassador makes the case for persistence, bridge-building and greater responsibility from the P5. In July 2023, consultations on Haiti had come to a hard stop and a veto was looming. Inside the Consultations Room, the divisions were clear. Ecuador, serving with the United States as co-penholder…
After attending her first UN General Assembly, a veteran conflict analyst sees a path back to relevance: listen to the Global South, confront the dangers of AI in warfare and embrace more pragmatic peacemaking. This was my first UN General Assembly. After hearing so many colleagues describe the week’s madness, I approached the week as…
As Trump takes aim at international courts and Israel rejects allegations of genocide in Gaza, the Nobel Committee honors a jurist who has spent her career defending international law. Of all the people Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu would have wanted to see win the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, Navi Pillay must have been near…
After finishing last in three Security Council straw polls, the Ecuadorian-Lebanese diplomat tells Envoy she has no intention of dropping out. Ivonne Baki is used to being an underdog. She ran unsuccessfully for president of Ecuador in 2002 and for director-general of UNESCO in 2009. “For me, it’s about the journey,” she told Envoy in…
From climate negotiations to diplomatic mediation and the UN Security Council, smaller countries are turning coalitions, geography and multilateral institutions into power—just as great-power rivalry threatens the rules that protect them. In a world once again being shaped by coercion, military power and spheres of influence, small states would appear to have the most to…
The No. 2 candidate in the race to lead the United Nations told Envoy that recent reports about her Middle East record were intended to boost a rival—and sought to clarify her position on genocide. Ahead of what could be a decisive month in the race to appoint the next UN secretary-general, runner-up Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett…
Small states may have tiny diplomatic teams, but at the UN, careful priorities, close coordination and experienced ambassadors can give them influence far beyond their size. Xavier Espot, Andorra’s Head of Government, leads one of the world’s smallest countries. With a population of roughly 90,000 people, Andorra’s residents could fit in Manhattan’s neighborhood of Chinatown….
Young attendees tell Envoy what the actual costs—in money, access, and credibility—of being included in the world’s highest-level rooms are. As world leaders headed to New York for the UN General Assembly last week, young people flocked here too to try to secure a seat at the world’s table, only to find out that getting…
North Korea rejects denuclearization, Antigua and Barbuda makes a disability-rights appeal, and Sudan and the UAE trade accusations. “We have heard the last speaker of the general debate,” the president of the General Assembly said. And with that, UNGA’s general debate came to an end. The final day always feels different. As the speaker list…
Ahead of a fourth Security Council straw poll, a former Caribbean ambassador argues that the next secretary-general should come not simply from Latin America and the Caribbean, but from the Caribbean itself. The selection of a secretary-general is usually discussed in terms of regional rotation and professional experience. Much less is said about outlook. Yet…
Russia declares a new world order, China warns against protectionism, and the Holy See takes aim at autonomous weapons. Welcome to Day Five of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, also known among the UN press corps as the annual Lavrov show. By now, the routine is almost scripted. In recent years, Russian Foreign Minister…
