United Nations
Inside the tangled negotiations for a global plastic treaty
The United Nations is one year away from adopting a landmark treaty limiting plastic production – but countries disagree on how ambitious it should be.
A few days ago,…
Global Goal on Adaptation: Shaping a new framework at COP28
The annual UN climate talks, known this year as COP28, are just around the corner. A key item on the agenda will be setting a framework in support of the Global Goal on Adaptation…
Making space arms control work
Military operations and warfare on land, at sea, in the air and even in cyberspace are highly dependent on space technologies. Since the 1960s, satellites have been a key part of…
Climate negotiations in a fossil fuel state: What to expect from COP28
The time until the next climate change negotiations get underway in December seems deceptively far away, but in fact countries are already gearing up for the 28th Conference…
Can UNESCO save the Great Barrier Reef?
It’s a long way from the ancient Abu Simbel temples in Egypt to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – literally and figuratively. The former is a majestic collection of giant rock…
Global South activists seek a human rights framework for the climate crisis
On a bright afternoon in Midtown Manhattan last month, activists, experts, and officials gathered to celebrate the launch of a new movement to support the climate leadership of…
Online scams in Southeast Asia create double victims: those targeted and those forced to carry them out
The job ads always sound too good to be true. Open and well-paid positions at a popular casino. Lodgings, benefits and other perks provided.
But it all ends up quite the…
The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on
Last September, the United States made some big promises to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) at its first ever Pacific Leaders’ Summit. The brief follow-up summit scheduled to take…
Global Stocktake: Unlocking trillions for climate action
The most important component of this year’s round of UN climate negotiations is the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake. The Paris Agreement, an international treaty with 195…
UN General Assembly: Snubs and fragmentation
The world’s premier annual rendezvous of diplomacy – the United Nations General Assembly – opens its 78th session in New York City tomorrow, the first fully in-person meeting…