Mark Leon Goldberg

For most people in the foreign policy world, the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York each September tends to elicit reactions ranging from exasperation to eye-rolls.

As I write, hundreds of world leaders are on their way to New York for the opening of the 79th United Nations General Assembly. This is always one of the most important moments in international diplomacy, and this week will be no different.

When President Biden approached the General Assembly dais, I expected a bit of a historical tour of his 50-year career in public service. He delivered on that. I also expected him to speak directly to the three most urgent conflicts today: the widening conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the crisis in Sudan. He addressed those crises as well.

When Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, something at once very common and profoundly extraordinary took place.

The Israeli Defense Forces have continued their deliberate attacks on UN peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon, including an incident in which UNIFIL Blue Helmets were injured by white phosphorus, an incendiary chemical agent used by the Israeli army. (Why does this keep happening, and what can make it stop?) Meanwhile, António Guterres finds himself in hot water with the Ukrainians for his attendance at the BRICS Summit in Russia, and a major UN conference on biodiversity is underway in Colombia.

The important thing to understand about Donald Trump’s approach to the United Nations is that he is not intrinsically hostile to it. In his first administration, he had several productive engagements with the UN, working through the Security Council on sanctions for North Korea and Iran, for instance. He also had a good working relationship with António Guterres, whom he invited to the White House. By all accounts, he rather enjoyed his annual addresses to the General Assembly and the pomp that surrounds UNGA each September.

Listeners will no doubt remember the devastating Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016. More than 28,600 people were infected, and 11,325 people died across several countries in West Africa. One of the hardest-hit places was Sierra Leone, where nearly 4,000 people lost their lives. In the years since, scientists and civil society advocates have raced to develop and implement a vaccine to protect against future outbreaks. That vaccine works—and works well. It was tested during outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo […]

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released its annual assessment of global humanitarian needs today.

Pedersen revealed that he received a message from Syria’s ambassador to the UN, a holdover from the Assad regime. Interestingly, Pederson emphasized that the Syrian ambassador was representing not the old regime but the new authority in Damascus. “When I briefed the Security Council yesterday, I received a message from the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations in New York. And he was then addressing me on behalf of the authorities in Damascus. So that is still functioning,” Pederson said.

For the last 14 years, the United Nations’ role in Syria has been relegated to the circumscribed (but vital) task of supporting the humanitarian needs of millions of Syrians. Now, there is an opportunity for the UN and the broader international community to support Syria’s political transition, post-conflict recovery, and reconstruction.