As Russia assumes the Security Council presidency in February, international tensions are high over the country's military buildup at the Ukraine border. On this episode, we look at how Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea could offer insights into the Council's ability -- or inability -- to address the current crisis and whether China will choose a side: the West or Russia? We talk with Russia's Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, who shares the country's plans for the Council this month; as well as Kadri Liik, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Russia expert; Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis group in New York; and Sven Jürgenson, Estonia’s ambassador to the UN.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

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Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

February 2022: Will RUSSIA Observe the Olympic Truce in Ukraine?

The United Arab Emirates assumes the Security Council presidency in March at a time when the body finds itself powerless to overcome Russia's veto and take any real action on Ukraine. We talk with Emirati Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh as well as Dr. Sanam Vakil, Deputy Head of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Program, about the UAE's foreign policy priorities as Council president, its abstention on the recent vote to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the relationship among the women ambassadors on the Council.

This was co-host and co-producer Stéphanie Fillion's last episode of UN-Scripted. We wish her good luck in her future endeavors. You can keep up with Stéphanie on Twitter, @fillionsteph10.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

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Are you interested in joining a community of policy influencers working toward positive change? Consider Seton Hall University’s results-driven executive graduate programs in international affairs.

You can customize your studies through research in regional areas and specializations -- including conflict management, global health security and more. As a graduate candidate, you can leverage a collaborative and dynamic professional platform that includes 1-on-1 faculty mentorship, career workshops, international seminars, AND discussions with global leaders on campus, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, and in Washington, D.C. 

The program is flexible. Study full or part-time, online, or at the New Jersey campus just 14 miles from New York City.

To learn more or sign up for a webinar, visit www.shu.edu/passblue.

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Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

March 2022: The UAE Grows Up but It's Still Undemocratic

The United States assumes the Security Council presidency in May, as it also leads efforts to continue to isolate Russia in the UN for its war in Ukraine. On this episode, we hear from US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield about the country's signature events in the Council, and chat with Thomas G. Weiss, leading American academic on the UN and Presidential Professor of Political Science and Director Emeritus of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

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Are you interested in joining a community of policy influencers working toward positive change? Consider Seton Hall University’s results-driven executive graduate programs in international affairs.

You can customize your studies through research in regional areas and specializations -- including conflict management, global health security and more. As a graduate candidate, you can leverage a collaborative and dynamic professional platform that includes 1-on-1 faculty mentorship, career workshops, international seminars, AND discussions with global leaders on campus, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, and in Washington, D.C.

The program is flexible. Study full or part-time, online, or at the New Jersey campus just 14 miles from New York City.

To learn more or sign up for a webinar, visit www.shu.edu/passblue.

-----

Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

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With the world ravaged by wars, infectious disease and climate change, we need to ask, what do we want the world to look like in 2030?
The New School’s Julien J. Studley Graduate Programs in International Affairs will prepare you to use your career to create a more just world order. Based in New York City, these master’s degree programs will give you deep insight into global issues such as conflicts, migration, human rights, development and media, as well as the skills you’ll need to work in these areas. The programs also offer an International Field Program, UN Summer Study and student-team consultancies with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. To find out more, visit: www.newschool.edu/international-affairs.

May 2022: The US Continues to Keep Russia on the Defensive

Albania is a small, Sunni Majority country that has successfully kept religion out of its politics and allowed the practice of other faiths besides Islam. It is also a country scarred by invasions, autocracy and institutional breakdowns. But the NATO member and EU-hopeful has risen to become a strong voice in the Balkans. Its elected two-year term in the UN Security Council began in January, and in June, it is Council president, bringing a former communist voice that is strongly opposed to Putin’s war in Ukraine. On today's show, we talk with Albanian Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha as well as Agon Maliqi, an expert on the Balkans and a pro-democracy activist.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

-----

Are you interested in joining a community of policy influencers working toward positive change? Consider Seton Hall University’s results-driven executive graduate programs in international affairs.

You can customize your studies through research in regional areas and specializations -- including conflict management, global health security and more. As a graduate candidate, you can leverage a collaborative and dynamic professional platform that includes 1-on-1 faculty mentorship, career workshops, international seminars, AND discussions with global leaders on campus, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, and in Washington, D.C.

The program is flexible. Study full or part-time, online, or at the New Jersey campus just 14 miles from New York City.

To learn more or sign up for a webinar, visit www.shu.edu/passblue.

-----

Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

June 2022: ALBANIA Aims to Strengthen Global Justice for Past and Present Atrocities

As Council president in August, China wants to keep the UN body "cool" -- literally and figuratively -- by navigating the fine line of maintaining its closeness to Russia while not souring relations too much with the West, discussing global "security" without mentioning any of its own human-rights problems and regional territorial claims and championing a no-tie look and distributing Chinese fans to Council ambassadors amid limited air-conditioning in UN headquarters . We are joined by Richard Gowan, the UN director of the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

-----

Are you interested in joining a community of policy influencers working toward positive change? Consider Seton Hall University’s results-driven executive graduate programs in international affairs.

You can customize your studies through research in regional areas and specializations -- including conflict management, global health security and more. As a graduate candidate, you can leverage a collaborative and dynamic professional platform that includes 1-on-1 faculty mentorship, career workshops, international seminars, AND discussions with global leaders on campus, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, and in Washington, D.C.

The program is flexible. Study full or part-time, online, or at the New Jersey campus just 14 miles from New York City.

To learn more or sign up for a webinar, visit www.shu.edu/passblue.

-----

Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

August 2022: CHINA'S Keeping "Cool" in the Security Council

France leads the presidency of the Council this month, while down the hall at the UN, world leaders will gather for the General Assembly's annual high-level debate. We talk with French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière about Western sanctions on Russia, global fixation on Africa and enduring problems with the Council's "P5" veto power. We are also joined by Ashish Pradhan, the International Crisis Group’s senior UN analyst.

Links:
PassBlue's website: www.passblue.com
Twitter: @pass_blue
Facebook: @PassBlueUN
Instagram: @passblue

-----

Are you interested in joining a community of policy influencers working toward positive change? Consider Seton Hall University’s results-driven executive graduate programs in international affairs.

You can customize your studies through research in regional areas and specializations -- including conflict management, global health security and more. As a graduate candidate, you can leverage a collaborative and dynamic professional platform that includes 1-on-1 faculty mentorship, career workshops, international seminars, AND discussions with global leaders on campus, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, and in Washington, D.C.

The program is flexible. Study full or part-time, online, or at the New Jersey campus just 14 miles from New York City.

To learn more or sign up for a webinar, visit www.shu.edu/passblue.

-----

Are you looking for a talk show featuring leading global voices? Do you want to learn more about how international issues directly affect people locally?

Global Connections Television presents the insights of global influencers at-no-cost to viewers and programmers. GCTV is independently produced, and reaches more than 70 million potential viewers worldwide each week.

The show covers everything from human rights to climate change, from peace and security to empowering women and girls. It features guests such Dr. Jane Goodall, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and Peter Yarrow of “Peter, Paul and Mary.” The show also hosts expert voices from the private sector, academia, and labor and environmental movements.

GCTV is available to public television media outlets, universities, and service clubs for distribution. To watch the show, visit www.globalconnectionstelevision.com. For more information, contact Bill Miller, the show’s host, at millerkyun@aol.com.

September 2022: France Keeps Ukraine Front and Center

Gabon is in Central Africa, one of the few places in the world that absorbs more carbon than it emits.  One month to COP27, in Egypt, we speak to the country’s ambassador to the UN, Michel Xavier Biang.

Africa, he says, needs outside financing to adapt to the hot earth, which is 0.4 degrees from the "at least" 1.5 degrees target agreed in the Paris climate pact. In this episode, we are also joined by Abdoulaye Ndiaye, an economics professor at New York University. Ndiaye wants African leaders to raise more private and multilateral capital without policy strings.

Some of the money would have to come from the $100 billion annual fund agreed in Copenhagen and promised to developing countries by richer ones. But observers say the monies are not coming in. Ambassador Biang tells us what African diplomats hope to get from COP27 and he calls for dialog to end the war in Ukraine, despite Putin’s belligerence.

October 2022: Gabon: Africa Needs More Money to Deal With a Hotter Planet

Ghana takes the presidency of the UN Security Council at a deep time of uncertainty. Russia has just suspended its role in the only concession it has offered since Putin invaded Ukraine, the Black Sea grain deal, upsetting the UN and the rest of the diplomatic community. Ambassador Harold Agyeman talks about whether Western sanctions on Russia have hurt Global South economies, but he says it's the war itself that is affecting individuals globally. Agyeman also discusses the future of Ecowas, the regional group in West Africa; Ghana’s fossil drive in a heating climate; and life in New York. We are also joined by Azamati Ebenezer, a scholar studying for his Ph.D. in international relations at Oxford.
Seton Hall:  https://www.shu.edu/
GCTV: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

November 2022: For GHANA, the Jury Is Still Out on Sanctions Against Russia

North Korea pushed pacifist Japan to the edge in 2022, launching over 90 cruise and ballistic missiles, several of them landing in Japanese waters. Tokyo responded in kind, announcing a security strategy that would see it become the ninth-most militarized economy in half a decade. The Japanese are also wary of possible Chinese threats. Journalists at Japan’s press briefing earlier in the month wanted to know if Japan would discuss North Korea in the Council. One reporter was concerned about Japan’s intent to “counterstrike” in apparent renunciation of Article 9 of its constitution. Naoko Kumagai, director of the Japan Chair at the University for Peace, told PassBlue that the new security blueprint is “exclusively for defense.”
This episode of Un-Scripted is a recap of Japan’s plans for the month, with analysis from Professor Kumagai. We would bring you an exclusive interview with the ambassador at the end of the week.
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Seton Hall ad:https://www.shu.edu/

January: Japan Wants the Security Council to Help Manage North Korea

Remember Atlantis? The mythical city gobbled up by the ocean? This is happening to islands and villages in the Pacific.
Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Malta's emissary to the UN and president of the UN Security Council for February, tells PassBlue that international law has no cover for the rights of islanders who could lose their home to the water in our lifetime. Malta will raise the matter of rising sea levels to the Council on Feb. 14. We also discuss with the ambassador the tetchy topic of irregular migration in the Mediterranean as well as her love for judo. All in UN-Scripted.
Seton Hall Ad:https://www.shu.edu/
Global Connections Television:https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

February: Malta Faces Rising Sea Levels

Sitting president of the Security Council, Pedro Comissario chatted with PassBlue on Feb. 24, 24 hours after abstaining again on a UN resolution demanding Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. He said that certain Western countries, including the US and UK, did the same on Resolution 1514, outlawing colonialism, but he denied that historic ties with the Soviet Union have any bearing on Mozambique's foreign policy today. Ryan Cummings at the Center for Strategic and International Studies differs. And as Mozambique battles a cholera outbreak triggered by tropical storm-induced floods, Comissario shares his painful brush with global warming. Enjoy our 25 minutes of consenting and dissenting views on Mozambique’s foreign policy in this episode of UN-Scripted.
Seton Hull ad: https://www.shu.edu/
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March: Mozambique Recalls When the West Abstained on Banning Colonialism

Stephen Schlesinger, Fellow at the Century Foundation New York, author, International Affairs analyst, and a few other caps, told PassBlue why the multilateral system is best served with Russian in it.
At the end, dealing with erring Permanent council members, a position all five have occupied in history, comes down to moral suasion.

April: Should Russia Be Kicked Out of the Security Council?

This is the first part of our three part podcast series about the founding of the United Nations, featuring Stephen Schlesinger, author of the book "Act of Creation."  The series was created by Dan Becker, a composer, educator and board member of UNA-USA in San Francisco. 

It is focused through the prism of the San Francisco Conference, where for two months beginning on April 25, 1945, the UN Charter was hammered out and signed on June 26 1945. It's important to emphasize that this historical story is not only fascinating in its own right, but it's especially relevant to events occurring right now. There are big lessons to learn here, lessons about leadership, about isolationism, and about the power of an educated general public.

Act of Creation - Setting the Scene

On April 26, the Security Council held a historic meeting on the use of Veto power. At that meeting, an initiative by France and Mexico to stop Council members from using veto in cases of atrocities was re-echoed.
Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Switzerland’s first Security Council president, told PassBlue her country is actively pushing for the motion to become a resolution. Will it happen? So far, only two permanent council members support the initiative, which will be ten years in the making by 2025. Ambassador Baeriswyl also told PassBlue why Switzerland joined the EU in sanctioning Russia and gave a tale of caution on developments in Sudan.

May: Switzerland Aims to Regulate the Use of the Veto

In March, the Taliban opened a consul in the UAE. There are two possible results proffered by Dr. Mira Al Hussein, a Mideast expert, on the move: the militants gain international legitimacy or the US could be tempted to bolster the Taliban to attack Iran. Both parties have clashed over water rights this year. On this episode of UN-Scripted, we also reflect on how well the UAE has been at building economic relationships globally, as it leaves its military interventionist policy of the post-Arab Spring days behind.
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June: The UAE Is Putting Its Own Interests First

With UK’s presidency of the Security Council underway, PassBlue used its interview with Ambassador James Kariuki, the country’s deputy permanent representative, to ask about one of the most controversial pieces of UK foreign policy – a bill that could allow British government ministers to ignore injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights to suspend deportation of illegal migrants. We also heard directly from the ambassador why the UK and the United States blocked the airing of Russia’s Arria formula meeting in April.
The meetings are an informal way for Council members to brief one another and the world via UN WebTV. China and Russia have also blocked the broadcasting of these informal meetings.
We would like to know from you, the listener, if Council members should be allowed to block the broadcast of any Arria-style meeting. Please tweet us @pass_blue

We were also joined by Evelyn Leopold, a veteran journalist now retired from Reuters who has reported in Africa and been stationed at the UN for two decades. She discussed the peace stalemate in Sudan.


Finally, we continued our search for culpability over the Council’s inability to reinstate the transitional government of Sudan or sanction the fighting generals after the coup of 2022.

Seton Hull link: https://www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
GC tv link: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

July: The UK Says Its Policy of Migrant Returns Is Normal

Our latest episode of “Act of Creation” takes listeners deep into conversation with Stephen Schlesinger, author of the book of the same name, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this September and chronicles the birth of the United Nations through the signing of the UN Charter. That is arguably the moment when the UN was born, at the end of a two-month conclave that began on April 25, 1945, most famously referred to as the San Francisco Conference.

The second episode of our three-part series moves from the human flavor of the first episode, where we put the conference into historical context, setting the atmosphere, the quality of the air that was being breathed in at the time. World War II was still underway, Hiroshima was only a few months away and United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was by far the most central figure to the creation of the UN than most listeners realized.

Act of Creation - Hammering Out the UN Charter

As Ecuador’ assumes the leadership of the United Nations Security Council this month, the country wants to focus on the broader peace and security issues in the Mideast rather than the Israel-Hamas war, even as it devastates civilians in the Gaza strip. 

Listen to our podcast to find out what it hopes to do about transnational organized crimes in Latin America and UN peacekeeping in the Central Africa region.

Tweet at us @pass_blue 
Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

December: Ecuador Aims to Keep Mum on Gaza, but It'll Be Hard to Avoid

France, a permanent member of the Security Council, is president of the body in January. Ambassador Nicolas de de Rivière says his country will headline Gaza this month, where the number of civilian casualties incurred by Israel's "broad and massive military operation" is "way way too high." 

Tweet at us @pass_blue
Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

January: Palestine's Desire for Statehood Can't Be Ignored, France Says

Guyana may not not want a permanent seat in the UN Security Council but it definitely wants a ceasefire in Gaza "as soon as possible." As rotating president for February, the country's ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, tells PassBlue that another top priority for the month is impressing on the world how climate change affects food security and, ultimately, global peace. She also touches on Guyana's territorial disputes with Venezuela.

Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

February: Guyana Is Not Giving Up on a Ceasefire in Gaza

The UN CHARTER: A Question of Faith

“The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

SAN FRANCISCO -- Our third and final episode of the podcast series “Act of Creation” is ready for your ears. It’s a fitting end to a great journey. Episode 1 looks at the years leading up to the famous San Francisco Conference of 1945, when the Charter was signed and the United Nations was born; the episode then moves up to the Conference’s opening day on April 24. Episode 2 dives into the Conference itself, showing the intense diplomatic maneuvering as well as the ambitious intentions that were needed to turn the Charter into a reality. Now, in Episode 3, we start on the day the Charter was signed and celebrated, June 26, 1945, and then take listeners decade by decade into the Charter’s future. 

In this episode, Stephen Schlesinger, the American historian and author of the book “Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations,” does a stellar job of telling that story, spinning through the decades. We see more examples of international drama and exceptional leadership as well as their opposite. You’ll hear the ideas and voices of such figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, Kofi Annan, Harry Truman and Dag Hammarskjold. They weave and bob in the large, deep mental space created by Schlesinger’s brilliant point of view, both wickedly intelligent and often surprisingly poignant.  Perhaps most movingly for me, and at first unexpected, is hearing the aural unfolding of humanity’s profoundest values. 

The story of the founding of the UN, besides being riveting, entertaining and filled with vivid personalities, parades these values at the only moment in time –arguably-- where the entire world was paying attention: the end of World War II.  These values and ideals may seem naïve to some listeners now, but when you hear them echoing loudly from the past, the words by St. Paul in our title may seem stubbornly wise and solidly reasonable. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Our hope is that this final episode provides resonance to these words and demonstrates the persistent power of ideals not yet realized: a clarion call for all of us to get to work.

Many thanks to Schlesinger for sharing these tales with such good will and tremendous smarts, and to Dulcie Leimbach, a founder, with Barbara Crossette, of PassBlue and the executive producer of this series, for her insights, encouragement and patience! Two truth warriors fighting the fight every day, it’s been my honor and great pleasure to have been able to work alongside them for these last couple years. 

Thanks to all for listening. We look forward to your feedback: info@passblue.com. 

DAN BECKER, producer and composer

Act of Creation - A Question of Faith

Japan's dual focus for its UN Security Council presidency – preventing conflicts as well as nuclear disarmament – align with its foreign policy and history of nuclear disasters but as it leads the Council for this month, Ambassador Yamazaki says the Security Council is struggling with its main job of building peace and preventing violent disputes.

Seton Hull link: www.shu.edu/diplomacy/visiting.html
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

March: Japan Says the UN Security Council Is Struggling Every Day

Vanessa Frazier, Malta’s envoy to the UN, explains why the new Ramadan ceasefire isn't holding in Gaza and says that her country is counting on the ICC to hurry up its inquiry into whether war crimes are being carried out in the enclave.
GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

April: For Malta, a Ceasefire in Gaza Is the Beginning of Everything

Mozambique's permanent representative to the Security Council, Pedro Comissário, says that vetoes, divergent priorities and other imperfections can severely limit the productive work of the UN's crucial peacemaking body. On this episode of UNScripted, we find out what Comissário plans to do as rotating president in May, despite these challenges, such as reinforcing international law on protecting civilians.

Tweet at us @pass_blue

GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

May: For Mozambique, The UN Security Council is Imperfect

Welcome to a special episode of PassBlue podcast series UNSCripted. I’m Jessica Le Masurier, and I’m joined by Hala Rharrit, the Arabic language spokesperson for the Mideast-North Africa region for the United States State Department who recently resigned in protest over US policy on the war in Gaza. (The text part of the interview has been edited for clarity.)

Interview with Hala Rharrit, Why She Left the State Dept.

Joonkook Hwang, the ambassador of South Korea to the UN, says his country will highlight the threats of cyberspace to global peace and security. This is a new topic for the Security Council agenda, so why does it matter to the East Asian nation?
Find out in this month's episode of UNSCripted.

Tweet at us @pass_blue

GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

June: South Korea Thinks the World Should Wake Up More to Threats of Cybersecurity

As UN Security Council rotating president for July, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia says that the West is using the "Kyiv regime" as "puppets" to fight the war in Ukraine and that there will be "certain political consequences" for doing so.

Nebenzia was speaking to the media on July 1 as he detailed his country's agenda in the Council for the next four weeks. Besides the topic of Ukraine, he fielded questions on the budding closeness between North Korea and Russia, including the gift of a luxury car. 

Tweet at us @pass_blue

GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

July: 'We Didn't Start That War' - Russia Still Twists the Truth About Ukraine

Dr. Michael Imran Kanu, Sierra Leone's envoy to the UN, says his country's presidency of the Security Council this August will focus on Council reform and making the case for a permanent seat for the African continent.

Tweet at us @pass_blue

GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

August: Sierra Leone Hopes to Rectify African Historical Injustice

Samuel Zbogar, ambassador of Slovenia to the UN, leads the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month. In an interview, he tells PassBlue that his country will use its signature debate, on Sept. 25, to ask Council members to reflect on how their countries can work more for peace rather than war. A daunting challenge, he admits. 

The country is back in the Council for the first time since 1999.

Tweet at us @pass_blue

GC tv link: www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

September: Slovenia Wants the Council to Figure Out How It Can Get Along

Yahya Jammeh, Gambia’s former leader, ruled the tiny West African country with an iron fist for 22 years after seizing power in a 1994 military coup. His regime was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings. Despite being voted out in 2016 and soon exiled to Equatorial Guinea after refusing to accept the election results, his legacy continues to haunt Gambia as victims and their families wait for elusive justice and reparations.

This audio documentary, "Portrait of Jammeh," sheds light on the long-lasting scars left by his dictatorship. The documentary takes listeners to Kanilai, Jammeh’s hometown, where, despite his brutal legacy, many people still revere him. Survivors and families of victims recount chilling experiences, including mass executions carried out by Jammeh’s notorious death squad, the Junglers.

The Portrait of Yahya Jammeh

PassBlue is an independent, women-led digital publication offering in-depth journalism on the US-UN relationship and its effects on women’s issues, human rights, peacekeeping and other urgent global matters, as reported from our base in the UN press corps. Founded in 2011, PassBlue is not tied financially or otherwise to the UN.

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