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PassBlue UN Podcasts
by PassBlue UN Podcasts
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.
Episodes
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A ‘Just Transition’ for Two Market Stalls in Nigeria
As I covered a recent Climate Action and Just Transition Panel, held during the UN General Assembly high-level week and organized by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Global Development Forum with Foreign Policy, I kept wondering what the conversation would sound like at the…
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UN General Assembly: Reform, Rivalries and Trump's Shadow
It’s that time of year again when world leaders descend on New York for the United Nations’ annual General Assembly. In this special podcast episode, Dulcie Leimbach, editor-in-chief of PassBlue, and Paula Dupraz-Dobias, journalist at Geneva Solutions, sit down to discuss some of the critical...
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An ‘Extended Opera’: Women’s Voices in the UN General Assembly Debate
Our new audio podcast “Women’s Voices from the United Nations” features excerpts from five speeches by world leaders who spoke at last year’s UN general debate. The voices we’re highlighting are – in order of their “appearance” -- Mia Amor Mottley, prime minister of Barbados; Theresa Lazaro,...
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The Portrait of Yahya Jammeh
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...
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September: Slovenia Wants the Council to Figure Out How It Can Get Along
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…
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August: Sierra Leone Hopes to Rectify African Historical Injustice
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/
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July: 'We Didn't Start That War' - Russia Still Twists the Truth About Ukraine
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...
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June: South Korea Thinks the World Should Wake Up More to Threats of Cybersecurity
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.…
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Interview with Hala Rharrit, Why She Left the State Dept.
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...
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May: For Mozambique, The UN Security Council is Imperfect
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...
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April: For Malta, a Ceasefire in Gaza Is the Beginning of Everything
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/
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March: Japan Says the UN Security Council Is Struggling Every Day
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…
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Act of Creation - A Question of Faith
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...
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February: Guyana Is Not Giving Up on a Ceasefire in Gaza
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...
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January: Palestine's Desire for Statehood Can't Be Ignored, France Says
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."…
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December: Ecuador Aims to Keep Mum on Gaza, but It'll Be Hard to Avoid
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...
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November: Meet the Uyghurs Preserving Their Culture in the US
In this episode, we meet a family who fled Xinjiang Province, or what they prefer to call East Turkestan, to the US and are now teaching a new generation in the diaspora about Uyghur language and culture. We also meet a New York City restaurateur who is keeping Uyghur cuisine alive. Tweet at us...
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October: How Will Brazil Uphold Human Rights Globally?
Brazil recently won a sixth term in the Human Rights Council. Before the election, we spoke to the country’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Norberto Moretti, on the country’s candidacy. We also talked about the reversal of deforestation in the Amazon and the lack of debate on…
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September: Tiny Albania Stands Up to the Russian Bear
If you want to join the European Union, make sure you are at peace with Athens. But Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s envoy to the UN and rotating president of the UN Security Council for September, is unperturbed about possible obstacles Greece may put in Albania's way, regardless of certain disputes....
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August: How Long Can Biden Keep Putting Up With Israel?
As the US takes over the Security Council, famine and human rights are the banner themes for August. We chat with foreign affairs analyst Jeffrey Laurenti about the Black Sea Grain deal, perennial Israel and Palestine fracas and Afghanistan’s foreign reserves. Laurenti, who is American, says...
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Act of Creation - Hammering Out the UN Charter
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...
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July: The UK Says Its Policy of Migrant Returns Is Normal
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...
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June: The UAE Is Putting Its Own Interests First
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…
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May: Switzerland Aims to Regulate the Use of the Veto
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...
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Act of Creation - Setting the Scene
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...
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April: Should Russia Be Kicked Out of the Security Council?
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...
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March: Mozambique Recalls When the West Abstained on Banning Colonialism
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...
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February: Malta Faces Rising Sea Levels
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…
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January: Japan Wants the Security Council to Help Manage North Korea
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…
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December 2022: India Affirms Its Right to Buy Oil Wherever It Wants
India has raised its oil purchases from Russia from about 0% at the beginning OF THE Year to an estimated 22% in October. As a large consumer, its buying from Russia is freeing up the market for other buyers, keeping oil prices down. On the 60th episode of UN-Scripted, we speak to the country’s...
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November 2022: For GHANA, the Jury Is Still Out on Sanctions Against Russia
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...
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October 2022: Gabon: Africa Needs More Money to Deal With a Hotter Planet
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…
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September 2022: France Keeps Ukraine Front and Center
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...
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August 2022: CHINA'S Keeping "Cool" in the Security Council
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…
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July 2022: Brazil Says: No More 'Mud-Slinging' at the UN
As Brazil assumes the presidency in July, we talk with Ambassador Ronaldo Costa about his country's foreign policy priorities this month and how President Jair Bolsonaro's inflammatory rhetoric has affected its diplomacy at the UN. We also ask Costa and Adriana Abdenur, a climate change and…
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June 2022: ALBANIA Aims to Strengthen Global Justice for Past and Present Atrocities
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...
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May 2022: The US Continues to Keep Russia on the Defensive
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...
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April 2022: The UK Leads a Security Council Handicapped by Russia's Veto
In April, the UK leads a Security Council that is inevitably prevented from taking meaningful action on Ukraine by Russia's veto. We are joined by UK Deputy Permanent Representative James Kariuki, who shares how the UK aims to minimize Russia's misinformation in the Council and the UK's signature...
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March 2022: The UAE Grows Up but It's Still Undemocratic
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...
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February 2022: Will RUSSIA Observe the Olympic Truce in Ukraine?
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…
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January 2022: Oslo Accords: The Real-Life Mona Juul
Norway’s New Year's resolutions are to make an indelible mark during its only Security Council presidency of its 2021-22 term while monitoring emerging and existing conflicts that threaten international peace and security. We talk with Ambassador Mona Juul, whose pivotal role in the Oslo Peace...
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December 2021: Niger Ends Two Strong Years on the Security Council
Niger ends its two-year term in the UN Security Council as president of the body for a second time. A lot has changed in the world, in the Sahel region of Africa and in Niger since the country joined the Council in January 2020. On today's show, we review Niger's tenure with UN Ambassador Abdou...
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November 2021: MEXICO Uses an International Setting to Highlight its National Priorities
Mexico is at the helm of the Security Council in November for its only presidency in its two-year term. The county is prioritizing international issues of great domestic concern: small arms and migration. We talk with Mexican Deputy Permanent Representatives Alicia Buenrostro and Juan Manuel…
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0ctober 2021: KENYA, Advancing the African Agenda on the Security Council
As president of the Security Council in October, Kenya is leading the Council on its first international trip since the pandemic began, to Mali and Niger. Kenyan Ambassador Martin Kimani joins us to discuss his country’s priorities for the month, including counterterrorism, small-arms weapons…
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UNGA 76: New York City's Most "Fashionable" Event is Back:
It is that time of year again: The UN General Assembly's meeting with world leaders returns in a hybrid format after being virtual last year. Which heads of state and government are coming? What should you watch for? We've got your guide to the 76th UNGA session. We speak with Nigerian Ambassador...
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September 2021: How Tough Can IRELAND Be on Ensuring Women’s Rights in Afghanistan?
Ireland takes over the presidency of the Security Council in September with Afghanistan still in crisis. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason discusses her country's commitment to Afghan women and girls as the Taliban assume control of the country, and she shares her plans for the month with the UN...
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August 2021: INDIA is Out to Prove it Deserves a Permanent Security Council Seat
As India assumes the Security Council presidency in August, it seeks to show the world that it deserves a permanent seat at the horseshoe table. On this episode, we are joined by Indian Ambassador to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, as well as foreign policy expert Mohamed Zeeshan. Zeeshan is a staff…
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July 2021: The Future of FRANCE in the Sahel
France takes over the presidency of the Security Council at a major turning point in its foreign policy: it has announced it is scaling down its long military presence in West Africa. Also this month: France hosts the final Generation Equality Forum, in Paris. We talk to French Deputy Permanent...
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June 2021: ESTONIA to Push the Security Council to Recommend UN’s Guterres to a Second Term
On this episode, we have a very special guest: Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonia's foreign minister, as well as Estonian ambassador to the UN, Sven Jurgenson, who assumes the Security Council presidency in June. Estonia is the only country in the world that is not a monarchy that is led by a woman...
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May 2021: CHINA, Avoiding the Big Challenges in the Security Council
China assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council for May, trying to control the narrative around the Covid-19 pandemic, Myanmar and human rights all in one month, in a packed agenda. In this episode, you’ll hear from Dr. Rosemary Foot, an Oxford professor who has recently published a book...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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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PassBlue UN Podcasts currently has 88 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is PassBlue UN Podcasts about?
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...
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