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UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

In conversation with Dr. Randy Rydell

International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness

The International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness seeks to promote better awareness and understanding of disarmament issues among the public, especially young people. As the United Nations notes, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the UN’s efforts to maintain international peace and security.

Summit of the Future: Advancing African Perspectives for a Networked and Inclusive Multilateralism

On February 1, 2024 the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Office in New York and International Peace Institute (IPI) convened a conference in Addis Ababa on the "Summit of the Future: Advancing African Perspectives for a Networked and Inclusive Multilateralism," providing a platform for the diplomatic community, representatives of international and regional organizations, and members of civil society in Africa to reflect on the continent's priorities for the Pact of the Future and opportunities for collective action.

Expert Discussion on the Deteriorating Security Situation in West Africa

Assessing the Region’s Escalating Terrorism Threat

Representatives of the UN system, UN Member States, and think tanks gathered to exchange views on the rapidly degrading security situation in West Africa and escalating threat posed by al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) affiliates in the region.

KAS-IOE Launch of the “Playbook 2.0: Creating Synergies Between United Nations Resident Coordinators and Employers for Sustainable Impact”

Private sector and United Nations Resident Coordinators Collaboration

On Monday, 29th January 2024, KAS and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) jointly launched the Playbook 2.0 “Creating Synergies between UN Resident Coordinators and Employers for Sustainable Impact” on the sidelines of the 2024 ECOSOC Partnership Forum.

Safeguarding Humanitarian Action in UN Sanctions and Counterterrorism Regimes

The Impact and Implementation of Resolution 2664

On November 14, 2023, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Office in New York and International Peace Institute (IPI) convened a closed-door roundtable to assess the implementation and impact of the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 2664—establishing a humanitarian carveout across UN sanctions regimes—and consider how it can be applied to counterterrorism measures.

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Human Rights Day: Legal experts discussing the intersection between human rights and climate change

Human Rights Day 2023

Based on the increasing threats of climate change to the effective enjoyment of a range of human rights, we invited renowned legal experts to reflect on how changes in the Earth’s climate have impacted different spheres of life, and why those changes could hinder the effective promotion and protection of human rights, as well as the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

UN Photo

The Most Important Document of the Century:  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75

Human Rights Day, 2023

In 1948, just a few years after the end of the Second World War, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a visionary document that enabled humanity to tell its story anew. The Declaration has inspired numerous international legal norms since 1948. It has been and continues to be a source for political movements that strive for coexistence in freedom and respect for the rights of all individuals.

Flickr / Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy University of Michigan / CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED

„Deutschland verliert einen engen Freund und Partner“

Würdigung des verstorbenen ehemaligen US-Außenministers Henry Kissinger

Die letzte Begegnung mit Henry Kissinger fand im Februar statt. Anlässlich des Besuchs von Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, Ministerpräsident von Nordrhein-Westfalen a.D. und Mitglied des Vorstands der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, trafen wir uns mit dem früheren US-Außenminister per Zoom im KAS-Büro in New York. Nur Monate zuvor hatte der damals 99-Jährige sein neues Buch „Leadership – Six Studies in World Strategy“ herausgegeben. Auf gut 400 Seiten stellt Kissinger darin sechs Persönlichkeiten vor. Das erste Kapitel beschreibt das Leben und Wirken von Konrad Adenauer. Ab 1957 bis zu dessen Tode ein Jahrzehnt später hatte Kissinger eine ganze Reihe an persönlichen Gesprächen mit Adenauer. Facettenreich und mit vielen Zitaten erinnert er in seinem Buch an die Bemühungen des ersten deutschen Bundeskanzlers für eine Aussöhnung mit Frankreich, die Stärkung der Beziehungen zum Westen und insbesondere zu den Vereinigten Staaten als Schlüssel für die Wiederherstellung der Position Deutschlands in der Welt. Anschaulich zeichnet Kissinger den überaus schwierigen Prozess bis zur Aufnahme diplomatischer Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und Israel nach. Adenauers Vision von einem vereinten Deutschland in einem vereinten Europa bezeichnet der Republikaner als „The Strategy of Humility“, die Strategie der Demut.

At the mid-point of the 2030 agenda: some reflections on Justice for All

United Nations Day

In 2015, global leaders took a historic step to include peace, justice and strong institutions as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The adoption of SDG16 demonstrated a clear recognition by all the countries of the world that economies might be performing well, and health and education may improve; but without peace and justice, people will be unable to achieve their full potential and development will remain precarious.

IMAGO / UPI Photo

Busy Week at the East River

Ukraine, SDGs, climate change, and financing for development: The High-Level Week in New York showed the urgent need for reform and action to restore trust in multilateral solutions.

The High-level Week of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA78) unfolded amid a fraught backdrop of converging conflicts and crises, including an ongoing war, stalled development gains, and escalating climate change. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the UN’s inability to end it has struck a blow to the multilateral system, undermining its credibility. A multi-trillion dollar financing gap threatens hard-won progress towards the 2030 Agenda and the promise of a better, sustainable future for all. Meanwhile, the climate crisis—the existential threat of our time—steadily worsens in the absence of bold policies and initiatives.

Effective multilateral solutions to these global challenges are needed more than ever. However, in a time of deepening geopolitical division, the global community is struggling to respond to the urgency of the moment with the requisite political will and ambition. Drawing from the High-level Week discussions, this report will examine three of the most-pressing challenges for the UN system, underscoring where multilateral action has fallen short, where progress—however incremental—has been made, and what further steps are needed.

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