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UN Women/Narendra Shrestha

Water Cooperation: A Litmus Test for Multilateralism

World Water Day

Celebrated every year on 22 March, World Water Day is one of the United Nations’ most widely observed international days and the UN’s largest annual public advocacy moment on water. This article reflects on the broader governance implications of water cooperation and why water is emerging as a litmus test for effective multilateralism.

Alvaro Lario
March 22, 2026
UN Agora Blog
Dragos Condrea

Evolving Trends in Terrorism and Counterterrorism

International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism

Since the adoption of the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy (Global Strategy) in 2006 and the focus on prevention throughout the subsequent reviews by Member States, a key trend shaping the terrorism and counterterrorism landscape has been its shift to online spaces. Although terrorist groups have long thrived on media attention, the adoption of emerging technologies and digital platforms for recruitment, propaganda, and operational planning has been an increasingly key feature of contemporary terrorists and violent extremists. Groups like ISIS recognized the integral role of social media in contemporary life, optimizing these tools to reach and mobilize an unprecedented number of potential recruits and supporters.

Naureen Chowdhury Fink
February 12, 2026
UN Agora Blog
iStock MWayOut

The Holocaust and Human Rights

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

January 27, 2026, marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Germany extermination camps at Auschwitz by troops of the Soviet Union. This piece reflects on the impact of the Holocaust on international human rights law.

Babafemi Akinrinade
January 27, 2026
UN Agora Blog
iStock: Amanda Lewis

Judicial Guardianship of Global Norms: Courts, Disability Rights, and the Role of the United Nations

International Day of Disabled Persons

On June 10, 2025, Ms. Heba Hagrass, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, reflected on both the progress and ongoing challenges involved in promoting inclusivity for individuals with disabilities. During the 18th Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), held in New York from June 10 to 12, 2025, she noted that the world has become increasingly uncertain and divided over the past year. She also remarked that multilateralism is under pressure and that funding for human development, including support for the rights of persons with disabilities, is decreasing. Despite these challenges, she highlighted that the world possesses strong frameworks to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind.

Dr. Mónica Castillejos-Aragón
December 18, 2025
UN Agora Blog
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

United Nations Partnerships turning Ideals into Action

United Nations Day

United Nations Day, on 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. For eighty years, the UN has worked to build peace, address poverty and hunger, promote and protect human rights, and create a more sustainable and equal world.

John Gilroy
October 24, 2025
UN Agora Blog
Stephen Bell / Alamy

From Deportation to Indoctrination: Destroying the Ukrainian Identity Through Children

International Day on Enforced Disappearances

The deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia is an instrument of genocidal policy that combines legal, administrative, and ideological mechanisms. The creation of commissions on minors, the involvement of regional and federal "data banks," and the practice of depriving parents of parental rights on trumped-up grounds ensure the systematic nature of the process.

Pavel Lysiansky, Vira Yastrebova, Liza Denisova
August 28, 2025
UN Agora Blog
MCA

Srebrenica, 30 Years Later: Genocide Still Lives Through Denial

30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide

Srebrenica has become synonymous with one of Europe’s most heinous atrocities: the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces.

Jared O. Bell
July 11, 2025
UN Agora Blog
UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Multilateralism: Its current challenges and way forward

International Day of Multilateralism

‘Multilateral institutions rarely die; they simply fade into irrelevance’: asserted India at an open debate of the United Nations Security Council in New York on “Effective Multilateralism through the Defense of the Principles of the UN Charter” on 24 April 2023. The evidence is plain to discern, and the reasons are compelling—even if one examines the track record of multilateralism over the past five years.

Ruchira Kamboj
April 24, 2025
UN Agora Blog
UN Photo/Emmanuel Tobey

The Peacebuilding Imperative

Reflection on UN Peacebuilding Commission Support Branch

Peacekeeping mandates often prioritize short-term goals, focusing on stabilizing immediate crises through targeted peacekeeping activities. This approach frequently leaves deeper systemic issues that fuel conflicts unaddressed. The stark reality before us is that, more often than not, peacebuilding, however defined, would appear to be primarily an afterthought, an add-on, relegated to the background. Longer-term activities, i.e., peacebuilding aiming to tackle root causes, rebuild institutions, and support inclusive development, are too often viewed as a secondary phase, sometimes unnecessarily delaying the start of efforts to build sustainable peace.

Olu Arowobusoye
February 20, 2025
UN Agora Blog
ILF

Equal Access to Justice for All: A Fundamental Human Right

Human Rights Day

Over the past year, the ILF has been working with the Campaign to Decriminalize Poverty and Status, civil society organizations, and independent experts around the world to elevate this important expert meeting as an opportunity to meaningful advance Equal Access to Justice for all and to advocate that a key focus of the meeting should be on discrimination in justice systems, as a key barrier to justice.

Jennifer Smith
December 10, 2024
UN Agora Blog

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About this series

Welcome to the #UNAgoraBlog of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s New York Office (KAS New York)!
 
“AGORA” takes its name from the ancient Greek public square—a place of gathering, debate, and civic life. It was where ideas met action, and communities found their voice. We hope our KAS New York modern AGORA becomes your space for insight, dialogue, and inspiration.
 
Launched in September 2021, the #UNAgoraBlog serves as a dynamic platform for ideas on the issues shaping our world today—peace and security, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Through timely articles aligned with United Nations international observances and pressing global developments, we aim to inspire reflection, exchange, and engagement among audiences in New York and across the globe.
 
Our contributors include distinguished UN Under-Secretaries-General, UN Independent Experts, former Ambassadors, UN officials, and UN Rapporteurs, renowned scholars, and influential civil society leaders from around the world—bringing diverse perspectives and deep expertise to every discussion.
 
Follow our monthly virtual discussions and explore contributions from leading international voices who mark key UN Days and shed light on urgent challenges in international justice, the rule of law, and global peace.

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Konrad Adenauer Foundation, New York Office

Thomas Tödtling
Portrait Thomas Tödtling
Director KAS New York Office
thomas.toedtling@kas.de +1 646 852 6442