UN Headquarters, New York. CREDIT: United Nations Photo/(CC).
A Distinct & Exceptional Purpose
Since its founding in 1945, the United Nations has sought to maintain international peace and security, deliver humanitarian aid, support sustainable development, and more.
Writing for the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation’s report on leadership in the UN, Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal says that the institution must make its case anew. He believes it should emphasize, rather than retreat from, the moral dimension of its mission.
A Conversation with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Hosted June 15, 2022
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s distinguished Foreign Service career includes an ambassadorship to Liberia (2008-2012), and postings in Switzerland (at the United States Mission to the United Nations, Geneva), Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica.
She joined Carnegie Council President Joel Rosenthal to discuss the inner workings of her role as the United States’ ambassador to the UN and the role of the UN amid the geopolitical environment in 2022, and to answer questions from the audience members.
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Ethics & International Affairs Interviews
The United Nations at 75: Looking Back to Look Forward, Episode 1, with David M. Malone
David M. Malone, rector of United Nations University, speaks about the Security Council, the Sustainable Development Goals, peacekeeping, and more. How can the UN continue to evolve along with the changing nature of international relations?
The United Nations at 75: Looking Back to Look Forward, Episode 2, with Maria Ivanova
University of Massachusetts Boston's Dr. Maria Ivanova speaks about the UN's efforts on climate change, focusing on the role of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as an anchor institution on these issues. What are the UN's biggest successes when it comes to the environment?
The United Nations at 75: Looking Back to Look Forward, Episode 3, with Noeleen Heyzer
Noeleen Heyzer, former executive director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, discuss the role of women in the UN over the years. Heyzer speaks about the Beijing Women's Conference; Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security; and the prospects for increasing gender equality in the UN system in the decades to come.
The United Nations at 75: Looking Back to Look Forward, Episode 4, with Bertrand Ramcharan
Bertrand Ramcharan, former acting high commissioner for human rights, discusses why he thinks the "UN human rights system is in crisis" and details the complicated role of the high commissioner. Plus, ahead of the 72nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he explains why it is "the rallying document of our civilization."
United Nations Resources
SEP 30, 2021 • Podcast
The Doorstep: Can the United Nations Save the World? with Catherine Tinker
MAR 28, 2018 • Article
The United Nations, Human Rights, and American Disengagement
A new "Foreign Policy" article says that as the United States has disengaged from the United Nations, Russia and China have moved to fill the ...
OCT 2, 2020 • Journal
Ethics & International Affairs Volume 34.3 (Fall 2020)
At the core of this issue is a collection of essays organized and guest-edited by Margaret P. Karns called "The United Nations at Seventy-Five: Looking ...