PassBlue UN Podcasts

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. PassBlue interviewed Hoxha and Engjellushe Morina, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, for this month's episode of UN-Scripted. We discuss how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has helped Albania stand out in the Security Council in its two-year term as well as the country's push to join the EU. Hoxha also declares what he can't wait to do in December, when his country's stint is up in the Council. Tell us what you think of this episode @Pass_Blue Seton Hall Advert: https://www.shu.edu/ Global Connection Television: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

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 Israel’s extreme right-wing government is alienating its Jewish support in the US. Would that be enough to push the Biden camp to be firm with its longtime ally in the Mideast? Tweet us at Pass_Blue to share your views. Seton Hall Link: https://www.shu.edu/ GC Tv link: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

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.

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/

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. Global Connections Television https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/ PassBlue on Twitter @pass_blue

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.

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.

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.

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/ Global Connections Television ad:https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/

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/

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. GCTV ad: https://www.globalconnectionstelevision.com/ Seton Hall ad:https://www.shu.edu/

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 first female permanent representative, Ruchira Kamboj. She says India has the sovereign right to meet the energy needs of its 1.34 billion citizens. We also speak to Shyama Venkateswar, a public policy expert and member of New York City’s Commission on Gender Equity. She wants India, who agreed to phase out coal in the global climate change agreements, to make implementing the Loss and Damage Fund part of its mandate this month.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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 policy expert based in Rio, about the shrinking Amazon rainforest. 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.

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.

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 ----- 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. ----- 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.

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 events this month, on ending sexual violence in wars and on getting Covid-19 vaccines in conflict zones. We also chat with Mark Seddon, director of the Centre for UN Studies at the University of Buckingham in England, who suggests how Britain could help promote a ceasefire in Ukraine. Welcome to our new co-host and co-producer, Damilola Banjo! Damilola joins us from Columbia's Journalism School. She previously worked for the BBC in her home country, Nigeria. 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. ----- 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.