Today’s global challenges—including climate shocks, geopolitical conflicts, mass displacement, and the rapid spread of disruptive technologies—are more interconnected than at any point in the UN’s history. Addressing them demands a United Nations that works as a single, coherent system. The secretary-general’s new report on UN reform, “Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver,” is the latest, most […] The post The UN’s Coherence Paradox: Why the UN80 Reforms Are Not Enough appe...| IPI Global Observatory
The United Nations peacebuilding architecture—consisting of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the secretary-general’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), and the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO)—is undergoing its fourth review since its creation in 2005. The purpose of the Peacebuilding Architecture Review (PBAR) is to strengthen the UN’s capacity to prevent conflict and build sustainable peace. Unlike previous processes, this […] The post Whose Peace Is It, Anyway? Defining Ownership in...| IPI Global Observatory
In August 2025, the United Nations adopted a resolution forming the International Scientific Panel on AI (ISP-AI). This was the culmination of several years of work, beginning with the creation of the secretary-general’s AI Advisory Body in 2023. Two of the AI Advisory Body’s final recommendations—the ISP-AI and the creation of the Global Dialogues on […]| IPI Global Observatory
Armed conflict has been on the rise over the past decade. There has been an increase not only in the number of conflicts—more than 120 globally this year—but also the number of individuals affected by conflict-related violence. In contexts like Gaza, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Myanmar, Ethiopia, and elsewhere, civilians and […] The post Why Peacebuilding Must Include Mental Health and Psychosocial Support appeared first on IPI Global Observatory.| IPI Global Observatory
The current state of “no war no peace” in northern Ethiopia seems to be preserved only by the rainy season’s predictable afternoon showers and relatively chill air. Tigrayans are making anxious preparations—“stocking up on emergency supplies and withdrawing their savings from the bank”—before the rainy season winds down.The Pretoria Agreement, signed in November 2022, silenced […]| IPI Global Observatory
Yearly Archives: 2025| IPI Global Observatory
The 80th anniversary of the United Nations should have been a celebration. Instead, it has become a reckoning.At the heart of that reckoning is the Mandate Implementation Review (MIR), a quietly released but deeply consequential report that diagnoses a long-festering problem inside the UN system: mandate overload. Since 1946, more than 40,000 resolutions have been […]| IPI Global Observatory
The headlines are loud and clear: The UN is experiencing “its biggest single crisis in 80 years.” It is facing a “life-threatening” moment of crisis. It is in the midst of a “record-level cash crisis.” Worse, this is taking place during a global polycrisis of compounding shocks and fragmented responses. Add in the “triple planetary […] The post It’s Time for the UN to Move Beyond the Language of Crisis appeared first on IPI Global Observatory.| IPI Global Observatory
In March 2025, the arrest of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar reignited fears of renewed civil war. Armed clashes broke out across Upper Nile and Jonglei, echoing the collapse of earlier peace agreements. For the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which helped broker the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict […]| IPI Global Observatory
Five essential mechanisms for designing an effective international treaty to combat plastic pollution, focusing on adaptive governance structures that can strengthen over time despite uncertainty.| IPI Global Observatory
When the United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco 80 years ago, the United States was not just the host—it was the architect. American leadership helped craft a vision of peace secured not through domination but through cooperation. “We the peoples,” the Charter begins—a declaration that global dignity, development, and security would be shared […]| IPI Global Observatory
In this interview, Deqa Yasin recounts her experiences as a Somali Minister and a survivor of online attacks, and talks about the role of the international community in combating online gender-based violence, how women in leadership roles can be supported, and what the future holds for women’s rights in Somalia.| IPI Global Observatory