On the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are pleased to share some of the work we are most proud of from July 2017-June 2018 — work that we believe has contributed to advancing effective multilateral action to prevent crises and build peace, justice, and inclusion.
On October 31, 2018, the Presidents of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Security Council convened publicly to discuss the challenges facing multilateralism, their effects on the work of the UN, and the need for member states to reaffirm and renew their commitment to the original ideals of the UN Charter. The panel was co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in association with the NYU Center on International Cooperation.
The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory (FAST) and the Center on International Cooperation has been exploring the actual and potential material and socio-economic effects of UN peacekeeping missions in conflict-affected urban environments, with a particular focus on the departing mission in Liberia (UNMIL). Utilizing fresh perspectives such as urban planning and design, the project has examined the evolving spatial and technological infrastructure of UN peacekeeping; identified concrete opportunities to maximize the positive impact of UN missions on their immediate surroundings; and contributed to a more concrete, practical discussion of sustaining peace, prevention, and cross-pillar cooperation — a discussion that often remains abstract. We are proud to launch the findings from this project in a new publication entitled UN Peacekeeping Missions in Urban Environments: The Legacy of UNMIL.
The Global Focal Point (GFP) has improved the United Nation's coherence in police, justice, and corrections, but has reached the limits of the initial model. This review by the Center on International Cooperation, the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs evaluates how the GFP has contributed to joint working arrangements that have produced real outcomes on the ground in post-conflict and crisis situations. It also considers the barriers that these efforts have faced and the need for adaptation going forward.
In the wake of recent information released in bulk by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic on the deaths of numerous detained and/or missing persons, the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic — served by commissioners including CIC Senior Fellow Hanny Megally— stresses the need to account for the fate and whereabouts of detained and missing individuals countrywide. The Commission further recommends a number of essential steps to address the most pressing concerns of both the victims and their families on this matter, including acknowledging the truth about how victims perished and revealing the whereabouts of their remains.
