As @UmlandAndreas and his co-authors argue, @OSCE_SMM has brought transparency to the #Ukraine conflict, plus assisted local ceasefires, but cannot change the strategic picture. [4/5]
Still, as @CrisisGroup noted in our most recent piece on #Russia and #Ukraine, a settlement to the current crisis could still involve more @UN and/or @OSCE monitoring...
Fascinating 🧵 by @heatherwilly on the P5's joint paper on strategic nuclear domain, which highlights the importance of crisis prevention/communication mechanisms.
This ties in with questions I have about the potential for P5 dialogues on non-nuclear conflict management. [1/5]
Such P5 work (deliberately at a distance from the fetid day-to-day diplomacy of the #UNSC) could pave the way for the P5 summit that @franceonu has been pursuing for the last 2 years. [3/5] news.un.org/en/story/2021/…
Today @BorisJohnson will become the first British Prime Minister since John Major in 1992 to chair a meeting of the #UnitedNations Security Council. What's going on?
Today's @UKUN_NewYork debate at the #UNSC, which will also feature John Kerry and David Attenborough, is a big step-up in UNSC discussions of the links between the #ClimateCrisis and conflict. [2/5]
This @nyuCIC database on @UN senior appointments helps challenge one popular UN myth: That Chinese officials are taking over all the top jobs in #multilateralism. Let's take a look at the actual numbers 👇 [1/4]
It's worth saying up front that this @nyuCIC database counts senior @UN jobs in the secretariat, peace operations and UN political missions. It doesn't include specialised agencies like @FAO or @UNIDO, which are currently under Chinese management. Nonetheless... [2/4]
What jumps out is that @Chinamission2un has actually filled very few of the senior jobs counted by @nyuCIC: 10 since 1995 and 4 since 2015.
That's fewer than, say, Norway or Canada (the figures below are for 2015-2020) and tiny compared to the USA. [3/4]
Now that the #UNSC has passed a resolution endorsing the @UN#GlobalCeasefire, a few thoughts on (i) how we got here; and (ii) if this actually means anything 👇 [1/8]
Our first caveat was that the #GlobalCeasefire was never likely to be really "global". Different conflict parties would take it differently depending on their interests, strategies and views of #COVID. That remains the case today. [3/8]
In simple terms, #COVID19 could reverse hard-won @UNPeacekeeping/@UNDPPA work in some fragile states, and weaken others, but @UN members will want to save $$$ [3/8]
It's happening! Russian media report that P5 leaders will hold a video summit on #COVID19 this Friday. A few notes on why this makes me unreasonably excited [1/5]