PassBlue UN Podcasts

Amid Brexit turmoil at home and a looming election, the United Kingdom has assumed the November Security Council presidency with a mission: to remind the UN of its work serving ordinary people and civilians. As the UK hosts a series of meetings about conflicts in places it previously colonized or controlled, everyone is watching to see whether, post-Brexit, the UK will stick with Europe at the UN or carve out a position all its own.

You read that correctly: tensions between Russia and the United States are overshadowing important work at the United Nations, á la the Cold War. Only this time around, Iran has joined Russia's efforts to disrupt routine committee work to protest US denials of visas to Russian and Iranian diplomats and foreign officials. Our very own Stéphanie Fillion broke the story. Also on our radar: the gap between feminists in the global North and South is widening thanks to the debate about decriminalizing sex work. PassBlue's Sonah Lee joins us to help talk through it all.

South African Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila is not like other ambassadors: he doesn't shake hands, he does a fist bump, and instead of calling you Madam, he'll call you Sister. As a member of Nelson Mandela's party, he spent a decade in exile during Apartheid. Now, he's committed to carrying out Nelson Mandela's vision for peace in Africa by focusing his Security Council presidency on removing weapons from the hands of youth, reasserting the AU's presence on Libya, and taking the Council on a trip to Africa.

Our UN General Assembly recap with PassBlue journalists Sonah Lee and Laura Kirkpatrick, in less than 25 minutes. The divide between the "globalists" and the "patriots" defined the week. With President Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in the latter camp, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's nighttime lament of a bygone world without AI, French President Emmanuel Macron was one of the last bastions of multilateralism. Where did that leave Turkey’s President Erdogan? Somewhere in-between. Also worthy of your time: climate activist Greta Thunberg's call to action at the climate summit, and the women leaders who stood out this year.

Heads of state are descending on New York City for the 74th season of the UN General Assembly, and there is so much going on it's hard to know what to pay attention to. With help from the UN press corps and veteran New York Times UN bureau chief Barbara Crossette, we tell you who and what to watch for and remember some touchstones from past UNGA's.

From television shows like Chernobyl and Stranger Things to news coverage of in recent years of Russian interference in US elections, Americans remain ever-fascinated by Russia - but how Americans see Russia is not how Russia sees itself. In light of Russia’s September Security Council presidency, we take listeners inside Russia’s mission on the Upper East Side to find out what First Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Polyanskiy thinks the West gets wrong about Russia - and what he thinks of life in New York City and the United States.

She calls herself a homemaker, a consultant, a philanthropist, and recently acquired the title of "ambassador." But who is Kelly Knight Craft, the incoming US ambassador to the United Nations? Our columnist Irwin Arieff poured over her financial records and associates and examined her time as ambassador to Canada. He shares what he found, as well as highlights from her confirmation hearing.

August is a traditionally slow month at the United Nations, but Ambassador Wronecka of Poland has other plans for her country's Security Council presidency. On this episode, she previews the biggest events and shares about her long diplomatic career, being a woman in a male-dominated diplomatic corp, and finding authentic Polish food in New York City.

Along the East River in Midtown's Turtle Bay neighborhood, United Nations Headquarters looms over blocks of foreign missions and hotels, restaurants and shops whose main clientele are diplomats, UN staff and visiting dignitaries. But what goes on behind the UN's tightly-guarded gates? From PassBlue, a new podcast taking listeners inside the UN to hear from the diplomats themselves and the reporters covering them. Episodes out August 2019.

In this exclusive interview with PassBlue, Ambassador Karen Pierce of the United Kingdom explains the value of fashion in diplomacy, the challenges women diplomats still face, and offers advice to both other senior women and those coming up through the ranks.

For a print version of this interview, visit passblue.com.