News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
For the past year I have been running a humanitarian mission in Yemen. It is not the first armed conflict I witness, yet the scale of carnage and suffering, destruction to civilian infrastructure, and continuous collapse of peace negotiations have been shocking. Nonetheless, the past few months have left me […]
When citizens of the United States go to the polls next month, they will be engaged in an act of faith. They don’t know what will happen in the election or in the weeks, months and years after their election. Like believers lighting a votive candle in a church to […]
Although China and the US are strategic rivals, each depends on global markets, finance and innovation, and needs to co-opt other countries and regions in order to sustain its own power. For this reason, both will use multilateralism, formal and informal, to protect the system within which they have flourished […]
Most diplomats and policymakers who decide their nation’s security policy or shape UN resolutions in New York and Geneva on conflicts in Syria, Yemen or Mali have never lived through a war, or seen one close-up. Like most of us, they must imagine war. They must see it in their […]
On 24 June 2020, Ib Petersen was appointed to serve as the Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Management of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Mr Petersen brings over 30 years’ experience serving the Danish government in bilateral and multilateral affairs and development. He has served as Director for the […]
Olivier Adam took office as the Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) on 2 January 2017. Growing up during the Cold War, and witnessing the lasting impact of World War II on close family members, Mr Adam holds the UN Charter and the value of peace close to […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there are essentially two sides to handling the chaos in the health system: trust the government to fulfil his part of the social contract, and rely on solidarity and self-help. In Kyrgyzstan, COVID-19 led to a strong surge of solidarity. Thousands of volunteers got […]
The changing scene of global trade After graduating from high school, I spent the summer of 2011 at the Université de Fribourg in Switzerland. I visited international organisations, interacted with international experts and senior officials, learned about trade and advocacy, and developed an understanding of the role of international organisations […]