Male-only parliaments are becoming a thing of the past
Six nations now have gender parity or a slight women's majority: Rwanda (61.3%), Cuba (53.4%), Nicaragua (51.7%), and Mexico, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates (50%).
John Heilprin
Award-winning U.N.-accredited journalist, with 30+ years on four continents, almost half of it for AP in Washington, New York and Geneva.
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Geneva
Nations work to update draft of WHO's proposed pandemic treaty
The treaty takes aim at the huge inequalities in health care and access to products such as vaccines, therapeutics and tests that the COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus.
McCain is the next U.S. conservative tapped to lead World Food Program
McCain represents a seemingly bygone era of American bipartisanship as both a close political ally of Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the widow of U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.
Status quo 'totally unacceptable' in quake-hit, war-ravaged Syria
"The tragic reality is that an effective response was hampered in part by challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict," the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, told the U.N. Security Council.
U.N. conference raises 28% of emergency aid target for Yemen
The U.N. emergency relief coordinator's office set a US$4.3 billion target to help people suffering in the war-torn nation.
Biden picks former Mastercard CEO to replace the World Bank's leader
As the largest shareholder in the World Bank, the United States traditionally nominates candidates for a five-year term as president. They are vetted by the bank’s executive board.
Russia to suspend role in last remaining nuclear accord with U.S.
Vladimir Putin said Russia will not withdraw from the treaty but will no longer allow NATO countries to inspect its nuclear arsenal, which is at the heart of the agreement.
African nations pay 'extortionate' interest rates on debt, U.N. chief says
Women and girls still don't get the support they need, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said, and African nations cannot develop with "one hand tied behind their backs."
Western leaders' tensions with Russia, China dominate summit
U.S. and Chinese diplomats met for the first time since the U.S. shot down what officials called a Chinese surveillance balloon.
WHO's COVID origins investigation in China has become 'very difficult'
The U.N. health agency says it updated its plans based on China's response but there's been "no quiet shelving of any plans" for investigating how the COVID-19 pandemic began.
NATO allies to step up support for Ukraine's 'grinding war of attrition'
The move reflects Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's request for vastly more heavy weaponry and ammunition – not to mention missiles, tanks and fighter jets – to launch an expected spring counteroffensive against Russian forces.
Malta elevates sea level rise on the world's peace and security agenda
The tiny island nation made the case that more attention must be focused on the threat of rising sea levels and gaps in international law about how to handle the loss of land.
U.N. aid chief laments 'failure' as 50,000+ quake toll expected
The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit Turkey and northern Syria a week ago rose to more than 36,000 people as the search continued for loved ones trapped in the rubble despite a closing survival window.
At Munich summit, a focus on democracy versus autocracy
Human rights has become "a major flashpoint in the growing systemic competition" between competing ideologies and governance systems, according to the summit's annual report.
Groups scramble aid as Turkey-Syria earthquake toll reaches 20,000
Fresh snowfall, freezing temperatures and a disrupted cross-border operation between southern Turkey and war-torn northern Syria added to the despair, frustration and anger.
ASEAN leaders' talks focus on peace in Myanmar and South China Sea
Southeast Asian foreign ministers sought to defuse conflicts from Myanmar's military takeover and China's expanding footprint, along with North Korea's aggressive missile testing.