By Elena Kerr 16/03/2026 CSW70 Parallel event: Authoritarian Power, Gendered Body, and Politics of Autonomy Today I attended this informative and very important event moderated by Hafza Girdap representing Advocates of Silenced Turkey. This event brought together an impressive panel of experts: Rachel Miner, Dr Shilan Fuad Hussain, Cindy Morris, Prof Manisha Desai, and Sevinc Ozarslan. Rachel presented data regarding the core issue genocide, which occurs approximately every 2

By Elena Kerr Week 1 at the UN CSW70 12/03/2026 CSW70 Parallel Event – Reconceptualising Justice at Work: Structural and Cultural Transformation Today I attended this empowering event discussing what justice means at the workplace. The panellists discussed topics such as women’s experiences at the workplace, changes, industrial segregation, and action points for improvement and inclusion. The panel included the expert speakers Gillian Unsworth, Tamara Thermitus, Zarin Hainswo

By Leen Shoura This time my story is different. It’s not about memories, not about the past, I’m writing about a fear I felt with my own skin, a fear I thought I had buried forever.    On July 16, Damascus was shaken in a way I hadn’t seen in a while. Around 3 p.m., the sky cracked open with thunder that wasn’t thunder. Israeli airstrikes struck the very heart of the capital, Umayyad Square, a place so central that no Syrian can imagine Damascus without it. The targets weren’

By Hana Shono Please note that as the event was held in Japanese, some of the quotations included in this blog post have been translated or summarised for clarity and may not reflect the speaker’s exact wording. On 22 January 2026, at 3pm JST, Peace Boat marked the fifth anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) with a commemorative event featuring the voices of diplomats, activists and Hibakusha, survivors of nuclear violence. The event was both

On Thursday 5th February 2026, representatives from UnA Scotland and UNHS Scotland met remotely to share updates from all branches and departments, and discuss strategy and collaboration going forward. The meeting was facilitated by Dr Gari Donn, Chair of UNAS and Executive Director of UNHS, and minutes were recorded by resident intern, Magali Courades.

By Georgiana F Bugeag Eighty years ago, in January 1946, delegates from fifty-one nations gathered inside Methodist Central Hall Westminster for the inaugural session of the United Nations General Assembly. Emerging only months after the end of the Second World War, they met to define the purpose of a new international organisation founded on a radical ambition: to replace war with cooperation, and force with law. On 17 January 2026, I returned to this same hall on behalf of

This roundtable report brings together Scottish and Irish perspectives on global tensions and their implications for peace, security and international cooperation. The discussion reflects on shared challenges, regional viewpoints and the role of dialogue in an increasingly fragmented global context. (PDF available for download below.)

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons ( TPNW). Find out what this treaty is about, what is has achieved and why it's important to push for its universal ratification. For more information and getting involved, visit the  ICAN website .

I In September 2025, the Beyond COP team delivered a week-long project in Edinburgh involving UNAS Earth Ambassadors and engagement with schools, community organisations, Parliamentarians, and civil society. The week included school workshops, Model United Nations sessions, a roundtable at the Scottish Parliament, meetings with climate NGOs, and public events, all aimed at encouraging community-based climate action and global citizenship. This post presents the Ambassadors’ o

UNHS Blog Post                                                                              Human Rights Day 2025 by Luisa Hofmann & Beatrice Hart-Brown   On this Human Rights Day, the UN’s reminder that human rights are “our everyday essentials” is more than a theme. It is both a warning and hope because in today’s world these essentials often feel fragile, too distant, unachievable and something we increasingly lose appreciation for. We live in an age of multiplying conflic

Author: Georgiana F Bugeag UNHS Human Rights Team     On this Human Rights Day, we highlight the essential role that human rights play in shaping a just and equitable future for all. This day offers an occasion for both commemoration and scrutiny. While the global human rights system continues to affirm the universality and indivisibility of rights, the lived experience of women and girls across all regions reveals persistent structural inequalities, systemic violence, and po

On Tuesday 11th December, 2025, UN House Scotland were delighted to host Ryan Conover's , a former United Nations House Scotland intern, for their seminar titled: “Playing Fast and Loose: A Critical Assessment of the United States’ Engagement with the International Human Rights Regime.” How much leeway does the United States have in shaping or bending the norms and principles of the International Human Rights Regime? Has it transgressed the norms, threatening the regime’s sta

A reflection on presence, attention, and what resists explanation By Magnus C. Storvik Foreword This article was written after we returned from Japan, reflecting on the filming of our documentary marking the 80th anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Made in partnership with ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the project brings together parallel conversations with Hibakusha and with high school students in Hiroshima. The three of us,

COP29 was held in Baku, Azerbaijan between 11 and 22 November 2024. As a follow up, on Wednesday 9 April, the UNA Scotland Beyond COP team hosted our fourth COP event, titled ‘Beyond COP29: Powering Our Future’. This virtual event aimed to engage all citizens of the globe to reflect on the outcomes of COP29, and to collaboratively discuss solutions for climate issues and the best ways to advance the green transition. The programme was hosted virtually on Zoom, concluding with

In September 2025, the Beyond COP team organised a one-week project in which the Ambassadors would travel to Edinburgh to engage with local schools, community organisations, and Parliamentarians. Through school workshops, Model United Nations, a roundtable at Parliament, conversations with climate NGOs and public events, the project would inspire community-based climate action and strengthen Scotland’s commitment to global citizenship and sustainability. Please read the full

By Amy Okletey and Anna Balboa What is Child Trafficking for Forced Criminality? Child trafficking is among the most reprehensible forms...

A personal reflection by Ghassan Shahrour Reposted from the ICAN Campaigners Group On 19 August, the world honors those who risk—and...

In 2022, UN House Scotland published an official history booklet which detailed how civil society organisations can engage with the...

By Leen Shoura After two years away, I returned to a different Syria. The air felt lighter. Faces looked softer, not quite joyful, but...

By May East This is a repost from the The Conversation which you can find here . The article can also be found on May East's website here...