In December this year, a little-reported process will conclude when those 118 States who are parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) elect a new Prosecutor. There are many important decisions facing the world's diplomats, including those gathered at the UN General Assembly this autumn, but...

We are witnessing a historic change to the development paradigm. Drastic spending cuts in the United States, uncertainty around Europe's common currency and the consequences of the earthquake in Japan are reordering international priorities and put further pressure on aid budgets. At the same time, development needs in Africa are...

Ahead of today's G20 Summit in South Korea, two issues stand out for those of us who take an interest in international development.

First, the concepts of fairness, balance, and the common good have experienced a welcome renaissance as world leaders have had to remind each other of these universal...

People often ask me what I consider to be the highlight of my UN career. While there were many wonderful moments, hosting the largest collection of world leaders ever assembled to sign the Millennium Declaration in New York is certainly among the top. The can-do spirit in the room was...

Vaccines have saved the lives of millions of children around the world, and have the potential to save millions more in the future as newer vaccines are developed and introduced. Vaccines have resulted in global eradication of smallpox, we are on the brink of attaining global eradication of polio, and...

Copenhagen offers the prospect of a robust political deal, endorsed by the world's leaders and witnessed by the world's people, that sets out clear targets and a timeline for translating it into law. To be a truly historic achievement, such a deal must do two things.

First, it must...

Africa's potential is often overlooked. Yet the continent abounds in untapped natural and human resources. The United Nations, for example, estimates that there are over 800 million hectares of unused, cultivable land that could provide the basis for a green revolution in food production -- land which could be used...

As the world's wealthy and powerful arrive in Davos, the world looks a gloomy and uncertain place. Every day the prospects for the global economy look bleaker. We don't know how deep or long-lasting the downturn will be. But we do know there is plenty of pain to come.