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Curated by Project Syndicate

The 2018 United Nations General Assembly

23 commentaries

At the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly this year, the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and global public health are among the top issues on the agenda.

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  1. Africa’s Future Depends on Improving Education
    school kenyan students LUIS TATO/AFP/Getty Images

    Africa’s Future Depends on Improving Education

    Oct 1, 2018 Aliko Dangote urges the continent's governments to boost investment in quality schools for all.

  2. Education’s Moonshot Moment
    Yemeni girls in school Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

    Education’s Moonshot Moment

    Sep 26, 2018 Gordon Brown shows that existing aid efforts are not nearly enough to ensure that every child has a seat in a classroom.

  3. Closing the Political Gender Gap
    alexandra ocasio-cortez Mario Tama/Getty Images

    Closing the Political Gender Gap

    Sep 25, 2018 Anne-Marie Slaughter & Francesca Binda describe a wide range of initiatives proven to boost female representation in government.

  4. Normalizing Abortion
    pro-choice rally Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

    Normalizing Abortion

    Sep 25, 2018 Françoise Girard urges governments worldwide to heed women's demands for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy.

  5. Governments Must Stand Up for Health
    tb treatment David Greedy/Getty Images

    Governments Must Stand Up for Health

    Sep 21, 2018 Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls on world leaders to redouble their efforts to tackle tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases.

  6. PS [In Depth]: Women’s Economic Empowerment
    Women Gates

    PS [In Depth]: Women’s Economic Empowerment

    Sep 18, 2018 PS editors examine the most common obstacles holding back 50% of the workforce in many developing countries.

  1. goldberg28_DENIS BALIBOUSEPOOLAFP via Getty Images_wto Denis Balibouse/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Have Developing Countries Soured on Multilateralism?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg traces the roots of dissatisfaction to advanced economies' use of bodies like the World Trade Organization.
  2. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  3. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  4. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  5. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  6. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  7. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  8. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  9. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.

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