Multilateralism UNpacked

In this episode of Multilateralism Unpacked, UNU-CPR Research Officer Catharina Nickel discusses how financial cuts are affecting UN peace operations on the ground, drawing on recent field research in South Sudan.
The conversation explores how funding reductions are translating into the closure of field sites, reduced personnel and patrols, and a smaller operational presence. Nickel considers what these changes mean for civilian protection and local communities, as well as for engagement with political and security actors.
The episode also examines the cross-border dimensions of conflict in South Sudan, including the spillover effects of the war in Sudan. Nickel discusses how displacement, the movement of armed actors and the flow of arms across the Sudan-South Sudan border are compounding existing political and security challenges.
The conversation considers how UN peace operations can respond to these challenges through political engagement, regional coordination and maintaining a physical presence on the ground, as well as what continued financial pressures could mean for their future effectiveness and credibility.
UNU-CPR’s research in South Sudan is made possible through the UK-funded Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme,
For more:
Learn more about UNU-CPR’s XCEPT-funded research, which examines how sanctions and peace operations can more effectively address violence in borderlands and cross-border conflict.
For a broader perspective on the pressures facing UN peace operations, listen to Multilateralism Unpacked, Episode 12: The Future of UN Peace Operations, Part 1 – Peace Operations at an Inflection Point, which examines financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and the changing global role of UN peace operations.
Read Conflict Economies and Peace Operations, which examines conflict economies in eastern DRC – another region impacted by cross-border conflict drivers.
Read Defaulting into Transition: How Financial Cuts are Affecting Peacekeeping Realities, which examines how financial cuts are reducing UNMISS’ presence and operational capacity in South Sudan, and the implications for civilian protection and peacekeeping transitions.
Read Essential Peacekeeping for a Divided World, which explores how more focused, limited peace operations could offer a viable model as geopolitical tensions rise and political and financial support declines.

In this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked, UNU-CPR Senior Fellow and Professor of Fiscal Law at the University of Nairobi, Attiya Waris, discusses the ongoing negotiations on a United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation. Recorded in August during the negotiations, the conversation explores what a new international tax framework could mean for inequality, fiscal space and development finance.
Drawing on her role as United Nations Independent Expert on foreign debt, international financial obligations and human rights, Professor Waris discusses taxing rights, transfer pricing and access to tax information, as well as the links between taxation, sovereign debt and development finance.
Professor Waris also discusses how conventional measures of countries’ economic strength can overlook assets such as renewable energy potential and productive populations, and why these should be considered alongside GDP when assessing fiscal space.
Further reading:
Hidden Debts, Missing Assets: What the Spring Meetings Forgot
Action for a Healthier Global Tax System
A Human Rights Approach as the Basis for a Global Fiscal Architecture
www.attiyawaris.org

In this episode, UNU-CPR’s Head of Geneva Office Dr. Adam Day joins Dr. Jack Durrell to discuss the future of UN peace operations at a moment of financial strain, geopolitical fragmentation and declining confidence in peacekeeping effectiveness.
The conversation explores how a worsening liquidity crisis is already driving cuts to missions on the ground, and what this means for civilian protection and operational capacity. It also examines how states are increasingly turning to bilateral and alternative arrangements outside the UN system.
Looking ahead, Dr. Day reflects on whether current reforms such as UN80 represent genuine strategic change or primarily an effort to manage financial contraction, and considers what emerging “lighter” and more bespoke models of peace operations could mean for the UN’s role in conflict settings.
The episode also highlights key missions to watch, including the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the absence of a robust UN presence in Sudan.

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli speaks with Dr. Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost and David Marshall Professor at the National University of Singapore, about misinformation and disinformation in a world of information abundance.

The conversation explores why greater access to information has not translated into greater trust or understanding, and why false content often spreads more widely than factual information. It also distinguishes between misinformation, disinformation and malformation, with attention to intent.

They discuss the implications for the United Nations and multilateral cooperation, including how misinformation can erode trust in international institutions and complicate collective responses to global challenges, and the UN’s role in supporting information integrity across states and platforms.

The discussion also examines how algorithmic systems shape information flows, and why responses must involve states, platforms and individuals, alongside reflections on information overload and generative AI.

For more information:
Simon Chesterman, The Oxford Handbook of Misinformation and Disinformation (forthcoming)
Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Eduardo Albrecht and Rebecca Brubaker, Disinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://unu.edu/publication/disinformation-and-peacebuilding-sub-saharan-africa

Watch this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked on Youtube: https://youtu.be/PZhxXBVFEJY

In this episode, UNU-CPR Director Dr. David Pasarelli speaks with Dr. Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost and David Marshall Professor at the National University of Singapore, about misinformation and disinformation in a world of information abundance.
The conversation explores why greater access to information has not translated into greater trust or understanding, and why false content often spreads more widely than factual information. It also distinguishes between misinformation, disinformation and malformation, with attention to intent.
They discuss the implications for the United Nations and multilateral cooperation, including how misinformation can erode trust in international institutions and complicate collective responses to global challenges, and the UN’s role in supporting information integrity across States and platforms.
The discussion further examines how algorithmic systems shape information flows, and why responses must involve States, platforms and individuals, alongside reflections on information overload and generative AI.

For more information:
Simon Chesterman, The Oxford Handbook of Misinformation and Disinformation (forthcoming)
Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Eduardo Albrecht and Rebecca Brubaker, Disinformation and Peacebuilding in Sub-Saharan Africa: https://unu.edu/publication/disinformation-and-peacebuilding-sub-saharan-africa

Watch this episode of Multilateralism UNpacked on Youtube: https://youtu.be/PZhxXBVFEJY