Although it’s been said a million times, Eileen Scollan, an Irish diplomat at the United Nations, reiterates that women must play a central role in peace-building and conflict resolution for peace to endure. Nothing could be more vital now, as wars and armed violence persist in many parts of the world.

As the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action will be commemorated at the UN in March, Scollan notes how Ireland influenced procedures during its recent elected term in the Security Council, from 2021-22, saying, “Inclusion of women in Security Council briefings, coming to talk about their own experiences of conflict, was a big priority for us. Hearing those voices before decisions are taken and as decisions are taken is very important.”

Security Council reform, Scollan added, must also be carried out to make the body more representative, while she emphasized that “if the UN didn’t exist, we would need to create it.”

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok

Don’t give up on the UN, Alejandrina Basulto Alvarez urges young people (and older), who may feel the organization is not worth their time or attention. As a diplomat to Mexico’s permanent mission to the UN, she says that engaging with the world body is the only way it can be improved.

Alvarez, who is an adviser on human rights and economic, social and humanitarian affairs, told PassBlue that the UN – despite its flaws and challenges — remains a critical platform for international cooperation, so giving up on it is not an option.

“The UN itself can’t do anything because the UN is nothing without its member states,” she said, referring to the 193 countries that make up the organization, emphasizing that they must uphold their UN Charter commitments. With General Assembly resolutions being nonbinding, for example, civil society and citizens must also hold governments accountable for the promises they make, she added.

“I love when civil society contacts us with input for resolutions, asks for meetings or requests our help on certain topics,” she said of public participation in the UN. She reiterated that such direct contact with a country’s UN mission can influence diplomatic discussions and help ensure that the world’s most important issues are not ignored. – DAMILOLA BANJO

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok

Meron Habte Essaias, the legal adviser at Eritrea’s mission to the United Nations, says the double standards in how international law is applied remains a major problem facing the world body. 

“The double standards, selective justice and hypocrisy in applying international law and international criminal law are among the greatest challenges we face today,” she said in the latest Young Diplomats video interview with PassBlue.

Upholding the rule of law is essential for countries and the international community to manage serious global crises effectively, she added. She said the inequalities in global governance undermine the equity that is needed to make multilateralism thrive and that diversity is vital. “You learn to accept differences.”

“It’s striking that in 2025, Africa, despite being central to many issues discussed at the Security Council, still lacks permanent representation,” Essaias

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok

Paul Habsburg, an adviser to the Mission of the Sovereign Order of Malta at the United Nations, says young people are crucial to the life of the organization. “We are the next generation, and it’s important for us not only to understand the issues ourselves but also to be involved in shaping that future,” he said in PassBlue’s short-video interview series, “Young Diplomats.”

For Habsburg, diplomacy is as important as action. In his view, the involvement of young professionals in dealing with global challenges is crucial to both grasping the complexities of today’s issues and to helping influence the years to come. Working with others – hearing different mind-sets – is also vital to building a sense of community at the UN. That’s how diplomacy can work.

“It’s impossible to truly understand what’s going on if you don’t hear other people’s perspectives,” Habsburg said. “Even opinions you completely disagree with often have something true and valuable to offer.” – DAMILOLA BANJO

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok

“Since we spend so many hours, so many days, negotiating for solutions and products, the most frustrating thing is not seeing the results we would like to see on the ground,” says Urska (pronounced Ooshka) Ucakar, a diplomat with the Slovenia mission to the UN. The country is an elected member of the Security Council, where Ucakar specializes in the most-demanding agenda item, the Mideast, including the Gaza war.

Despite frustrations, she says the world needs the UN: “It’s a place of . . . conversation, of dialogue, where countries meet, and even though we will not agree on everything, we discuss things, and I think this is a huge added-value.”

In this interview with PassBlue, part of our new short-video series, “Young Diplomats,” Ucakar highlights how the elected Council members as a whole have power by keeping “the momentum” to uphold the responsibility of the body to maintain international peace and security. Ucakar started her own career in diplomacy by working as an intern for the Slovenian mission. Now, her favorite part of the job is “the people that you meet.”

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok

“The world is big. There are different parts of the world. We’re far from each other, and that’s the beauty of the United Nations—that we get to be together, closer, to understand each other’s way of thinking,” says Deivi-Paivi Jahami, an Estonian representative at the UN who specializes in human rights. 

As the world body faces intense criticism regarding its relevance to maintaining global peace and security, Jahami says that despite the challenges, the UN remains the only forum for discussing many life-and-death global issues.

In this interview with PassBlue, part of our new short-video series, “Young Diplomats,” Jahami highlights the UN’s role in fostering dialogue and collaboration among the world’s 193 countries, saying: “The work of the UN is so important because there is no other way that we can talk, all of us, the whole world, about what is happening in our view, in the world. We need to have a platform for all countries to sit together, have an equal voice in the room.”

One way she encouraged young people to get involved in diplomacy was by participating in model UN programs, as she did, or to be part of youth delegations to the UN. You could even write your own speech in the General Assembly!

on’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky, X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Videos: YouTube and TikTok