Diplomacy Thought Leader Featured in Global Media

Professor Martin Edwards, Associate Dean of the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, appeared on Channel NewsAsia (CNA) to discuss the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, including the high-level summit focusing on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and climate change, as well as Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Seton Hall has had a special relationship with the United Nations community since the University founded the School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Secretary-General António Guterres delivered the commencement address at the 166th baccalaureate commencement ceremony in 2022, receiving an honorary degree for his lifelong dedication to fostering peace and social justice, which are among the ideals and aspirations to which Seton Hall is committed.

In the interview, Edwards was asked about the prospects for the UN meeting being a catalyst to restart the Black Sea grain agreement.

He said: "The fact that all these leaders are going to be talking to each other so that Putin is going to hear 'here’s why his decision to back out of this is posing real harm in the developing world' – this can only be thought of as a good thing."

The SDG Summit’s purpose is providing a "response to cascading global crises" and to launch a “new phase of accelerated action on the Sustainable Development Goals."

"The SDGs aren’t just a list of goals. They carry the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people everywhere," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. "Yet today, only 15 per cent of the targets are on track. Many are going in reverse. Instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the SDGs behind."

Convened by Guterres, the Summit marks the midpoint to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals and is the centerpiece of the High-level Week of the General Assembly.

The interview was featured on CNA stations throughout the world. The network is based in Singapore, with correspondents in major Asian cities and key Western ones, including New York, Washington D.C., London and Brussels. Viewed in 29 territories across Asia with its satellite footprint stretching across Asia, the Middle East and Australia, this English language Asian news network provides content online, on TV and Radio and via smart devices, also available on social and messaging services, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Telegram.

An expert on international organizations, Edwards’ research on the International Monetary Fund has been supported by the National Science Foundation, and he has been a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a Research Fellow with the University of Southern California’s Center for Public Diplomacy. He serves as an Associate Editor for International Studies Quarterly, and has received acclaim for his book, "The IMF, the WTO & the Politics of Economic Surveillance" (New York: Routledge, 2018). He appears regularly in influential media including USA Today, The Washington Post, AP, AFP, CGTN, Foreign Affairs, IPS News, Newsweek, Vox, and International Policy Digest.

View the CNA coverage, Sustainable Development Goals, ongoing war in Ukraine to be in focus at UN General Assembly.

Learn more about the Center for U.N. and Global Governance Studies.

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