united nations
Tŝilhqot’in Nation calls for action around the toxic drug crisis on the global stage
June 9, 2025By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer On April 24, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, a delegation from the Tŝilhqot’in Nation presented a plan to combat the toxic drug crisis within their six member communities. This initiative follows the Nation’s declaration of a local state of emergency in April 2024, prompted by a surge in overdose-related deaths. The First Nations Health Authority reported that in 2024, 427 First Nation members in BC died due to toxic drug overdoses. This figure represents an average death rate 6.7 times higher than that of other provincial residents, marking the largest disparity…
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Concerns arise surrounding UN cybercrime treaty “tying Canada’s hands”
January 20, 2025By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer Content warning: brief mention of sexual abuse of children/minors. Canadian human rights organizations are urging the country to reject the UN convention against cybercrime treaty regarding access to online information. Despite its proposed capability as…
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SFU sets Global Institute for Agritech in motion
December 3, 2024By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer In early November, SFU established its latest research institute, the Global Institute for Agritech (GIA), to “seek innovative solutions” for agricultural development and food security amid the climate crisis. The GIA aims to “conduct cutting-edge…
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Over 2,000 people killed in Lebanon
October 22, 2024By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer Since September 23, escalating Israeli airstrikes targeting the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have killed nearly 2,000 people in Lebanon and displaced over one million at the time of writing this article. These attacks, which included…
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Trudeau announces decision to limit temporary foreign workers and permanent residents
September 26, 2024By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer On August 26, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will “reduce the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada” by tightening the policy regarding temporary foreign workers (TFWs). This follows what some are calling a…
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Vancouver Climate Strike coincides with UN Summit of the Future
September 21, 2024By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer On September 20, thousands of people congregated in downtown Vancouver for the Vancouver Climate Strike. The strike coincided with the United Nations Summit of the Future, which took place September 22–23, where world leaders met…
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International human rights lawyer discusses genocide and conflict
November 22, 2023By: Olivia Sherman, News Writer Content warning: mentions of violence and genocide. Payam Akhavan is an international human rights lawyer and special advisor to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He’s best known for his work with the…
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Indigenous leader discusses UN reconciliation policies in action
November 16, 2023By: Olivia Sherman, News Writer Khelsilem is an Indigenous political leader, Chairperson of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), former SFU lecturer, and a leading voice for Sen̓áḵw’s affordable housing non-profit. The project is currently building 1,000 units of affordable homes…
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Political Corner: Last minute efforts cost Canada its Security Council seat
July 5, 2020By: Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate On June 17, the United Nations held a vote for five of the 10 non-permanent Council seats for the 2021–22 term. The countries that were elected to the Council for the next term are India,…
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UN IPCC report highlights effects of 1.5°C increase in average global temperatures
October 24, 2018Written by: Nathaniel Tok, Peak Associate The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a special report titled Global Warming of 1.5°C, detailing what effects an average global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will have on…
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