Richard Gowan
@RichardGowan1
UN Director @crisisgroup, with long history of UN-watching @ecfr, @nyuCIC, @UNUCPR & @WPReview
OK, what do I really think of #UNGA? Pre-recording an interview on #UNG78 with @sherwiebp this morning, I went a little off script. (Only joking 😉)
NEW STATEMENT | Open the Gates to Save a Starving Gaza Gaza is tipping from mass starvation toward mass death. Israel must allow assistance in immediately. The strip needs both an end to Israel’s siege and a ceasefire, urgently. crisisgroup.org/middle-east-no…
With more people succumbing every day, Israel must end its siege immediately. Every truck matters. Every calorie counts. But opening the gates is only the beginning: only a ceasefire can alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Gaza.
NEW STATEMENT | Open the Gates to Save a Starving Gaza Gaza is tipping from mass starvation toward mass death. Israel must allow assistance in immediately. The strip needs both an end to Israel’s siege and a ceasefire, urgently. crisisgroup.org/middle-east-no…
If you watch @citizentvkenya, you should be able to catch me talking to @OBurrows about the future of the #UnitedNations at about 9.30pm #Nairobi time.

Very sad loss.
David Nabarro dedicated his life to global public good. He was hyper intelligent, thoughtful, articulate, approachable. Sad to hear of his death. I considered him a friend. May he RIP.
I tel @ABDepois @afp that President Macron's pledge to recognize #Palestine "will breathe new life into" next week's 2 State Solution conference @UN, which had "seemed destined to irrelevance". france24.com/en/live-news/2…
Is it time to say goodbye to formal peacemaking institutions like the @UN and @OSCE? We may regret it if we do, I argue @CrisisGroup. crisisgroup.org/global/twiligh…
It should never have come to this. My @LRB Blog piece on the terrifying wave of hunger convulsing Gaza. Govts can’t keep buying Israel time to pursue more catastrophic policies. Open the gates. End the war. lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/july…
These are hard times for formal international institutions. The network of institutions created for mitigating and resolving conflicts is creaking. crisisgroup.org/global/twiligh…
The total breakdown of relations between #Israel and the #UnitedNations over #Gaza is not unique, I argue @CrisisGroup. Instead, it is part of a broader trend - visible from #Mali to #Iran - of states rejecting international institutions. crisisgroup.org/global/twiligh…
Ahem, @sandraboynton, you omitted the fact that 25 July is also the official "International Day for Judicial Well-Being." Surely you should add a Happy Hippo Judge to the picture? un.org/en/observances…
Busy day ahead. Pace yourself. #merrygoround #hotfudgesundae #wineandcheeseday
After losing control of Khartoum, how is the RSF recalibrating its military strategy in Sudan? @alanboswell and @Sarra_M_Majdoub break it down on the latest episode of The Horn. crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-af…
NEW COMMENTARY | The Twilight of International Peacemaking Institutions? @RichardGowan1 explores the dilemmas facing UN conflict management and the role multilateral bodies can still play. crisisgroup.org/global/twiligh…
As deadly fighting breaks out across the #ThailandCambodia border, here's an excellent piece @CrisisGroup recently published on the build-up of conflict. crisisgroup.org/asia/south-eas…
Macron's approach to next week's two-state solution conference @UN is rather like the @Lionesses approach to the Euros: Leave it very late, score a last minute blinder, then hope that it all works out in extra time.
There can be no conceivable reason why PM Starmer and the UK will not do the same at the UN in September. I commend the French President @EmmanuelMacron for leading the people of France and Europe in this historic decision. Now let us work towards a Palestinian State…
🚨🚨Macron announces that France will recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly in NY in September
Fidèle à son engagement historique pour une paix juste et durable au Proche-Orient, j’ai décidé que la France reconnaîtra l’État de Palestine. J’en ferai l’annonce solennelle à l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies, au mois de septembre prochain.…
🗞️NEW: How #China benefits from Trump’s pullout of UNESCO • Expand footprint inside UN • Push agenda on BRI, AI,Heritage sites • Use org in Global South • Partner with Mideast, EU inside🇺🇳 • @RichardGowan1 : A blow to counter-China bipartisan wing al-monitor.com/newsletter/202…
The Twilight of International Peacemaking Institutions? crisisgroup.org/global/twiligh… via @crisisgroup
Our podcast host, @alextarquinio, wrote this essay for @ForeignPolicy on what @michaelgwaltz can expect walking into an anxiety-riddled United Nations. (Gift Link ⤵️) foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/21/mik…
I tell @Joyce_Karam that the U.S. decision to quit @UNESCO is a "blow to those who hoped that the threat of Chinese influence would be enough to keep Trump engaged with the UN."
🗞️NEW: How #China benefits from Trump’s pullout of UNESCO • Expand footprint inside UN • Push agenda on BRI, AI,Heritage sites • Use org in Global South • Partner with Mideast, EU inside🇺🇳 • @RichardGowan1 : A blow to counter-China bipartisan wing al-monitor.com/newsletter/202…