The Iowa UNA College Ambassadors Program Charlye Willis, 2025-26 College Ambassador from the University of Northern Iowa The Iowa United Nations Association (UNA) College Ambassadors Program offers students across the state of Iowa a unique opportunity to advance their advocacy and leadership skills while engaging in global issues. A key focus is on advancing the mission of the United Nations. The Iowa UNA engages in this by helping students learn how to advocate effectively

Soft Power and Public Health: Why the United States Should Reconsider Its Exit from the WHO Thomas Boakye, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from Iowa State University The United States was one of the founding nations of the UN after the end of World War II, helping to create an international system of cooperation, including specialized agencies that would work together to address important global issues. One of the specialized agencies created through this process was the

Itchy Skin and Mental Health: Why Skin Health Deserves Global Advocacy Thomas Boakye, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from Iowa State University The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25) establishes a human right to an adequate standard of living necessary for health and well-being. Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights codifies a human right to health. In global discussion of health as a human right, much focu

Student Protests in Serbia and Democratic Hopes in Eastern Europe Andrew Corrow, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from Drake University An earlier version of this blog appeared in the December 2025 edition of Advocacy News , the Iowa UNA’s biannual newsletter. In the years following the collapse of Yugoslavia and the various crises throughout the Balkans that followed, some may be tempted to view a consistent democratic stability as beyond the reach of many of the coun

The Human Right to Education and Immigration Enforcement in the United States: ICE in Schools Carissa Phan, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from Drake University The Trump Administration’s aggressive approach to enforcement of U.S. immigration laws has drawn global criticism about U.S. compliance with international human rights commitments. In January 2026, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement charging that the administration’s polic

International Women’s Day: One Story, Many Girls Ifrah Mohamed, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from the University of Iowa Every year on March 8, International Women's Day reminds us to celebrate women’s achievements, but it also calls attention to the barriers that still hold many women and girls back. It’s a day to think not just about progress but also about the challenges that prevent girls from living safely, going to school, and supporting themselves and their f

Are the U.S. and Israeli Military Strikes on Iran Legal under International Law? By Debra DeLaet (Executive Director, Iowa United Nations Association) On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint military attacks on Iran, which killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. One strike hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab, Iran, resulting in a death toll thus far of at least 175 people, presumably mostly children. The U.S. and Israeli government

Does Might Make Right? What We Get Wrong about Thucydides and Power By Debra DeLaet (Executive Director, Iowa United Nations Association) In a January interview with The New York Times , President Trump declared that his own morality —not international law or global norms—served as the only constraint on his authority as commander in chief to use force in international politics. Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Trump, asserted in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper , t

The Dangerous and Unjustified Abandonment of UN-Led Aid to Palestinian Refugees Ethan Button, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from the University of Iowa The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is the primary UN organization tasked with providing humanitarian and development assistance to Palestinian refugees and displaced peoples. UNRWA operates in Palestine and many surrounding countries that house high numbers of Pa

U.S. Aid with Chinese Characteristics David Skidmore, (Professor of Political Science, Drake University; Vice Dean, Qingdao-Drake United...

Poverty in Pakistan: a Case Study of Obstacles to Eradicating Global Poverty Catalina Samaniego, (2024-25 Iowa UNA College Ambassador...

Algorithms for Peace: AI’s Role in Preventing Online Harm in Conflicts By Roya Green, (2024-25 College Ambassador from the University of...

The Climate Crisis and Human Migration: Advocating for Climate Refugees on World Refugee Day By Cale Eastin (2024-25 Iowa UNA College...

The Forgotten Demographic: Advocating for Older Persons on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Aisha M. Suleiman (2024-25 Iowa UNA College...

The Legal Status of Greenland under International Law By Debra DeLaet (Executive Director, Iowa United Nations Association) This blog is an updated version of an article published in the May 2025 edition of Advocacy News . In August 2019, President Trump confirmed discussions within his administration about buying Greenland, an autonomous territory within Denmark. He emphasized Greenland’s potential strategic value to the United States. This plan was denounced by both Gree

Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the Rule of Law Harper Dunne, (2024-25 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from the University of Iowa) All Americans...

The Critical Importance of Global Health Cooperation in an Age of Isolationism Muhammad Talha, (2024-25 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from...

The Sustainable Development Goals: A View from Bocas del Toro, Panama Harper Dunne, (2024-25 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from the...

The Critical Importance of the UN in a Time of Rising US Isolationism: US International Involvement in a Second Trump Term Caleb Stewart,...

Charles P. Howard, Sr.: Iowan, UN Correspondent, and Advocate for Racial Justice and Human Rights By Debra DeLaet (Executive Director,...