This year we took it upon ourselves to go through every speech of the United Nations General Assembly and brief you about the most important updates. In doing so, we got to hear some of the most bold and exciting statements from leaders around the world. We believe that the President of El Salvador’s speech was courageous, effective and to the point and thus, deserves the prize of the best statement of the debate.

Every Forty Seconds The 10th September was World Mental Health Day. In this context the WHO published a flyer to raise awareness on suicide and how to help prevent it: Working Together to Prevent Suicide.

A number of thorny topics were on the agenda this year. Some of the key issues included: foreign policy, trade and, of course, climate change.

So, President Trump now wants to buy Greenland! An uninhabited Greek island is one thing, but the largest island in the world that is also an autonomous territory… Well! Although Greenland has been a part of Denmark for over 200 years, it has been increasingly self-governing since 1979, with only foreign affairs and defence still controlled by Denmark. The suggestion just highlights how callous and clueless the American President is. People are not for sale Despite its promising name, Greenland is no Eden.

After publishing the August issue of The Gordian, we received the kind message from an UN-aligned member, Anahita, saying the magazine had inspired her to travel to the Iranian Kurdistan. As a thank you we received beautiful pictures from her which we decided to publish as a bonus, showcasing Uraman Takht, a magnificent village in the west of Iran.

UN-aligned is slowly, but surely, taking its place in the world arena of politics. We are also increasingly being criticised by different sides of the political spectrum.

And so it continues… Migrants are once again the victims of indifference and direct aggression. Six children and about 50 adults were killed and more that three times as many were badly hurt when a migrant detention centre was bombed by the forces of General Khalifa Haftar who are fighting the UN recognised government of Libya.

A bike campaign In the autumn of 2015, a young environmentalist in Arak, a city with pollution levels as staggering as those in Tehran, started a “car-free Tuesday” campaign to encourage people to commute by bike. The campaign soon turned popular with municipal authorities across the country beginning to encourage residents to ride bikes and leave their cars at home.

While the global political scene is beginning to look more and more like a Theatre of the Absurd, UN-aligned has become an alternative platform for many to turn to. This is not surprising; long lasting peace and prosperity can only be achieved with the kind of values and principles that UN-aligned advocates.

It has not been a good week for refugees; but then again, it never is… Today’s The Guardian reports how the Lebanese government forced 5,000 refugee families to demolish their own home in order to induce them to return to Syria. Yesterday, the captain of rescue ship Sea-Watch 3, Carola Rackete, was arrested after she forcefully docked her ship in the Italian island of Lampedusa. Having rescued 53 migrants drifting off the coast of Libya on June 12, the Sea-Watch 3 was left stranded while the Italian authorities kept refusing to let her dock.

Second thoughts… After ordering an attack on Iran last week, president Trump had an after thought. How many human lives would it cost? One wonders: what amount of casualties would have made his strike acceptable? Fifty? A hundred? Creating a problem The Iranian problem is of Trump’s making.

Learning a thing or two from Taiwan… Taiwan gave the world a lesson in real democracy last month when same-sex marriage was legalised in the “country“. In a referendum last November, 72% of the population had voted against allowing same-sex marriage.

Last Friday’s successful launch marks a new milestone in the world of politics, getting us ever closer to a world that works for and belongs to everyone. What makes this event so important is that UN-aligned doesn’t aim to make changes within our broken political systems, but aims to change the global framework itself as its primary goal.

Picking on the weakest… Some people just need a common enemy. Any group that can be easily picked on offers the perfect target.

The United Nations (UN) is a remarkable organisation. It has achieved some outstanding results for humanity and it continues to do so.

Bloody motives! If an angel came and told me that all the world problems would be solved if I just put a few bombs around killing innocent people in mosques, synagogues, churches, market places or hotels… would I do it? Of course not. Firstly, because I do not even have the right to insult an innocent person, let alone take their life.