By: Gerren Keith Gaynor
Featuring: Desirée Cormier Smith
While the successful passage of a United Nations resolution that declared the Transatlantic Slave Trade the “gravest crime against humanity” is being praised by Africans, people of African descent, and countries around the world, Black leaders in the United States are grappling with the Trump administration‘s “no” vote and its justification.
By: Elissa Miolene
Featuring: Jessica Stern
Organizations are scrambling to understand the Trump administration’s Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance Policy, a sweeping rule that bars U.S. foreign aid from those touching abortion, diversity, or “gender ideology” across the world.
By: Deborah Amos
Featuring: Dr. Beth Van Schaack
A landmark case in a Los Angeles federal court ended with a guilty verdict. The defendant was a Syrian officer from the former regime of President Bashar al-Assad. He was charged with torture from the time he led Syria's largest civil prison, along with lying on his visa and citizenship application when he came to LA to join his family. Reporter Deborah Amos has more.
By: Anna Gawel
Featuring: Jessica Stern
A new U.N. analysis comes out in favor of merging UN Women and UNFPA but activists kick against this move. Plus, news on IDB’s long-agreed capital increase, and why the U.N. is important for inclusive AI governance.
Rule of Law Defenders Podcast Featuring Desirée Cormier Smith and Jessica Stern
Desirée Cormier Smith and Jessica Stern, co-founders and co-presidents of the new Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice, on why human rights and rule of law are central to US foreign policy interests.
By: Colum Lynch and Elissa Miolene
Featuring: Jessica Stern
The Trump administration renewed its campaign to limit the global expansion of human and economic rights for women and girls, opposing United Nations proposals to create a reparations fund for female victims of violence and to regulate artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies that can potentially fuel misinformation and hate speech targeting women and girls, according to internal notes of the talks obtained by Devex.
By: Malachy Browne and Aaron Boxerman
Featuring: Dr. Beth Van Schaack
The Feb. 28 strike that hit an elementary school in the southern Iranian town of Minab is the deadliest known episode of civilian casualties since the United States and Israel attacked Iran — and no side has yet taken responsibility.
By: Isabel Choat
Featuring: Jessica Stern
Thousands of international delegates are gathering in New York this week for the world’s largest meeting on women’s rights. The United Nation’s annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is an opportunity for government ministers, UN officials, NGO representatives and activists to discuss the global state of gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year, there will be a strong focus on “ensuring and strengthening access to justice”.
International Law Chats Podcast Hosted by Professor Chiara Giorgetti, Alison Macdonald KC, and Professor Milena Sterio
Featuring: Dr. Beth Van Schaack
This month features Ambassador Beth Van Schaack. Prior to returning to Stanford University, Dr. Van Schaack served as the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice (GCJ) at the U.S. State Department, where she had previously served as Deputy. GCJ advised the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and the deployment of the whole range of transitional justice mechanisms in states emerging from violence or repression. Beth joined us from the European University Institute in Florence, where she is a Visiting Fellow.
By: Josh Azevedo
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
The Trump administration’s recent expansion of the Mexico City policy, long known as the “global gag rule” for abortion funding, is now reaching further than ever, blocking U.S. foreign aid tied to racial equity, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. Experts warn this shift could have devastating consequences for public health, human rights, and the U.S.’s global credibility.
By: Gerren Keith Gaynor
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
Civil rights groups and Black leaders are speaking out against President Donald Trump‘s nominee for a top post at the U.S. Department of State, urging the U.S. Senate to reject his nomination.
By: Christopher Wiggins
Desirée Cormier Smith and Jessica Stern Quoted
Ahead of a Thursday confirmation hearing, two former senior U.S. officials in the Biden administration are warning that President Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee U.S. engagement with the United Nations could use the post to weaken global human rights protections, particularly for LGBTQ+ people and communities of color.
By: David Smith
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
Donald Trump’s pick for a top diplomatic post has championed “white supremacist, racist, antisemitic and homophobic views”, a former US state department official has warned.
By: Garrett Owen
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
A nominee selected by President Donald Trump will get a Senate hearing on Thursday for a top State Department position, in spite of a long, documented history of “violent” and “racist comments.”
By: Jasmin Malik Chua
Kelly M. Fay Rodríguez Quoted on Global Labor Programs
By: Danielle Han
Jessica Stern Quoted
Along with using his wife’s pregnancy announcement as proof that he gets action (shudder), Vice President JD Vance used his speech at the March for Life rally on Friday to announce a devastating expansion of the Trump administration’s global gag rule. The rule, which already blocked federal funding for global organizations that even dare utter the word “abortion,” will now include any organization that the administration deems as promoting transgender rights or diversity inclusion initiatives.
By: Phenix S. Halley
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term wrapped up the week of Jan. 18 with his continued threats to annex Greenland, more anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and underlining concerns that the president has gotten away with more than he should’ve in one year.
Featuring Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta
After one of the toughest years on record for global gender equality, Vital Voices Live brings together Melanne Verveer, Gita Rao Gupta, and Gary Barker to reflect on what happened—and what comes next. The conversation explores global trends, hard-won lessons, and signs of hope emerging around the world. Gary Barker shares insights from his work engaging men and boys as allies, highlighting the power of solidarity in driving change. A candid, hopeful look at the road ahead for gender equality.
By: Christopher Wiggins
Jessica Stern Quoted
A year into President Donald Trump’s second term, Amnesty International and a coalition of U.S. and international rights groups are warning that the United States is exhibiting clear signs of democratic backsliding, marked by the erosion of civil liberties, weakened rule of law, and the normalization of coercive state power.
By: Michael K. Lavers
Jessica Stern Quoted
Jessica Stern, the former special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights, on the eve of the first anniversary of the Trump-Vance administration said its foreign policy has “hurt people” around the world.
By: Katie Surma
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
On a June day in 2022, gunmen shot Virgilio Trujillo Arana in the head three times in the capital city of Venezuela’s Amazonas state. An Indigenous Uwottüja leader, Trujillo Arana had spent years defending the Amazon rainforest from destructive illegal mining. That work grew increasingly dangerous as illicit extraction boomed in Venezuela, with criminal groups targeting anyone perceived as an obstacle to profit. His killing was the 32nd documented murder of an Indigenous or environmental defender in Venezuela over an eight-year period ending in 2022.
By: Danielle Han
Desirée Cormier Smith Quoted
On Wednesday, Trump signed Executive Order 14199, withdrawing the U.S. from dozens of international organizations, conventions, and agencies. The list includes the world’s oldest climate treaty, an apolitical counterterrorism forum, and multiple United Nations organizations dedicated to the advancement of women’s rights, family planning, maternal and child health, and preventing sexual violence in conflict.
Featuring: Dr. Beth Van Schaack
Sunday's voting is the first of three phases of the general election, which has been heavily criticized by the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Opponents claim that the election is an attempt by the ruling military junta to gain international legitimacy.
The Head of the Table Podcast Hosted by Nora Riddle Featuring Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta
Join us for an intimate fireside chat with Former Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues, Geeta Rao Gupta, one of the world's leading voices on gender equality and women's empowerment. In this fireside chat, we explore the history of the women's rights movement and the backlash it is currently facing.
By: Marta Garde
Jessica Stern Quoted
International Newsroom, (EFE) – International humanitarian aid ends 2025 with its foundations reduced to their bare minimum. The trigger: the freezing of aid by the administration of US President Donald Trump, which forces organizations to both address needs with fewer resources and to rethink the functioning of the system itself.
Justice Matters Podcast Hosted by Mathias Risse Featuring Desirée Cormier Smith, Jessica Stern, and Kelly M. Fay Rodríguez
On today’s episode of Justice Matters, we’re marking Human Rights Day, observed every year on December 10th to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948. To mark the occasion Co-host Mathias Risse speaks with four of our Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy Fellows to share their perspectives on why human rights still matter and why they may be more important now than at any point in the 77 years since the Declaration was adopted.
The FMUS Podcast Featuring Jessica Stern
Jessica Stern, former U.S. Special Envoy to Advance Human Rights for LGBTQI+ persons and founder of The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice, discusses with Françoise the connections between feminism and LGBTQI+ rights, why politicians weaponize LGBTQI+ communities and especially trans rights at election time, and why she’s working to center human rights as a core principle of US foreign policy. Tune in to learn how defending the human rights of marginalized people can strengthen democracies worldwide.
By: Danielle Han
Jessica Stern Quoted
A new report by the Intercept reveals the State Department wants to use a new aid agreement template, which will require foreign countries to share extensive health and pathogen data—as well as abortion data—if they want to receive federal funding.
Mothership Podcast Hosted by Bama Athreya Featuring Jessica Stern
My guest, Jessica Stern, served as United States Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons from 2021 to 2025. She represented the world’s most marginalized communities. But this interview isn’t about her policy analysis. It’s about how a seemingly ordinary young girl was inspired to rise to extraordinary prominence. The stories that shaped her life and inspired her to become a leader for social justice. Jessica's journey from a voracious reader in childhood to a prominent activist and government official. We talk about the challenges of coming out, the importance of community support, and the current state of LGBTQ rights globally. And, of course, the importance of stories.
Radio Interview by David Hunt featuring Jessica Stern
For more than two decades, activist, educator, diplomat Jessica Stern has worn a variety of hats in her efforts to advance LGBTQ human rights around the world, always at the forefront — unafraid, unapologetic, speaking truth to power. Currently serving as Senior Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy Fellow at the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, Stern talks about her pioneering work at the United Nations, her tenure as the top queer diplomat in the U.S. State Department and her advice for standing up for human rights in a hostile world (interviewed by David Hunt).
Following our recent press conference responding to the release of the U.S. State Department’s 2024 Human Rights Reports, the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice has been featured in multiple media outlets. In the link below, you’ll find links to coverage from CBS News, ABC News, New Jersey Today, More to Her Story, the Washington Blade, LGBTQ Nation, and the Huffington Post. Each piece highlights our concerns over the erasure of key sections and the troubling changes in this year’s reports compared to last year and years prior.
By: John Yang & Dan Sagalyn for PBS News Hour
Featuring: Cindy Dyer
For 25 years, the State Department has had an office tracking the scope of human trafficking and working to combat it. In 2023, more than 133,000 victims were identified globally, leading to more than 18,000 prosecutions. Last week, the Trump administration drastically cut that office’s staff. John Yang discussed more with Cindy Dyer, the former ambassador to monitor and combat trafficking.
Jessica Stern, 48, smiles, breathes, reflects, and fires off steely phrases studded with references to equality and human rights. Aware that no victory is permanent, she loads her responses with barbs aimed at the global reactionary right, but without ever losing her infectious laughter. A former U.S. Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Persons under the Joe Biden administration, she attended the UN development aid summit in Seville this week to remind countries of the discrimination and violence suffered by the LGBTQ+ community on a daily basis.
© 2025 Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice.