As Sweden's government intensifies the campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council 2017-2018 the rights-based foreign policy the government claims it wants to carry out will be put to the test. The diplomatic entanglements with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League show clear differences between the nations of the world when it comes to their view of human rights, not least the rights of girls and women. Sweden must continue to make its voice heard.

How are states employing cultural diplomacy in an increasingly interconnected world in shaping understanding between societies while promoting preferential co-operation between nations? Observers of China-South Africa relations will have noticed the increasing reference to the 'China Year in South Africa' by officials on both sides.

Since the founding of the United Nations, poor governance and corruption have been cited as the primary reasons for Africa’s lagging economies. While this may still be a factor, after limited progress for nearly seven decades, this approach seems to be beating a dead horse. It is time to consider additional routes to addressing Africa’s plight as the second largest – yet poorest – of the seven continents. However, one way to help the continent grow would be through cultural intelligence.

The prospect for real and substantial progress in the peace process seems currently out of reach. Yet that does not mean that progress can't be made by focusing on a narrower, yet critical, set of issues that would improve the lives and security of all in the region. The perfect place to start is water.

The examples of Iraq and Syria, not to mention NATO’s 2011 campaign in Libya, should be enough to make us stop and think. Bombardment alone cannot replace a political strategy, even if in Libya - a country with Sunni majority - ISIS cannot feed off the same sectarian claims that helped it in Iraq and Syria.

China is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations of all the permanent members of the UN Security Council. China’s rise in peacekeeping operations is indicative of China’s rise in global prominence by both expanding its role in foreign affairs and protecting its own economic interests.

The annual ranking by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development says Canada's aid contributions dropped to 0.24 per cent of GDP in 2014, down from 0.27 per cent the previous year.

Russia urged the U.N. Security Council on Saturday to call for a "humanitarian pause" in airstrikes by a Saudi-led military coalition to help evacuate foreigners from Yemen and unhindered access to deliver aid to civilians caught in the fighting between Shiite rebels and supporters of the country's beleaguered president.