By Robert Johnson BRUSSELS (IDN) – Parliamentarians of the compact of more than 105 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group and the European Union (EU) are demanding “a greater presence” at the United Nations (UN). As a minimum, an ACP-EU coordination unit should have a seat at the UN, says a landmark […]
Terrorism Comes Unannounced to Laid Back New Zealand
By Dr Palitha Kohona The writer, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary, returned recently from a visit to New Zealand. COLOMBO (IDN) – White extremism and terrorism may appear to be uncoordinated and spontaneous. It certainly lacks the ‘viciousness incarnate’ tag conferred by the media […]
EU-ACP Countries Conclude 2nd Round of Talks on a New Ambitious Partnership
By ACP Press BRUSSELS | N’DJAMENA (ACP-IDN) – Chief negotiators of the African. Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union (EU) have underlined the progress made while launching the next phase of the negotiations for a new treaty after the Cotonou Partnership Agreement signed in 2000 ends in 2020. The Cotonou Agreement is […]
Sustainable Wildlife Management Program Launches Newsletter
By ACP Press BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – Recent studies have shown that overhunting for wild meat is threatening hundreds of wildlife species with extinction, with the result that many indigenous peoples and rural communities are deprived of food and income. An initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, the Sustainable Wildlife Management […]
Russia and Angola Stuck between Diplomatic Rhetoric and Business Reality
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) – Strengthening cooperation in trade, economy and culture, as well as current international and regional matters were top issues in talks between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President João Lourenço of Angola at the Kremlin on April 4. Striking a personal note, the Angolan leader, who completed his […]
Democrats Lining Up to Try to Take on President Donald Trump
By Radwan Jakeem WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) – After months of speculation about who might run for president in 2020, the Democratic field appears to be set. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some stragglers who have yet to commit one way or another, but for all intents and purposes it appears we know who’s in the […]
15 Pacific States Build Resilience to Climate Change
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS | APIA, Samoa (ACP-IDN) – Leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, the region’s premier political and economic policy organisation, have repeatedly identified climate change as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. A three-day meeting, concluded on April 3 in Apia, Samoa, […]
New Study Asks Asia-Pacific to Raise Ambitions Beyond Mere Economic Growth
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is United Nations Under–Secretary–General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) – Three years of implementation of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific shows the region has some catching up […]
2020 Trump Budget Aims to Boost U.S. Nuclear Capabilities
Viewpoint by Kingston A. Reif The writer is director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at Arms Control Association (ACA). This article appeared in Volume 49: April 2019 of the Association’s monthly journal ‘Arms Control Today’. WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – .Consistent with the recommendations of the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the Trump administration’s fiscal […]
China Thwarts India’s Central Asian Ambitions
By Micha’el Tanchum* TEL AVIV (IDN-INPS) – A recent investigation revealed that Chinese troops are stationed on Tajikistan’s south-eastern border, 30 kilometres from Pakistan-administered Kashmir across Afghanistan’s Wakhan corridor. India has unsuccessfully sought to establish its own military base in Tajikistan for over 15 years. The discovery of Chinese troops constitutes a severe setback to […]