By Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – After an episode described as both cruel and horrific, an asylum-seeking mother and her daughter have been reunited in Chicago. The daughter, who just turned 7, had been held thousands of miles apart from her mother since November 2017. According to an American Civil Liberties Union attorney […]
Support for Abolishing First-Class Tickets for Senior UN Staff
By J Nastranis UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ proposal that high-ranking officials fly business class rather than first class – to help rein in one of the most expensive aspects of the Organization’s budget – is finding support in the Administrative and Budgetary Committee, also known as the Fifth Committee. Next to […]
Central Asian Leaders Follow Up on Discussions During Kazakh Security Council Presidency
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – When Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke at a high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on ‘non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: confidence-building measures’ on January 18, the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries attended the event. Kazakhstan convened the briefing in its capacity as the […]
Economic Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region and the One Belt One Road Initiative: A Threat or an Opportunity?
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and former Foreign Secretary. – The Editor COLOMBO (IDN) – The Indian Ocean region is experiencing a fondly anticipated luxury. Almost every one of the economies of the region is expanding at a rate that gives hope […]
Caribbean Faith Leaders Call for Debt Relief and More
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – Ahead of the next hurricane season in the Caribbean, faith leaders are calling for action from government leaders, the United Nations system, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and regional development institutions. A statement signed and endorsed by 22 religious leaders from Grenada to Saint Lucia is urging the […]
World’s Major Tourism Fair Underlines the Significance of Sustainable Development
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN (IDN) – The number of tourists around the world grew in 2017 to an all-time record of 7 percent to reach 1.3 billion. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), 10 percent of the world’s jobs, and 7 percent of the world’s total exports. The need […]
Under-representation of Women in UN System is Mendable
By Fausia Abdoel* VIENNA (IDN) – Women are under-represented at the managerial and leadership levels within the United Nations system. The world body intends to mend this situation and achieve gender parity at all levels by 2028. But indications are that it’s going be an uphill task. Statistics published by UN Women, the UN Entity […]
UN Achieves Consensus on Addressing the Drug Menace
By Jaya Ramachandran VIENNA (IDN) – Enhancing international cooperation to combat the synthetic opioid crisis, removing stigma as a barrier to the availability and delivery of health care and social services for people who use drugs is part of eleven resolutions the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has endorsed. The five-day […]
Why Eye Care is Important – for Bangladesh and Other Countries
By Naimul Haq DHAKA (IDN) – John Bob Ranck, also known as Bob, Chief Executive Officer and President at Orbis International, recently visited Bangladesh on a special mission. He travelled to some of the hospitals where Orbis as a partner has been supporting Bangladesh’s efforts in addressing avoidable blindness. Bob, a retired United States Air […]
Obama Foundation To Launch Leaders Africa Program in July
NEW YORK (IDN) – The Obama Foundation, which aims “to inspire and empower people to change their world”, is launching a ‘Leaders Africa Program’, and is seeking to identify a group of emerging African leaders from all sectors – government, civil society, and the private sector. They should have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the […]