InDepthNews – Page 759 – IDN-InDepthNews

Individual Journalists, SYNDICATION2016-01-262023-07-12

Political Freedom is in Decline

LONDON – Life, said Martin Luther King “is a long and desolate corridor with no exit sign”. He must have said that when his spirits were flagging as most of the time he was optimistic about making the world a better place.

I was reminded of this when reading a new report, “Freedom in the World, 2016”, written by the U.S.-based Freedom House. For the tenth consecutive year, it says, freedom has declined. 72 countries slipped back in the amount of political, civil rights and press freedom they allowed their citizens. 43 countries made gains.

However, to keep it in proportion, the number of countries which are free is much higher than when the Cold War ended. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of countries going backwards have small populations.

ARMAMENTS2016-01-252023-07-10

Kazakh Efforts Lead to a UN Declaration on a Nuke Free World

By J Nastranis | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan is widely acknowledged as an unrelenting champion of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The country’s latest accomplishment is the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly along with the Universal Declaration on the Achievement of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World.

UN INSIDER2016-01-252023-07-10

Kazakh Efforts Lead to a UN Declaration on a Nuke Free World

Research organisations, SYNDICATION2016-01-242023-07-12

Controversy About Afghan October Elections

By Martine van Bijlert

KABUL – In a brief press conference on January 18, 2016, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced the date for Afghanistan’s next vote: October 15, 2016. But the preparations for the elections – for the lower house of parliament and, for the first time, district councils – are complicated by ongoing controversies over the legitimacy of the current IEC, the nature of the electoral reforms that need to precede the elections as well as who will be organising them and under which amended laws.

EU & Europe2016-01-232023-07-10

Oligarchs Turn Moldova into a Cauldron of Corruption

By Alina Inayeh*

BUCHAREST, Romania (IDN | GMF) – History repeats itself, giving us the chance to avoid repeating our mistakes. The Ukrainian story should have taught us a lot about the short-sightedness of supporting a bad government for geopolitical reasons.

Now, as protests against Moldova’s newly formed government are drawing many thousands, is the moment for political leaders in Europe and the United States to take a deep breath and recall this lesson before showing their support to the Moldovan government, known to be controlled by the country’s most powerful oligarch and with little, if any, credible interest in promoting the reforms Moldova needs.

EU & Europe2016-01-232023-07-10

Oligarchs Turn Moldova into a Cauldron of Corruption

By Alina Inayeh*

GLOBAL ISSUES2016-01-232023-07-10

Oligarchs Turn Moldova into a Cauldron of Corruption

By Alina Inayeh* | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

SYNDICATION, UNITED NATIONS2016-01-222023-07-12

Next UN Chief’s Nomination Process Gathers Momentum

By Jamshed Baruah | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

VIENNA | NEW YORK (IDN) – The nomination process for the appointment of Ban Ki-moon’s successor this year is assuming historical dimensions. Since 1946, when Trygve Lie of Norway became the first UN Secretary-General, all seven heads of the world body have been nominated by the Security Council and rubber stamped by the General Assembly.

UN INSIDER2016-01-222023-07-10

Next UN Chief’s Nomination Process Gathers Momentum

Now for the first time the nomination process will be open to all member states of the UN, as indicated in a ground-breaking joint letter by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on December 15, asking UN member states “to consider presenting women, as well as men, as candidates for the position of Secretary-General”.

Gender Equality2016-01-222023-07-10

UN Acts To Achieve Complete Gender Equality Ahead Of 2133

BERLIN | DAVOS (IDN) – Declaring that the empowerment of the world’s women is “a global imperative”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the first-ever High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

The establishment of the Panel, backed by the United Kingdom, the World Bank Group and UN Women, was proclaimed in Davos, Switzerland, the venue of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), on January 21.