By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – A new set of European Commissioners has taken office in Brussels. The main migration focus of the previous cabinet of Commissioners was halting migration – which led to deals with third countries on stopping and returning refugees and migrants. People evacuated from Libya, for example, are brought to Niger […]
Rebuilding Albania After The 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake
By UN Development Programme TIRANA (IDN-INPS) – A mother of three was found under the rubble hugging her three children. A 24-year-old student’s dream of becoming a dermatologist was cut short. A family of eight was found under their collapsed four-storey concrete home. The youngest was two. There was only one survivor from that family […]
Strategic Talks Reinforce UNIDO Partnership with Germany
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) – Germany and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have agreed to strengthen their partnership towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During high-level strategic talks in Berlin, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on November 26-27, Germany and UNIDO underlined […]
Portugal an Oasis of Social Democracy
Viewpoint by Reinhard Naumann LISBON (IDN-INPS) – Until recently, polls indicated a clear victory for the Socialist Party (PS) in parliamentary elections in Portugal on October 6. Even the absolute majority seemed within reach for the PS under the leadership of current Prime Minister António Costa. At the same time, the liberal-conservative parties, the PSD […]
The Climate Crisis Cannot Be Solved by Capitalism
To Fulfil the Paris Agreement, Germany’s Climate Policies Need to Look Beyond Market-Based Strategies Viewpoint by Kai Niebert* ZURICH (IDN-INPS) – It’s time to get tough – that’s how Chancellor Angela Merkel set the tone for Germany’s climate policies in 2019. But the question remains: will the federal government manage to reduce emissions in line […]
European Union Lambasted for ‘Externalising’ Migration Policy
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – More than twenty African and international organizations have signed a letter which slates the European Union and its member states for externalizing migration policy through direct and indirect cooperation with regimes and militia forces that are utterly unaccountable for their actions, and violating its constitutional values and international obligations, […]
Generation 2030 in the Nordic Countries Tackles SDGs
By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK (IDN) – On September 5, 2017 – two years after the United Nations adopted Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets – the Nordic countries jointly launched the Generation 2030 programme with the aim of speeding up implementation of Agenda 2030 through official Nordic cooperation. A […]
Lessons from Money Laundering Scandals in European Banks
Viewpoint by Maíra Martini and Laure Brillaud This article is reproduced with the permission of Transparency International. Maira Martini is Knowledge Coordinator and Laure Brillaud Senior Policy Officer, Anti-Money Laundering, of Transparency International. Any views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of IDN. LONDON (IDN) – What do all recent major grand corruption scandals have in common? Individuals and companies involved […]
UN Acclaims European Support for Implementation of Biological Weapons Convention
By Ronald Joshua GENEVA (IDN) – The activities funded by the European Union are making a difference on the ground and are helping countries to develop their capacities against the threat of proliferation of biological weapons by States or non-States actors. This was one of the conclusions at an EU side event that was organised […]
A Safer, More Secure Europe Starts Way Beyond the Continent
By Dimitris Avramopoulos The following are extensive excerpts from keynote speech by the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, on Europe’s response to the challenges of migration and security at the London School of Economics on 23 January 2019. BRUSSELS (IDN-INPS) – In the year 2015, Europe was confronted with a […]