Viewpoint by Patricia Moreira Patricia Moreira is Managing Director of Transparency International, the global civil society organisation at the forefront of the fight against corruption. This viewpoint originally appeared on the World Bank blog. BERLIN (IDN) – In recent years, we have witnessed a significant shift in approach of both the World Bank and International […]
Holocaust Is Not Long Ago and Not Far Away
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ speech on 7 November 2019 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York which was marking the 81st anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom carried out by the Nazi regime. Underlining his continued fight to stamp out antisemitism, racism and other forms […]
Japan Between Cosmopolitanism and Ritualised Tradition
Viewpoint by Siegfried Knittel The writer studied German literature and political science. He now works as a freelance journalist and, since 2011, lives in Japan. This article first appeared on the website of International Politics and Society on 5 November 2019. TOKYO (IDN-INPS) – In Japan, harmony lies at the heart of everything, from politics […]
Amexit Failed in 1776 – Brexit Will Fail Today
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Before there was Brexit there was Amexit when the Americans in 1776 decided to revolt against Britain’s King George and unilaterally secede to establish their own independent republic. In retrospect it was a strangely negative thing to do and one that took a long time to put […]
Upholding International Humanitarian Law in Times of Armed Violence
Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – The entry of Turkish troops into what they call a “safe zone” on the frontier of Turkey and northeast Syria and especially the actions of Turkish-backed Syrian militias has raised in a dramatic way the issue of respect of international humanitarian law. Regular […]
UN Chief Lauds ‘Quantum Leap’ on Multiple Issues in ASEAN-UN Relations
Secretary-General António Guterres’ Press Encounter Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press encounter on 3 November 2019 following the ASEAN-UN Summit. BANGKOK (IDN-INPS) – I am extremely happy with the UN ASEAN summit. Two years ago, I asked for a quantum leap in relations between ASEAN and the UN and we can, […]
Do Everything Possible to Avert ‘Great Fracture’
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ opening remarks for the 10th ASEAN-UN summit in Bangkok on 3 November 2019. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thailand is […]
Opportunity Beckons as Asia Reemerges as the World’s Dominant Economic Power
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary. It has been said that in the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, it is being Asianized. Sri Lanka has another opportunity, through […]
How Reparations Can Help Eradicate Poverty and Secure SDGs
Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn * NEW DELHI (IDN) – Dealing with numbers can take a toll and might make one seek fulfillment in other spheres. No wonder the most influential poet of the last Century penned The Waste Land in 1922 when he was dutifully employed with the foreign transactions department […]
Bring Women at the Peace Table, Build from the Grassroots to the Tree Tops
“Some people change when they see the light; others when they feel the heat”. – Caroline Schoeder, former U.S. Congress member Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000 is a commitment to work resolutely toward greater protection of women and girls in […]