Viewpoint by Marcelo Colussi* GUATEMALA CITY (IDN) – Although it is not very clear – or not at all clear – what the “correct” in “politically corrrect” consists of, there is a general consensus that we must practice “correctness”, that we must be “politically correct”. Pushed by this trend, then, we cannot say “blacks” but “people of colour” and […]
UN Peacekeeping Needs Thorough Reform
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – The new, vicious, fighting in the Congo is the fourth round of warfare since independence in 1960. No other country has seen so many “blue berets” – UN peacekeeping troops – in its short history. The Belgian colonialists may have exploited it and transferred massive amounts of […]
Ending Persistent Inequality in Africa a Top Priority
Viewpoint by Jean-Luc Stalon Jean-Luc Stalon is UNDP Country Director in Senegal. This article first appeared on January 31, 2018 on Africa Review. – The Editor. DAKAR (IDN-INPS) – The defeat of Keynesianism in the 1980s witnessed an increase in income and social inequalities associated with the domination and monopoly of neoliberalism. Neoliberalism advocates a […]
A Revolutionary Change is Sweeping Across Southern Africa
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – It’s been an odd couple of months for southern Africa. No one predicted last year that in almost the same breath the long-serving dictator of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, and the super-corrupt president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, would be soon overthrown – and non-violently to boot. In […]
No Harm to be Polite When Dealing with North Korea
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – How rude can you get? The US vice-president, Mike Pence, sitting one row in front of the sister of the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un refused to turn round and say hi. She was one outstretched arm away from him. For the whole of the opening […]
UN-Habitat and ACP Partner to Ameliorate Urban Poverty
By Dr Patrick I. Gomes, ACP Secretary-General The following is a slightly modified abridged version of the text of the video message by ACP Secretary General to the 9th World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8-9 February 2018 at the launch of Phase III of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP). Launched in […]
One Belt One Road – A Unique Opportunity For Sri Lanka
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. The following are extracts from remarks he recently made at the Rotary Club Colombo West luncheon. – The Editor COLOMBO (IDN) – President Xi Jinping’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, unveiled in 2013, provides […]
Why the US Should Get Back to the Pledging Table at IFAD
Viewpoint by Scott Morris Scott Morris is a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and director of the US Development Policy Initiative, which seeks to broaden the US government’s approach to development. He also works on issues related to the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and particularly the relationship between the IFIs and the […]
Refugees, Migrants Need Courageous European Leadership
Viewpoint by Idriss Jazairy Ambassador Idriss Jazairy is the executive director of the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue and the former head of a UN specialised agency, IFAD. This article first appeared* in EURACTIV on February 5, 2018 and is being re-published with their permission. GENEVA (IDN) – More people than […]
Trump Might Well Break International Law Over North Korea
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – We are soon going to have a clash between President Donald Trump and international law. This is predicable when one examines the presidential discourse over what to do about North Korea and its possession of nuclear-tipped rockets. He has threatened “fire and fury” which doesn’t sound like […]