By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 16 August 2026 (IDN) — Fragmented power, deepening inequality, climate stress, dying democracies, and weaponized information have fused into one global crisis; we can break the cycle if we only summon the will We are living through a moment in time of cascading disorder. Wars, inequality, and poverty are […]
Governments Must Act Now to Stop the Tobacco Industry Recruiting the Next Generation of Customers
By Gene Gesite Jr., Juan Herrera, Sama Ghozlan, Sarah Rauzana and Winnie Olwal BANGKOK | 8 August 2026 (IDN) — On International Youth Day (12 August), youth advocates around the world are calling on governments to take stronger action to protect young people from nicotine addiction. In Asia, proposals in the Philippines to raise the […]
Forestalling Future Viruses Must Be Done — And It Can Be Done Inexpensively
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 5 August 2026 (IDN) — Almost forgotten in the story about the Coronavirus is the story of AIDS. The drive to deal with it, the search to find medicine to cure it, and the self-discipline by homosexuals only began in 1981, when the disease was discovered and its causes understood. […]
EEPA reports on SAF advancing into Blue Nile State
BRUSSELS | 18 May 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the region and how the EU and the UN view it. Situation in Sudan (per 18 May) Fighting in Blue Nile state has intensified as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) seek to retake Kurmuk, […]
Africa’s Healers Are Not Primitive—Our Thinking Is
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | 26 January 2026 (IDN) — A popular health science book titled “Traditional African medicine” represents the latest direction in interdisciplinary studies of African culture. This book, authored by Dr Lyuba Ivanova, Senior Researcher at the Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), is primarily a historical study […]
Every Woman Deserves a Safe and Respectful Birth
By Prof. Concepta Kwaleyela, Twaambo Mutinta, and Levy Mkandawire* LUSAKA. Zambia | 14 November 2025 (IDN) — There is a core issue in the Zambian health system that numbers alone cannot show. It is not simply a shortage of drugs or ambulances, but the need to give dignity to the many women who still give […]
Accessibility to the Disabled isn’t a Luxury – it’s a Necessity
By Tanja B. Sejersen & & Manal Hassan* BANGKOK | 14 November 2025 (IDN) — Imagine being invisible—not because you’re unseen, but because your existence isn’t officially recorded. For millions of children with disabilities across Asia and the Pacific, this is a daily reality. A recent UNICEF report reveals stark disparities in access to rights […]
Every Breath Counts
By Praise Nutakor The writer is a Partnerships and Communications Specialist at UNDP. NEW YORK | 2 November 2025 (IDN) — Every breath matters. For a newborn struggling for air, an expectant mother requiring surgery, or a patient battling respiratory illness, access to medical oxygen can mean the difference between life and death. Yet in […]
Disaster Preparedness: Anew From the Ancient Old
By Yossef Ben-Meir* Marrakech, Morocco | 4 June 2025 (IDN) — The Kingdom of Morocco is taking the wise measure of building 36 storage facilities that will serve the people’s serious needs during severe crises, should they ever arise, such as with the horrifying 2023 earthquake in the High Atlas region. Ancient knowledge captured in […]
Ukraine War: UN Health Agency Sounds Alarm
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 25 February 2025 (IDN) — While European leaders travelled to Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, assuring President Zelensky of the continued flow of money and weapons, and President Emmanuel Macron of France pleaded with President Trump in Washington not to ignore Europe while brokering a […]