By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) — People and the planet are threatened by the impact of climate change, according to UN scientists. Ecosystem collapse, species extinction, deadly heatwaves and floods are among the “unavoidable multiple climate hazards” the world will face over the next two decades due to global warming, they warn.
Ukraine-Russia: Analysis Briefs
By Aar Jay NEW YORK (IDN) — “Over the past six months, Russia has steadily built up forces along the frontier as Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington have traded barbs,” writes Robert Farley in ‘1945‘ on January 3, 2022. Russia’s immediate concerns involve the Ukrainian acquisition and use of Turkish drones along its border regions, along […]
S.N. Goenka: Spreading Buddha’s Teaching Around the World
By Dr Asoka Bandarage The writer, a scholar and practitioner, has taught at Yale, Brandeis, Mount Holyoke (where she received tenure), Georgetown, American and other universities, and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. COLOMBO (IDN) — Fear and distress prevail. Although less reported, there are developments bringing peace and happiness to people’s lives. One such […]
A Journey to the World’s Largest Camp for Syrian Refugees
By H.D. Wright The writer was recently elected to serve as Global Youth Representative at Education Cannot Wait, the UN fund for education in emergencies, marking the first example of a young person being democratically elected to the governing body of a global humanitarian fund. Now, he represents over 100 youth-led NGOs from across Africa, […]
Ukraine: UN Chief Keen to Help Defuse Tensions Between Russia and the Western Countries of NATO
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has made his “good offices” available for a peaceful solution to the looming “disastrous confrontation over Ukraine between Russia and Western countries of the NATO alliance”, pledging he “will remain fully engaged in the hours and days to come” and will “leave no stone […]
The Doubling of Joint UN Fund Will Boost Sustainable Development
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — In the race to 2030, the United Nations Joint SDG Fund has been doubled to $114 million as a result of an additional US $54.5 million in investments for projects in five countries, to try and get the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track. Selected from a global […]
Australia: Failed Anti-Religious Discrimination Bill Criticized for Promoting Discrimination
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — A controversial Anti-Religious Discrimination Bill that was strongly supported by conservative Christian groups, an important vote bank for Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s ruling coalition, failed to pass the lower house of parliament when five government backbenchers crossed the floor to vote against the government, by supporting an amendment to […]
West’s Double Standards on Human Rights Undermines UN Human Rights Council
Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira COLOMBO (IDN) — The United States, Britain, Canada and a few other Western so-called champions of human rights will press their unreasonable demand at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) next month to initiate an international probe into alleged human rights violations in the last phase of the separatist war […]
Sri Lanka: Government’s Badly Planned Organic Farming Policy Upsets Rice Farmers
By R.M.Samanmalee Swarnalatha POLLONNARUWA, Sri Lanka (IDN) — Sri Lankan government’s badly planned organic farming policy that has banned the use of chemical fertilizer in farms has upset farmers in this rice growing heartland and a political stronghold of the ruling coalition. The policy has also drawn criticism from agricultural experts, who warn that Sri […]
Two UN Agencies Working Together to Ensure Safe Delivery of Cancer Treatment
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have a long-standing collaboration to support Member States to address their cancer burdens. The two specialized agencies of the United Nations work together to help countries improve cancer control planning, ensure safe delivery of cancer treatment through […]