By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 of the United Nations says the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased number of conflicts around the world have placed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in jeopardy. The report, released on July 7, highlights the severity and magnitude of […]
Mugabe Supporter to Head Pan-African Parliament
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — As members of the Pan-African Parliament hotly disputed the election of senator and chief Fortune Charumbira as their next president, a familiar figure could have turned the exercise upside down. The familiar figure was ex-President Robert Mugabe. Charumbira, an unapologetic Mugabe supporter, once faced […]
Ghanaians Take to The Streets Over Intolerable Living Costs
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — “Mr President, where is our money? The high cost of living will kill us.” Those were the cries that filled the streets of Accra as the usually peaceful people of Ghana could no longer stop their anger and frustration over intolerable living costs, record inflation, […]
Ghana Cracks Down on LGBTQIA+ Community Despite Opposition
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Legislators in Ghana with unapologetic support from President Nana Akufo-Addo have come up with a new law making life even harder for LGBTQIA+ persons in the West African country, a bill which essentially strips the community of all human rights. Dubbed the “most homophobic document […]
Germany Will Return Two Historic Bronzes to Nigeria
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) — Germany has taken a historic step toward addressing colonial injustice. It has agreed to return valuable bronzes to Nigeria. More than 1100 fascinating bronzes pillaged from the former Kingdom of Benin (today’s Nigeria) are stored for some 125 years in the stockrooms and collections of 20 German museums. These […]
A Tide of Pledges at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | LISBON (IDN) — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has pledged to enable 100 coastal countries including all Small Island Developing States to realize the maximum potential of their blue economies through sustainable, low-emission and climate-resilient ocean action by 2030.
Fijian Activist Educates Youth on Upcycling Marine Debris
By Kim Rabuka SUVA (IDN | Wansolwara) — Suzanne Turaganiwai, a marine activist and ocean advocate is educating youths and communities on how to manage waste to keep the environment clean. The 29-year-old manages the marine debris activism account on Instagram called ‘benu ni waitui’. “It’s looking at highlighting the impacts of marine pollution on […]
G7 Carped for Failure to Tackle Hunger Crisis
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) — “Faced with the worst hunger crisis in a generation, the G7 have simply failed to take the action that is needed. Many millions will face terrible hunger and starvation as a result,” declared Max Lawson, head of inequality policy at Oxfam International. “Instead of doing what is needed, the […]
Asia-Pacific: Older Persons as Agents of Development
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — Older persons are highly visible across Asia and the Pacific: they work in agricultural fields producing our food supplies, peddle their wares […]
‘Ocean Action’ Vital for the Asian and Pacific Countries
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — As the Second Global Ocean Conference opens today in Lisbon, governments in Asia and the Pacific must seize the opportunity to enhance […]