By Razeena Raheem NEW YORK (IDN)— Dr. Sima Sami Bahous, 65, a former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with links to the Royal court, is the front runner for the post of new Executive Director of UN Women. She is the lead candidate among several contenders for the job which […]
Avoiding Transboundary Waters Conflicts: A Tale of Two Treaties
Viewpoint by Robert Sandford Robert Sandford is a Global Water Futures Fellow at the UN University’s Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), which is supported by the Government of Canada and hosted at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. The Institute marks its 25th anniversary in 2021. HAMILTON, Canada (IDN) — The outdated treaties, compacts, […]
As Lockdown Fetish Fades, Australia Argues Over “Living With Covid”
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Last year, Australia was among the first countries to successfully battle the Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns and efficient contact tracing, but, with the rapid transmission of the Delta variant, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, the politicians’ fetish for lockdowns is now being questioned with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and […]
UN Experts Call for Protection of Journalists in Afghanistan
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) — “Journalists and media workers, in particular women, are facing heightened risks since the Taliban’s political takeover of Afghanistan,” a group of UN human rights experts has warned and called on all States to provide urgent protection to Afghan journalists and media workers who fear for their lives and are […]
The Population Exodus Threatens to Change Hong Kong Forever
By Vera Yuen The writer is Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Hong Kong. HONG KONG (IDN) — Hong Kong has experienced a series of unexpected political developments since 2019. The government proposed a new extradition law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited to mainland […]
Fiji Keen to Ease US-China Rivalry in the Pacific
By Denghua Zhang, ANU and Shivan, University of Fiji While Denghua Zhang is a Research Fellow at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University (ANU), Shivani is Lecturer in the School of Law at the University of Fiji. CANBERRA | SUVA (IDN) — As strategic mistrust between the United States […]
Together, We Can Change the Way We Power the World
Viewpoint by Alok Sharma, President of COP 26 Climate Conference LONDON (IDN | UNDESA) — Solar changed Neville’s life. I saw this for myself when, as UK Secretary of State for International Development, I visited his home in Kenya, and he told me how off-grid solar power was helping him to study for his degree.
ADB Warns Covid-19 Threatens Asia’s Progress Towards Achieving Global Development Goals
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — A new report released by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that an estimated 75 to 80 million people in the developing regions of Asia have been pushed back into poverty last year threatening to derail the region’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
New Accord Set To Improve Workers’ Health and Safety In Bangladesh Garment Factories
This article is transmitted under a new partnership between IDN-InDepthNews and Uni Apro, a Regional Organisation of Services workers in Asia Pacific, part of UNI@uniglobalunion. By Kim Lui SINGAPORE (IDN) — Representatives from international textile retailers have reached a new, 26-month agreement with UNI Global Union and IndustriALL that builds on the progress made by […]
Angola Mine Leak Causing ‘Unprecedented’ Pollution in Congo Rivers
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A leak from the world’s fifth biggest diamond mine in northern Angola is causing an “unprecedented environmental catastrophe,” researchers at Kinshasa University are reported to say. The leak threatens some two million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Raphael Tshimanga, director of […]