By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The Security Council in its first open meeting on the conflict in the fidgety northern Ethiopian region has passionately called for immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access to Tigray—and for an end to deadly attacks on aid workers. Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, […]
Historic Forum Concludes in Paris Pledging to Advance Gender Equality by 2026
By Jaya Ramachandran PARIS (IDN) — The historic Generation Equality Forum concluded in Paris on July 2 with the announcement of gender equality commitments and launch of a global five-year action plan to accelerate gender equality by 2026. The Forum’s bold, action-oriented agenda will be under-written by nearly USD 40 Billion of confirmed investments as […]
Hope, Hyperbole and Hypocrisy of COVAX
The realpolitik of vaccine nationalism and how it impacts countries like Nepal Viewpoint by Kul Chandra Gautam* KATHMANDU (IDN) — As a previously unknown mystery disease caused by the novel coronavirus struck Planet Earth in the winter of 2019-20, public health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended universal mask-wearing, physical distancing, lockdowns and […]
Frequent Kidnapping Gives Mozambique Tainted Image
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — While Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and his Government struggle with strategic plans, with the possible engagement of the southern African regional group and funding assistance from the United States and the European Union, to enforce nation-wide security, kidnapping of foreign business representatives has become common in Mozambique.
UN Report Considers Next 18 Months Crucial for Achieving Global Goals
By Santa Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) — COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major disruption to people’s lives and livelihoods around the world in 2020, pushing back into poverty an additional 119-124 million people, says a new United Nations report. An equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs was lost, and the number of people suffering from […]
WHO Issues First Global Report in Artificial Intelligence in Health
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) — Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise for improving the delivery of healthcare and medicine worldwide, but only if ethics and human rights are put at the heart of its design, deployment, and use, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO’s report, Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for […]
Generation Equality Forum Will Consider Seven Ways to Change the World
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — Convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, in partnership with youth and civil society, the Generation Equality Forum is taking place in Paris, from June 30 to July 2. The Forum will bring together governments, feminist leaders, youth, and change makers from […]
Over 264 million Suffer from Depression Worsened by the Global Pandemic
By Lisa Wohl The writer is a US-based health reporter WELLINGTON, Florida, USA (IDN) — According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, one in four people in the world will be affected by neurological or mental disorders at some point in their lives. Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 264 […]
Education Is the Key to Unlock the Door to Freedom
By Professor Ellen Hernandez* The article below explores the importance of education and literacy in the U.S. and Morocco in informing citizens of their rights. COLLINGSWOOD, USA (IDN) — On June 19, 2021, Americans officially recognized “Juneteenth” as a national holiday. Most Americans understand the holiday to be a celebration of the end of slavery […]
Cloud-based CoWIN Platform & India’s Journey towards Universal Vaccination
By Arjun Kumar, Ritika Gupta, Chhavi Kapoor, Kashish Babbar, Rohit Mehta* NEW DELHI (IDN) — With the rolling out of vaccinations early in the year 2021, there was a need for an efficient vaccination drive to dose about 1.39 billion Indians. To pave the way for a universal and citizen-centric structure of vaccination drive, Prime […]