By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne during a joint press conference in Washington on July 29 with her U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo bluntly remarked that although the two countries often hold common positions because they share fundamental values, yet “we don’t agree on everything”. She not only refrained from echoing […]
A German Law Might Put an End to Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains
Viewpoint by Franziska Korn, Friedich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)* BERLIN (IDN) – For over half a decade, the German government has been working to enact mandatory compliance for companies regarding human rights and environmental protection in their supply chains. The United Nations has also pushed for this measure. Adopted in 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council, the […]
UN Gathering To Call for Robust and Urgent Actions to Advance Gender Equality
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) – Twenty-five years after its adoption the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, member states and observers, civil society organizations, gender equality leaders, CEOs, and heads of academia will gather virtually on July 21 in a multi-stakeholder hearing. The purpose is to bolster priority actions at the global and […]
China-India Conflict a Potential Threat to Five-Nation BRICS
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – Tension between China and India threatens to paralyse BRICS – the association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. While struggling to manage the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and India have locked horns over issues in their “bilateral relations”, ranging […]
The Forgotten Victims of COVID-19 Amid Migration Crisis
By Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts As the Coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, closing cities and shutting borders, migrants fleeing violence, persecution, and seeking a new life are stuck in the midst of a health and economic crisis. In this article, Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts investigates how current conditions could affect the future of migrants impacted by the pandemic and […]
Former Liberian Leader Joins Panel Investigating the Global Response to COVID-19
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s former president, and Helen Clark, New Zealand’s former prime minister, are to head the newly formed Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The announcement follows the Trump administration’s formal notification to the […]
UN Chief Calls for Addressing ‘unprecedented’ impact of coronavirus on Latin America and the Caribbean
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN) – As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world, Latin America and the Caribbean have become a “hotspot of the pandemic”, the UN chief said on July 8, releasing a new policy initiative on how best to recover in a region already embroiled in poverty, hunger, unemployment and inequality. […]
A Train Tour for Children of the World into 2030
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations for Grenada, Mr Denis G. Antoine, has authored an extraordinary children’s book: Get on Board, Dear Children of the World. He served as a Vice President of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly, marking the 70th anniversary […]
Cultural Wisdom Might Help Resolve India-China Conflict
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 42nd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports. SINGAPORE (IDN) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a special address given on Asadha Poornima day on July 4 marking the anniversary […]
A Landmark Project Aims at Reforestation in Togo
Income Opportunities for Women By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | TOKYO (IDN) – Togo in West Africa is the venue of a milestone project between Soka Gakkai, a global community-based Buddhist organization and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). The two have signed a memorandum to launch a reforestation project offering income opportunities for women’s groups […]