By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – On the occasion of World Aids Day on December 1, South African health minister Zweli Mkhize announced the roll-out of a new state-of-the-art antiretroviral drug which, he said, should drastically reduce the number of people living with HIV. The roll-out could start as soon as […]
End Rape and Usher in A Far-Reaching Shift for Our Society
Viewpoint by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka The following statement by Executive Director of UN Women is for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2019. [Also available in ar, es, fr, ru] NEW YORK (IDN) – If I could have one wish granted, it might well be a total end to […]
Greta Thunberg and Schwarzenegger’s Bike Ride Conveys a Climate Message
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Greta Thunberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two names uncommonly seen together, but they made November headlines after sharing a cycle ride together. Generations apart and from wildly different backgrounds, it would be easy to think the two would have little in common, but they share a […]
Odds Still Stacked Against Poorest Children
By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK (IDN) – Although there have been historic gains over the last 30 years in improving children’s lives, urgent action is needed if the poorest children are to feel the impact, warns a new UN report. The report, published on November 18 by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and released ahead […]
Insect Birth Control to Combat Mosquito-Borne Diseases
By Kwame Buist GENEVA (IDN) – A form of insect birth control – Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – that sterilises male mosquitoes using radiation will soon be tested as part of global health efforts to control diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The technique involves the mass production, sex-separation and sterilisation of male mosquitoes […]
ICPD25 Outlines Pathway for Attaining the Rights of Women and Girls
By Justus Wanzala NAIRBI (IDN) – ICPD25, held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi from November 12-14 and marking the 25th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, ended with bold commitments towards attainment of the rights of women and girls. The conference, attended by more than 6,000 world […]
BRICS States Reiterate Commitment to Multilateralism and Urge UN Reform
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | BRASILIA (IDN) – Leaders of BRICS states comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have called for strengthening and reforming the multilateral system, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international organizations, and reiterated their commitment to shaping a […]
Concern That Daesh/ISIS May Not Have Suffered ‘Enduring Defeat’
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – The broad-based Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh claims to have “liberated Iraq and northeast Syria from Daesh/ISIS’s grip” over five years of “military and civilian engagement”. At its peak, Daesh/ISIS controlled nearly 110,000 square kilometers of territory, including major cities in both Iraq and Syria and attracted more […]
Two UN Agencies Reveal High Rate of Soil Erosion in Benin
By Emil Fulajtar and Joanne Liou* VIENNA (IDN) – Harmless traces from nuclear testing more than half a century ago are helping researchers assess soil erosion rates. In Africa, about 65 percent of the continent’s farmland is affected by erosion-induced losses of topsoil and soil nutrients, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the […]
Pneumonia the Number One Killer Disease of Children
By Sean Buchanan NEW YOK (IDN) – Pneumonia, an entirely preventable disease, claimed the lives of 800,000 children – or one child every 39 seconds – under the age of five last year, but funding to improve survival rates continues to lag, according to a new analysis. Most deaths occurred among children under the age […]