By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – In a bold move, new UN report has proposed a series of reform measures to make debt, capital and banks work for development and finance a Global Green New Deal generating a net increase in global employment of at least 170 million jobs, with cleaner industrialization in the South […]
Ayurveda Could Provide Affordable ‘Health for All’
Viewpoint by Manish Uprety* NEW DELHI (IDN) – The quest for a healthy life has been an eternal one. In 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration expressed the need for urgent action by all governments, health and development workers, and the world community to protect and promote the health of all people. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched […]
We Have a Long Way to Go Battling Climate Change, Laments UN Chief
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – The much-publicized Climate Action Summit, hosted by the United Nations on September 23, took off on a not-so-positive note even though it was billed as a high-level meeting of world political leaders. Despite dire warnings from UN Secretary-General António Guterres of an impending “climate emergency” – with hurricanes, […]
UN Reviews the SAMOA Pathway for Most Vulnerable Countries
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Progress made in addressing the priorities of the highly vulnerable small island developing States (SIDS) will draw the focus of the United Nations General Assembly when it conducts a high-level review of the SAMOA Pathway on September 27 as part of the ACTION FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET that […]
Global Leaders Urged to Make Africa’s Great Green Wall a Reality by 2030
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK IDN) – Eminent leaders from business, politics, media, the film and music industries gathered in New York on September 22 to spotlight the 8000 km Great Green Wall – natural wonder of the world across the entire width of the African continent – as a practical, low-cost nature-based solution responding […]
Up to 5 Billion People Could Miss Out on Health Care in 2030
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Time is running out for countries to achieve the global goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). A new report warns that if current trends continue, up to 5 billion people will still be unable to access health care in 2030 – the deadline world leaders have set […]
New Report Highlights Growing Gap Between Global Targets and Climate Reality
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – A landmark new report has underlined the glaring – and growing – gap between agreed targets to tackle global warming and the actual reality. The report, United in Science, includes details on the state of the climate and presents trends in the emissions and atmospheric concentrations of […]
Leaders Demand Urgent Climate Action in Dorian’s Wake
By Josephine Latu-Sanft The writer is Senior Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat. LONDON (IDN) – In the lead up to September 23 global climate summit in New York and barely two weeks after Hurricane Dorian battered The Bahamas, the Commonwealth’s top official is calling for urgent action to tackle climate change and its disastrous […]
Securing a World of Climate Resilience, Prosperity and Peace
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) – In the run-up to the Climate Action Summit at the UN in New York on September 23, the World Future Council (WFC) has called for immediate measures to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 to avoid climate catastrophe and to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050, […]
Outer Space, the Common Heritage of Mankind, In Peril
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK (IDN) – The world’s arms race—which is being played out with sophisticated weapons largely in the battle fields of Asia and the Middle East – is steadily advancing into a new frontier: outer space. And he who dominates outer space, argue military analysts projecting into the future, may perhaps dominate […]