By Jeffrey Moyo JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – Twenty-nine year old Ruramai Gwata had no reason to celebrate the International Women’s Day observed on March 8 every year. She lay in hospital nursing her wounds following a severe assault by her husband over a domestic dispute. While licking her wounds two months later, as the world commemorated […]
The Road to Climate Summit in Poland Leads Through Bangkok
By Jaya Ramachandran BONN (IDN) – Since the climate negotiations in Bonn failed to pave the way for a successful United Nations climate summit COP24 in Poland in December, an extra round is being convened from September 3-8 in Bangkok. Commenting the negotiations in Bonn, concluded on May 10, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group […]
Finance for Development Should Focus on Poverty Eradication
By Sahar Nasr, on Behalf of the Group of 77 and China Following are extensive excerpts from the Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by Ms. Sahar Nasr, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation of Egypt, at the general debate of the Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up on the follow-up […]
UN Predicts Loss Of $43 Trillion Through Land Degradation
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN | BONN (IDN) – Land degradation has reached staggering proportions. If the current pace continues unabated, a gargantuan amount of $43,000,000,000,000 ($43 trillion) will be lost to the world economy by the year 2050, warns the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). But the anticipated colossal loss can be avoided […]
UN Climate Talks Show Business Support For Paris Agreement
By Jaya Ramachandran BONN (IDN) – Over 700 leading businesses around the world, together representing 2.62 gigatons of emissions equivalent to the total annual emissions of India, have made strategic climate commitments through the ‘We Mean Business’ coalition’s Take Action campaign. Organizers of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) to be held in San Francisco […]
Parliament Moves To Block UK As Safe Haven For Dirty Money
By Robert Johnson LONDON (IDN) – An estimated $21 to $32 trillion of private financial wealth is located, untaxed or lightly taxed, in secrecy jurisdictions around the world as the Financial Secrecy Index names tax havens, which play a key role in facilitating the illicit flow of money across borders. “Corruption, bribery, theft and tax […]
Young People Head SDG Publicity in Iceland
By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK (IDN) – Iceland has decided to spearhead publicity for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by setting up a 12-person council of young people aged between 13 and 18, under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Over 140 young people applied for the 12 places and, according to Nilsina Larsen […]
U.S.-Led NATO Tops Global Military Expenditure Of $1.7 Trillion
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | STOCKHOLM (IDN) – Countries around the world are increasing their military expenditure. While the 29 NATO members together account for 52 per cent of world spending and the United States continues to have the highest military expenditure among them, China, India and Saudi Arabia are contributing the lion’s share of the […]
The Menace of Land Degradation Threatens 3.2 Billion People
By J C Suresh TORNONTO | MEDELLIN, Colombia (IDN) – Deteriorating land degradation caused by human activities is menacing the well-being of the world’s 3.2 billion people, driving species to extinction, escalating climate change, triggering mass human migration and whetting conflict, according to an evidence-based assessment of land degradation and restoration. The perils of land […]
Wanted Urgent Action on Energy to Achieve Global Goals
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – About one billion people around the world live without electricity. Close to three billion lack access to clean cooking solutions and are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, which results in millions of deaths each year, mostly among women and children. Against this disquieting backdrop, a new […]