By A.D. McKenzie PARIS (IDN) – Financing is key in the fight against climate change, said delegate after delegate at the One Planet Summit in Paris December 12, and this meeting was all about the money: where to invest it and where not. The World Bank Group announced that it would not be financing upstream […]
Astana Process On Syrian Peace Enters Critical 8th Round
By Jaya Ramachandran UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – As Kazakhstan prepares to chair the UN Security Council for the month of January 2018, the Central Asian country’s contribution in the process of de-escalation of the nearly seven-year old conflict in Syria has been commended during Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov’s recent visits to London and Vienna. The […]
UN Environment Assembly Galvanises Nations to Act on Taming Pollution
By Justus Wanzala NAIROBI (IDN) – Amid a cacophony of voices, interests and expectations, the third high level United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), held in Nairobi from December 4-6, had a common denominator – a sense of strong desire and willingness among delegations for action to ensure a pollution-free world. Some walked the talk. Indeed, […]
South-South Cooperation Holds the Key To Beating Global Development Challenges
By Jacques N. Couvas ANKARA (IDN) – “Solutions for the South by the South” was the recurring theme that resounded throughout the duration of the Global South-South Development Expo 2017 (GSSD Expo) from November 27 to 30, 2017 in Antalya, the largest Turkish city on the Mediterranean coast. This landmark event of the United Nations […]
The Global Fund To Fight AIDS Asked to Change Criteria Discriminating Poor Countries
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – As this year’s World AIDS Day campaign – My Health, My Right – kicks into high gear, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called on The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to end the use of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as part of […]
The World’s Poorest Need Funding for Access to Modern Energy
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – The world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs) are “the battleground” on which the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be won or lost, Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD has warned, adding that it is high time for donors to meet aid commitments. The 2030 Agenda includes an explicit goal […]
Violence Against Women and Girls is Not Inevitable
Viewpoint by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka The writer is UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women. Following is the text of the statement titled ‘A life without the threat of violence for everyone: leave no one behind’ released on 16 November launching ‘Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender Violence‘ ahead of the International Day for the […]
Religious Scholars Discuss Peace-building in Afghanistan
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Religious leaders came together in support of efforts to build a culture of tolerance and non-violence in Afghanistan at an event organized by the Bamyan regional office of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). More than 30 scholars, including female scholars from different religious institutions attended the event […]
COP23 Finally Provides a Platform for Indigenous People on Climate Talks
By Stella Paul BONN (IDN) – Patricia Gualinga has been coming to the UN climate change conferences for several years. She usually receives 2-3 minutes on a panel of a side event on indigenous issues during which she tells about the struggles of her community – the Kichwas of Ecuador. The struggles are, typically, of […]
Further, Faster, Together On Climate – From Bonn To Katowice
By Ramesh Jaura BONN (IDN) – The two-week long intensive and multilevel talks concluded in Germany’s former capital city in the early hours of November 18 tasking the negotiators to focus on ‘Where are we, where do we want to go and how do we get there?’ before they meet in Poland in December 2018. […]