By Rita Joshi PARIS (IDN) – Foreign aid from 30 opulent nations, designated as “official donors”, totalled USD 146.6 billion in 2017, signifying a small decrease of 0.6% from the previous year in real terms because they spent less money on refugees hosted by them. But countries most in need of aid received more funds. […]
Trade War, Skripal, Arsenic and Old Lace
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* ROME (IDN) – Like the rest of humanity, I have no way of identifying the instigator of the attempted assassination of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. But I venture some reasoning, just to clear the field of fantasies and focus on real problems. It is true that […]
Reverse the ‘Individualising Imaginary’ on Climate Change
By Maurizio Fratta ROME (IDN) – The data collected by climatologists speak clearly: since 1880 – when surveys began – the summer of 2017 in Italy was the second hottest ever; the month of August recorded an average thermal excess of 2.5°C, with the fourth day of the month the hottest in the last 60 […]
Learning from the Facebook Data Scandal
By Nakshatra Pachauri Nakshatra Pachauri is Controller, Finance and Administration of the South Centre. The views in the article are solely those of the author. This article first appeared in No. 167 of SouthViews – a service of the South Centre to provide opinions and analysis of topical issues from a South perspective – on […]
Japan Supports Human Security Projects in Eight Countries
By Reinhardt Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) – Japan has announced that it will support eight UNIDO projects aimed at ensuring human security for the most vulnerable populations in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Nigeria, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano, the Permanent Representative of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna, affirmed on […]
UNCTAD Asks the Caribbean Countries to be Weather-ready and Climate-smart
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – The Caribbean countries should be weather-ready and climate-smart in view of the rise in global temperatures and extreme weather events threatening to become frequent menacing the region, says Crispin D’Auvergne, who works on climate change and disaster risk management for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), comprising 10 […]
UN Gathering Pledges to End Gender Injustice & Discrimination
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – A landmark global gathering at the United Nations headquarters in New York has come up with a blueprint to ensure the rights and development of rural women and girls around the world. Convened on the heels of an unprecedented global activism and public clamour to end gender injustice […]
UN Intensifies the Quest for Universal Access to Safe Water
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – World Water Day turned 25 on March 22. On that day, as UN-Water noted, 1.8 billion people were using a source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. And, as Global Citizen pointed out, girls and women around […]
World’s Major Tourism Fair Underlines the Significance of Sustainable Development
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN (IDN) – The number of tourists around the world grew in 2017 to an all-time record of 7 percent to reach 1.3 billion. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), 10 percent of the world’s jobs, and 7 percent of the world’s total exports. The need […]
Under-representation of Women in UN System is Mendable
By Fausia Abdoel* VIENNA (IDN) – Women are under-represented at the managerial and leadership levels within the United Nations system. The world body intends to mend this situation and achieve gender parity at all levels by 2028. But indications are that it’s going be an uphill task. Statistics published by UN Women, the UN Entity […]