By Ramesh Jaura VATICAN CITY (IDN) – Nearly six months before the heads of state and government convene to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly’s ‘SDG Summit’ in September, the world religions have tasked themselves with elaborating “a road map or lines of action that can […]
Democracy Under Threat From Corruption
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – Amid a deterioration of trust in democracy, people around the world clearly disillusioned with formal political institutions are turning their anger into protest. Besides being self-seeking, the political class is seen as riddled with corruption, leading to a situation where democratic progress has slowed to a near halt. Indeed, […]
In Quest Of A Charter Of Humanity
By Sean Buchanan This is the first of a two-part report on ‘The Agora of the Inhabitants of the Earth’, organised to find a new paradigm that overcomes the political and ideal gap in which we are living. ROME (IDN) – Some years ago, Riccardo Petrella, an Italian economist, political scientist and a leading figure […]
Bribery Rampant in Over Half of Global Trade
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – There are many losers and few winners when companies bribe foreign public officials to win lucrative overseas contracts. In prioritising profits over principles, governments in most major exporting countries fail to prosecute companies flouting laws criminalising foreign bribery. What is missing, according to Transparency International – the global coalition […]
Kumi Naidoo Wishes a ‘Bigger, Bolder & More Inclusive’ Amnesty
By Devendra Kamarajan NAIROBI (IDN) – The human rights movement needs to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive if it is to tackle the challenges that people face today, says life-long social justice campaigner Kumi Naidoo as he officially starts his four-year tenure as Secretary General of Amnesty International. Amnesty is the largest human rights […]
G20 Anti-Corruption Commitments At Risk
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – As governments across the globe crack down on citizen groups, stifling their ability to speak out and hold governments to account, the role of civil society is more important now than ever. With his in mind, activists from more than 600 civil society organisations and more than 45 countries […]
300 Parliamentarians Call For Commitment To UN Charter
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) – More than 300 parliamentarians representing the collective voice of one billion people from Vancouver to Vladivostok adopted a 76-page declaration on July 11 expressing deep concern about unresolved conflicts and nuclear weapons threats, and proposing measures that should be taken to rebuild peace and security in Europe. The members […]
Call for Equal Citizenship Rights as Gateway to Peace
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) – The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, has called upon societies worldwide to embrace models of equal citizenship and to harness the collective energy of religions, creeds and value-systems in the pursuit of equal citizenship rights. The Geneva Centre chairman Dr. […]
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 […]
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 […]