Situation in Haiti Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas were plunged into a blackout for 10 days from 13 May due to sabotage at the Péligre hydroelectric plant, Haiti’s main power source. The shutdown was reportedly carried out by civil society associations from Mirebalais and Saut d’Eau protesting gang violence. Fritz Alphonse Jean met on 23 May […]
Internet Governance Forum Weighs Pros and Cons of AI
By Bernhard Schell RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | 19 December (IDN) — More than 11,000 participants gathered at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh from 15 to 19 December 2024 and addressed the transformative opportunities and risks posed by rapid advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies. They agreed that while AI presents […]
Poverty Is Rising and Inequality Widening in Asia and The Pacific
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK | 25 October 2024 (IDN) —The Asia-Pacific region, with over 4.8 billion people spread across 58 countries and territories, is home to about 60 percent of the world’s total population of 8.2 billion. The population of Asia, which include India and China, is expected to continue to grow, reaching 5.3 […]
Informal Summit of The Future: International Youth Conference
By Bisma Qamar* NEW YORK | 19 October 2024 (IDN) — The summit of the future was held during the General Assembly session last month with the theme of multilateral solutions for a better future. One of the prominent chapters which was highlighted was youth and future generations. Following the summit, the 10th edition of […]
Poverty Cannot Be Eradicated Without Containing Arms Industry
By Kalinga Seneviratne* BANGKOK | 18 October 2023 (IDN) — Every year the United Nations mark October 17 as the ‘International Day for the Eradication of Poverty’. Another day has come and gone and the world’s target of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is further away than a year ago. Meanwhile the […]
Child Survival Award to Honour the Legendary Jim Grant
By Kul Chandra Gautam The writer is a former UN assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of UNICEF. KATHMANDU | 26 September 2024 (IDN) — Ever since UNICEF’s legendary Executive Director Jim Grant passed away in January 1995, I have had a dream that UNICEF, ideally, or some other organization, would establish a prestigious […]
World Bank Shows Way Out of Extreme Poverty for Two-thirds of Global Population
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 6 August 2024 (IDN) — Bad news for two-thirds of the global population. They comprise six billion people and inhabit 108 countries—including China, India, Brazil, and South Africa—classified as “middle-income”, each with annual GDP per capita in the range of $1,136 to $13,845. Two out of every three people […]
Need for a Real Change of Corporate Culture at the World Bank Group
By Simone Galimberti KATHMANDU | 21 June 2024 (IDN) — Since taking over the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga has been trying hard to bring bold and profound changes. Such plans were at the centre of the discussions at the third meeting of 21st Replenishment process of the International Development Association, IDA, the grant and […]
Mobile Library, First of Its Kind, Launched in Democratic Republic of Congo
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 11 June 2024 (IDN) — If you don’t go to libraries, they will come to you. This is the concept behind Kitabus, a mobile library designed to promote reading to a wide audience. The name “Kitabus” is derived from “Kitabu,” which means book in Swahili, and […]
UN Report Cautiously Optimistic About Global Economic Outlook
By Rodney Reynolds NEW YORK | 16 May 2024 (IDN) — A United Nations report expects a sustained rebound in tourism to improve the economic prospects for small island developing States (SIDS), leading to GDP growth from 2.4 per cent in 2023 to 3.3 per cent in 2024. However, SIDS remain vulnerable to spikes in […]