By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 2 September 2025 (IDN) — One year ago, the UN General Assembly demanded that Israel must end its occupation of the Palestinian Territories within twelve months. The General Assembly voted, by 124 votes to 14, with 43 abstentions, for a strong resolution that not only “demanded” an […]
Ethiopia to Host Second Climate Summit: A Call for Global Action
By Atiklit Atnafu Naramo The writer is a Second Secretary at the Ethiopian Embassy in New Delhi, India.. NEW DELHI | 28 August 2025 (IDN) — Ethiopia, a nation with over 3,000 years of civilisation and home to more than 80 ethnic groups, is often referred to as the “Land of Origin” owing to its […]
The Imperative for Nuclear Disarmament — Is Putin the Puppet-Master?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 26 August 2025 (IDN) — Everything gets said, nothing gets done. When President Donald Trump met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, we were promised all sorts of goodies — progress in reconciliation in Ukraine and Syria, and, not least, nuclear disarmament. If there is progress behind the scenes, […]
UN80 Early Separation Agreements – Legal Objections & Breach of Principles
By Nadine Kaddoura* An Open Letter to Mr. Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General (USG) for Policy and Head of the UN80 Taskforce. LEUSDEN, Netherlands | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — I write to register a formal objection to the UN80 Task Force’s deployment of “early separation” agreements containing waiver clauses of sweeping breadth. Such provisions are inconsistent with […]
Sérgio Vieira de Mello: Achievements in Post-Conflict State-Building and Lessons for UN at 80
By Chimdi Chukwukere* ABUJA, Nigeria | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — August 19 marked both World Humanitarian Day and the 22nd anniversary of the death of Sérgio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who was killed in a bomb blast while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq. This piece honors his transformative achievements, […]
The Need to Forge a Plan B & Plan C for a Plastic Pollution Treaty
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 19 August 2025 (IDN) — As of 15 August, those hoping for a strong binding plastic pollution treaty were hugely disappointed by the outcome that emerged from Geneva, where the previous round of intergovernmental negotiations, formally known as INC. 5.2 took place from August 5-14, 2025. Nevertheless, for a […]
Sudan: Sexual Violence and Economic Collapse Are Devastating the Nation
This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 16 August 2025 (IDN) — In Sudan, the war is fought not only with bullets and bombs, but on the bodies of women and in the fragile machinery of the economy. Since April 2023, a brutal conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese […]
Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council: “Engage to Disengage”
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Time is ticking off. And it is ticking off on Sri Lanka’s human rights and accountability front, in Geneva. In less than a month from today, the question of promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka will come up for consideration […]
How to Empower Youths? Give Them the Key to Decision Making
By Simone Galimberti* International Youth Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations on 12 August. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to specific cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August 2000. KATHMANDU, Nepal | 13 August 2025, (IDN) — This year’s International […]
From Degradation to Restoration: A Strategic Treaty Emerges as a Leading Global Initiative
By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 9 August 2025 (IDN) — In a world reeling from climate disruption, collapsing biodiversity, and mounting water and food insecurity, land has emerged as both a battleground and a beacon of hope. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) marks not only […]