By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA | 10 November 2025 (IDN) — On 26 September 1996, on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly, at the signing ceremony for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), then-US President William J. Clinton declared the treaty as “the longest-sought, hardest fought prize in arms control history.” He exaggerated; in […]
UN80 Initiative – Between Renewal and Regression
By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury The following are extensive excerpts from the address by the former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, Ambassador Chowdhury — who founded the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace (GMCoP) — at the United Nations Asia Network for Diversity and Inclusion (UN-ANDI) on the occasion of the […]
Doha Summit Ends With Call To Turn Social Pledges Into Action
By UN News DOHA, Qatar | 7 November 2025 (IDN) — Speaking at the closing press conference, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said the Summit marked a “deliberate shift” from identifying gaps to acting on proven solutions. “Copenhagen taught us 30 years ago that social development and inclusion are essential for strong societies,” she said. “We […]
Sudan’s Civil War Ravages the Core of Our Humanity
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 6 November 2025 (IDN) — The Sudanese civil war is one of the greatest tragedies we are witnessing today. The international community is disgraceful for sitting on its hands, watching with indifference this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, and so far, several rounds of […]
Every Breath Counts
By Praise Nutakor The writer is a Partnerships and Communications Specialist at UNDP. NEW YORK | 2 November 2025 (IDN) — Every breath matters. For a newborn struggling for air, an expectant mother requiring surgery, or a patient battling respiratory illness, access to medical oxygen can mean the difference between life and death. Yet in […]
The World Confronts the Genocide Washington Is Trying to Bury
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies NEW YORK | 27 October 2025 (IDN) — On 4 October 2025, in an interview with Axios, President Trump stressed that one of the main goals behind his Gaza plan was to restore Israel’s international standing. “Bibi took it very far and Israel lost a lot of support in […]
Wars on Women Escalate as Global Conflicts Surge
A landmark UN report sounds the alarm This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 25 October 2025 (IDN) — When we think about war and peace, we often picture men in uniforms, generals in strategy rooms, and presidents at podiums. But around the world, it’s women who are bearing the brunt of war […]
Trump’s Assault on the UN is Self-Defeating
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | October 22 2025 (IDN) — It is hard to imagine that there is not a single adult in Trump’s orbit to tell him that withdrawing from the many UN agencies that provide critical humanitarian services undermines rather than advances the United States’ national interest and global standing. There is […]
Trump’s CIA and Its Practices
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 21 October 2025 (IDN) — In Charles Dickens’s novel “A Tale of Two Cities”, set during the French revolution of 1789, he draws the character of Madame Defarge. She along with other members of the Tricoteuse, the knitting women, perch every day next to the guillotine, knitting into hats […]
Latest UN Resolution Puts Sri Lanka’s Commitment To The Test
By A.L.A. Azeez* This article was first published on Daily FT. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 19 October 2025 (IDN) — Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath made a statement in Parliament on Thursday, explaining Sri Lanka’s position at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). On 8 September 2025, he delivered the country statement during consideration of the comprehensive report […]