By Dr George Chaponda The writer is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Malawi. LILONGWE, Malawi | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — When Malawi became the first landlocked country to ratify the BBNJ Agreement, we affirmed a simple but powerful principle: stewardship of the global commons is a shared responsibility, not a […]
Whither the Law of the Sea?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 1 July 2026 (IDN) — David Attenborough said in his wondrous documentary film, Ocean, that it had taken him a long time in his 99 years of life to understand that for the survival of our planet the oceans are more important than the land. This past four months, as […]
The US Occupation of the Indian Ocean ‘Zone of Peace’, the Next UNSG and the World’s First Woman Head of State
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 30 June 2026 (IDN) — America’s war of choice on Iran has spread across the Indian Ocean World and maritime Silk Route. Starved of oil and gas, South and Southeast Asia’s emerging economies have seen their local currencies fall against the ‘exorbitantly privileged’ Petrodollar as public and private […]
The Ceasefire in Gaza: A Deadly Illusion
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 30 June 2026 (IDN) — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza as a “cruel and deadly illusion” as Israel continues to attack the besieged enclave. “During a period supposedly defined by restraint and protection, a child has been killed, on average, every […]
Food Security in Mozambique Begins with Empowered Coastal Communities
By Dr Atanasio Brito* MAPUTO, Mozambique | 28 June 2026 (IDN) — Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coastline is 1,500 miles (2,470 kilometres)—as long as the combined coastlines of France and Spain. With three out of five Mozambicans living near the water, fish and fishing play a central role in our diets and incomes—fish supplies 50% of […]
The International Legal Order is Broken: 2 Key Shifts Needed to Fix it
By Danny Bradlow* JOHANNESBURG, South Africa | 27 June 2026 (IDN) — The international legal order that was created after the Second World War is no longer fit for purpose. Its response to urgent global problems such as climate change, poverty, and pandemics is inadequate. Its key institutions, like the United Nations, are incapable of […]
Until Every Child is in School, No One is Truly Safe
By Mohamud Hure* DOHA, Qatar | 26 June 2026 (IDN) — The morning war arrives, a child learns a different kind of lesson: which road is safe, which silence means run, how much can be carried and what must be left behind. Somewhere in Sudan or eastern Congo this year, a girl folded that knowledge […]
The Fulcrum is Female
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 17 June 2026 (IDN) — Over 200 years, we have watched with a mixture of fascination and horror the explosion of population in most parts of the world. In the 1960s and 70’s, many people were convinced that it was the single most important issue of our times. Government […]
Energy Transition Only Works If Development Works
By Shuvojit Banerjee and Weiwen Qi* BANGKOK, Thailand | 16 June 2026 (IDN) — The energy transition is reshaping economic structures across Asia and the Pacific. When managed well, it can unlock new economic growth opportunities. Where it is not, it can trigger inflation and political backlash that stalls reform. The difference lies in whether […]
Constant Digital Monitoring Is Quieting Public Voices Worldwide
By Gina Romero* BOGOTA, Colombia | 15 June 2026 (IDN) — The modern digital world we live in today is characterised by an interconnected, massive network of monitoring tools—a surveillance ecosystem. Governments frequently justify this intrusion by poorly vague national security narratives and cybercrime frameworks. We have then moved far beyond occasional governmental monitoring into […]