By Bernhard Schell RIYADH, Saudi Arabia |16 December 2024 (IDN) — As the world navigates rapid digital transformation, the 19th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has convened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the theme “Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future.“ The programme will feature over 300 sessions, with four sub-themes: (1) Harnessing innovation and balancing […]
UN Charts in Riyadh a Path for Global Action on Land, Drought
By Bernhard Schell RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | 15 December 2024 (IDN) — The nearly 200 countries convening at the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)have committed to prioritize land restoration and drought resilience in national policies and international cooperation as an essential strategy for food security […]
Empowering Indian Street Vendors to Transition from Single-use Plastics
By Satyarupa Shekhar and Om Prakash Singh* NEW DELHI | 14 December 2024 (IDN) — With the intergovernmental negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty now over, it is opportune to discuss India’s approach to plastic pollution. The single-use plastic ban (SUP ban) by the Indian government came into effect from 1 July 2022. What the country needed […]
Asia-Pacific: Leaving No one Behind Amid Climate Change
By Selahattin Selsah Pasali* BANGKOK, Thailand | 14 December 2024 (IDN) — Over four in five people in Asia and the Pacific face multi-hazard risks associated with slow or sudden onset climate events. However, the degree of exposure is by no means uniform across individuals and households and diversity prevails in vulnerability to and capacity […]
The First Element of a North Korean Nuclear Proliferation Network
By Robert Kelley* VIENNA | 13 December 2024 (IDN) — On the night of 6 September 2007 Israeli jets bombed a building in Northen Syria. The building was alleged to be a nuclear reactor under construction to support a nuclear weapons program. The reactor was reported to be a copy of the small plutonium production […]
Russia: Experts Emphases the Role of Public Diplomacy in Ensuring Global and Eurasian Security
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW | 13 December 2024 (IDN) — The School of Preventive Public Diplomacy held from November 30 to December 13 panel discussions on “Preventive Public Diplomacy in Ensuring Global and Eurasian Security” at the Eurasian Network University. The Scientific and Educational Center organised the “Globus XXI Century” program of the Faculty […]
Nobel’s Spotlight on Our Perilous Path and How We Change Course
By Rafael Mariano Grossi Following are extensive excerpts from the keynote speech the IAEA Director General delivered at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2024 at the University of Oslo Aula on 11 December 2024. The Forum was co-sponsored by the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), Mr Grossi started by congratulating Nihon Hidankyō and the hibakusha for […]
UN Expects 305 million People to Seek Life Saving Help in 2025
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 11 December 2024 (IDN) — A record number of armed conflicts and increased frequency and severity of climate-induced disasters are set to force a staggering 305 million people seek “urgent humanitarian assistance and protection” in 2025. 190 million of them will be facing “life-threatening” needs. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) […]
Arrivals Surge in South Sudan, The Rise of Digital Media, Haiti Crisis Update
By United Nations NEW YORK | 10 December 2024 (IDN) — UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has issued an alert after a surge in the number of displaced people fleeing war-torn Sudan for neighbouring South Sudan. More than 20,000 crossed into South Sudan last week alone, with the number of daily arrivals tripling, compared to […]
Israel-Palestine: Seeking a Two-State Solution by Insisting on One
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 9 December 2024 (IDN) — Albert Einstein once said that “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”. That’s how it seems to be with President Joe Biden continuously sending his secretary of state to the Middle East to attempt to resurrect […]