By Shihana Mohamed NEW YORK | 3 October 2024 (IDN) — On September 23, 2024, Sri Lanka witnessed a historic moment as Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) was sworn in as the nation’s president. This marked the first time since Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 that voters elected a candidate outside the country’s traditional ruling […]
India To Host the World Music Peace Concert on UN Day 2024 in New Delhi
By Dr. Mohan Bhulanie* NEW DELHI | 3 October 2024 (IDN) — From Woodstock, Knebworth, Live Aid to the Global Citizen Festival to end poverty, music has united people to bring hope and harmony. It is also a wonderful medium to raise awareness about the noble ideals of the United Nations in a powerful and […]
The U.S. Israel Policy Has Led Us to the Brink of War on Iran
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies* NEW YORK | 3 October 2024 (IDN) — On October 1, Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel in response to Israel’s recent assassinations of leaders of its Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), Hezbollah and Hamas. There are conflicting reports about how many of the missiles struck their targets and if […]
Middle East: Oxygen Has Been Taken Out of The Air
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 1 October 2024 (IDN) — American Middle East interventionists used to chide President Barack Obama for not doing more. Why was the US running away from Yemen, why didn’t the US go into Syria and depose President Bashar al-Assad, why did Obama pull troops out of Iraq prematurely, why […]
UN Pleads for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons as the Goal Goes on Distance
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 29 September 2024 (IDN) — Global nuclear disarmament has been the highest arms control priority of the United Nations since 1946 when the General Assembly resolved to establish the Atomic Energy Commission (dissilved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the […]
UN Summit Declaration Receives Critical Response
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 29 September 2024 (IDN) — When the much-publicized two-day Summit of the Future concluded on September 23, world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future which covered a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, […]
Sudan Conflict Triggers Humanitarian Crisis
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | GENEVA | NAIROBI | 28 September 2024 (IDN) — The Sudan conflict has generated the largest internal displacement crisis in the world since the Syrian civil war in 2011. It has also had catastrophic impacts on women and girls. “Women and girls in Sudan are facing unimaginable challenges, yet […]
African Leaders Demand Equitable Representation on UN Security Council
By Vibhu Mishra* NEW YORK | 27 September 2024 (IDN | UN News) — The call for a more inclusive and representative Security Council resonated loud and clear at the UN General Assembly on 26 September, as African leaders demanded global powers address the longstanding inequity in the Council’s composition. They articulated a compelling case, […]
Realities That Neither Israel nor The Palestinians Can Wish Away
Dr Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 27 September 2024 (IDN) — In last week’s article entitled “The Four Psychological Dimensions Behind Hamas’ Attack and Israel’s Retaliation,” I explored how the historical, religious, ideological, and humanitarian dimensions have impacted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which culminated with the most violent conflagration since Israel’s creation in 1948. During this […]
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 […]