By Fabrice Robinet NEW YORK | 27 March 2025 (IDN) — For two years, one international organization under the umbrella of the UN has been leading a relentless campaign in the corridors of global digital diplomacy. Its mission? To bring linguistic diversity to English-dominated artificial intelligence. With his signature geeky glasses and TED-Talk-style headset, Sundar […]
Trump Catapults the Global Order into ‘Unknown Unknowns’
By Partha Chatterjee* NEW DELHI | 25 March 2025 (IDN) — The world used to be a familiar place, but then along came Donald Trump. Since the end of World War II, people around the world have come to expect certain things, and certain ways of doing things. It’s not that the world has not […]
Our Divided World: Insights of a Former Diplomat
Jayantha Kottage* Reviews Somar Wijayadasa’s Memoirs CANBERRA, Australia | 22 March 2025 (IDN) — “History repeats itself, but in such a cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done”, Sydney J Harris Somar Wijayadasa’s memoirs, “Our Divided World: My View from The United Nations” provide a reflective account of global […]
UN Chief Visits World’s Largest Refugee Camp with Bad News from Trump
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK, Thailand | 22 March 2025 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Bangladesh from March 13 to 16. His visit came at a critical time as Bangladesh grapples with both internal and external challenges aimed at thwarting the historic reforms introduced by the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. […]
Urgent Need to Avert Sinking into a Debt-Driven Development Crisis
By Rebeca Grynspan The writer is the Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The following are extensive excerpts from her Statement to 14th session of the three-day International Debt Management Conference on 17 March 2025. GENEVA, Switzerland | 21 March 2025 (IDN) — The Romans had a god named Janus—the deity of thresholds, beginnings, […]
Global Trade in Flux: Navigating Policy Volatility and Structural Shifts
BY UN DESA NEW YORK | 20 March 2025 (IDN) — International trade is once again in the spotlight. A new Monthly Briefing from UN DESA examines the evolving dynamics, offering insights into both the risks and potential opportunities ahead. Structural shifts in global trade Global trade is undergoing profound changes, with globalization evolving along […]
Call for Debt Reforms to Prevent ‘Defaults on Development’
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 19 March 2025 (IDN) — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan has urged reforms to prevent the current debt crisis from derailing progress. “Behind us lies a system that needs reform; before us, the chance to build one that serves people and stability, long-term development, not recurring […]
Rethinking Climate Finance to Work for Women in Nepal’s Coffee & Pashmina Value Chains
By Elena Mayer-Besting, Duygu Cinar, and Darshni Nagaria* KATHMANDU, Nepal 18 March 2025 (IDN) — Women in Nepal, who are the backbone of the agriculture sector, are faced with an escalating challenge: the climate crisis. For rural farmers like Gnaga Maya Adhikari, the impacts of climate change are already a harsh reality: “Over the past […]
Iran Calls Trump’s Proposed Negotiation A “Deceptive Tactic”
By Abdul Rahman DHAKA, Bangladesh | 16 March 2025 (IDN) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei said on March 12 that the US offer to talk with Iran is not credible. He claimed since the Trump administration is neither ready to address Iranian concerns nor willing to lift its illegal unilateral sanctions to […]
Latin America Prepares New UN Climate Plans as Emissions Rise
By Fermín Koop* BUENOS AIRES, Argentina | 15 March 2025 (IDN) — Every five years, parties to the Paris Agreement on climate change must submit action plans that increase their level of ambition in meeting its goal: to halt the average global temperature rise at 2C above pre-industrial levels, if not 1.5C. The current slate […]