By Ramesh Jaura* This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 9 August 2025 (IDN) — In a world reeling from climate disruption, collapsing biodiversity, and mounting water and food insecurity, land has emerged as both a battleground and a beacon of hope. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) marks not only […]
Palestine: Worsening Humanitarian Catastrophe
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 8 August 2025 (IDN) — For eight decades, the world has witnessed the suffering of the Palestinians. Recently, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “Palestinians in Gaza are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions”. The deplorable status of the Palestinians is a vivid example of how Israel […]
UN’s Reform Process Needs Intensive Deliberations and Consultations
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 3 August 2025, (IDN) — For several months, the United Nations has been in turmoil. The whole UN System, with myriad agencies and programs, is questioning itself. Staff in country offices are holding town-hall meetings because their jobs are in jeopardy. The UN Secretary General and his senior staff […]
Mandates Without Meaning: Why UN Reform Must Begin with a Mandate Cull
By Stephanie Hodge* NEW YORK | 1 August 2025 (IDN) — The UN has never been short on words. It’s drowning in them. Every year, thousands of meetings convene, resolutions multiply like rabbits, and the ink dries on mandates so outdated they might as well be written in Morse code. The recently released Mandate Implementation […]
The Moral Cost of Jewish Leaders’ Silence
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 1 August 2025 (IDN) — The war crimes perpetrated by the Netanyahu government against Palestinians have seriously harmed Jews around the world, as many Jewish leaders not only remained silent in the wake of these crimes, but also actively tried to silence critics of Israel’s war crimes. Although a […]
French-Saudi UN Initiative: Awakening the International Community
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 27 July 2025 (IDN) — Hamas’ savage October 2023 attack and Israel’s horrific war of retaliation have reignited the call for a two-state solution. I applaud the joint French-Saudi UN initiative in support of a two-state solution in the hope that it will awaken the international community and end […]
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
By Charles Glass* FLORENCE, Italy | 23 July 2025 (IDN) — Omar El Akkad, an Egyptian-born journalist, had studied in the United States and worked as a journalist for 10 years when, in the summer of 2021, he became an American citizen. Covering the War on Terror in Afghanistan and at the U.S. detention centre […]
At 80, the United Nations Faces a Moment of Reckoning — and Renewal
A milestone year brings calls for gender parity, regional equity, and bold leadership at the helm of the UN. By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN, NEW YORK | 22 July 2025 (IDN) — As the United Nations prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025, the milestone presents an opportunity […]
The West’s Hypocrisy in Ukraine
Will major Western countries tell Ukraine that if the war is to stop, all it must do is to declare that it will not seek NATO membership? By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 22 July 2025 (IDN) — When it comes to Ukraine, the US and the EU are adopting a holier-than-thou attitude which, unfortunately, […]
A Holistic Approach to Advance the ASEAN Power Grid
By Matthew Wittenstein, Kieran Clarke and Yejin Ha* BANGKOK | 16 July 2025 (IDN) — The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is a key cornerstone of Southeast Asia’s strategy for greater regional integration, energy security economic growth and achieving a sustainable, low-carbon future. With the region’s energy demand projected to more than double by 2050 and […]