By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 7 April 2024 (IDN) — What do jargons like “whole of government” or “whole of the society” approach or really mean when we talk about implementing the SDGs? What about “multi stakeholders’ engagement”? These are some key questions that UN policymakers should ask when they encourage member states to […]
WHO Urges Additional Funds to Ensure Primary Health Care in Poor Countries
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 6 April 2024 (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, has launched “My health, my right” campaign to champion the right to health of everyone, everywhere—urging an additional US$ 200–328 billion a year globally, to scale up primary health care in low- and middle-income countries. Because of necessary […]
Japan Chairs a Rare UN Security Council Disarmament Debate
By Shizuka Kuramitsu and Daryl G. Kimball* This article was issued by Arms Control Today and is being republished with their permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. | 5 April 2024 (IDN) — Japan chaired a rare, high-level UN Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation on March 18. Although the meeting underscored the urgency of addressing […]
Abusive Gender Practices “Tragically Embedded” in American Life
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 5 April 2024 (IDN) — The United Nations has continued a longstanding campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriages, both still prevalent, mostly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. According to the UN children’s agency UNICEF, FGM refers to “all procedures involving partial or total removal […]
Haiti: Unprecedented Human Rights Violations and Humanitarian Catastrophe
By Reinhardt Jacobsen BRUSSELS | 4 April 2024 (IDN) — The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has warned that the “scale of humanitarian right violations is unprecedented in Haiti’s modern history” and an already exhausted people are facing a “humanitarian catastrophe”. Mr Türk said in a video statement to the Geneva-based UN […]
Countries are Failing Women on Hunger
By Matt Freeman* UTRECHT, Netherlands | 2 April 2024 (IDN) — It is often assumed that women and girls disproportionately bear the brunt of global hunger and malnutrition. Analysis from Equal Measures 2030’s SDG Gender Index that tracks countries’ gender equality progress on the United Nations’ sustainable development goals now shows the true scale of […]
FAO Chief Pleads for Investing in the “Super-Powers” of Millets
By Jaya Ramachandran ROME | 31 March 2024 (IDN)—The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, has called for investments to tap into the potential of millets. These are highly nutritious and resilient alternatives to staple grains that can play a crucial role in ensuring global food security. […]
Revival of the Cold War and Decarbonization of the Economy
By Leonam dos Santos Guimarâes* RIO DE JANEIRO | 31 March 2024 (IDN)—The wars in Ukraine and Gaza can be seen as manifestations of intensified geopolitical tensions that resemble the Cold War period, although the contexts and circumstances are different. During the Cold War, the world was divided into two main blocs, led by the […]
‘Cataclysmic’ Situation in Haiti Needs Bold Action
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 30 March 2024 (IDN) — A UN report has called for immediate and bold action to tackle the “cataclysmic” situation in Haiti. The international community has funded only seven per cent of 624 million US dollars in response to the UN humanitarian appeal in February for the Caribbean country. It […]
Will Agenda 2030 be Postponed to 2062?
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK| 28 March 2024 (IDN) — The widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is reflected in the progress reports on the feasibility of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). After the African Union already postponed the date for achieving their development goals to 2063, the United Nations Economic and Social […]