By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 6 February 2024 (IDN) —There are 29 states which have, at one time or another, set about becoming nuclear weapons powers or have explored the possibility. Most have failed or drawn back. Only the US, Russia, France, UK, China, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea have crossed the threshold. […]
Small Arms Trigger 45 Percent of Violent Deaths, Says UN
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 6 February 2024 (IDN) —The weapons used in some of the world’s ongoing military conflicts—including Russia vs Ukraine, Israel vs Hamas and US vs Houthis—are mostly sophisticated fighter planes, combat helicopters, air-to-surface missiles, battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and drones. But in scores of civil wars, mostly in […]
UNDP’s New $1 Billion Fund Could Boost Africa’s Tech Startups Globally
By Damilola Banjo* This article was originally published by Passblue. LAGOS, Nigeria | 4 February 2024 (IDN) — Venture capital funding is shrinking globally, but experts are optimistic that a new $1 billion investment fund created by the United Nations Development Program for the tech ecosystem in Africa could protect startups there from declining investments. […]
The Battle for Leadership of the Global South
By Manjari Chatterjee Miller This article, first published on the website of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), is licensed under Creative Commons. WASHIGNTON, D.C. | 3 February 2024 (IDN) — During the G20 summit in India last year, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi hosted a “Voice of the Global South for Human-Centric Development” virtual […]
Laying Foundation for Digital Revolution in Africa’s Food Systems
By Douglas Okwatch This report is a slightly modified version of the original published in the January 2024 issue of Africa Renewal. NAIROBI | 3 February 2024 (IDN) — Digital technologies will be key in addressing the three persistent problems in Africa’s agricultural industry—inefficiency, exclusivity, and unsustainability, according to the 2023 Africa Agriculture Status Report, […]
Gaza: UN Court Finds “Plausible” Evidence of Israel Conducting a Genocidal War
By Vijay Prashad* This article was produced by Globetrotter. NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts, USA | 1 February 2024 (IDN) — On January 26, judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) released their 29-page order that found “plausible” (paragraph 54) evidence that Israel was conducting a genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza. The court intervened in that […]
UN Report Highlights Unprecedented Destruction of The Economy of Gaza
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 31 January 2024 (IDN) — The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned in a report on the social and economic deterioration in Gaza that the unprecedented destruction of the economy of Gaza—since the beginning of the military operation after 7 October 2023—will take tens of billions […]
Palestine Will Survive, Deeply Wounded — Israel’s Future Hangs In the Balance
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 30 January 2024 (IDN) — It is easy to be cynical about the international rule of law. No sooner had the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel is plausibly committing genocide […]
UN-Backed IRENA Supports Climate Action and Sustainable Development
By Bernhard Schell DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | 28 January 2024 (IDN) — The lead global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which supports countries in their energy transitions, and provides state-of-the-art data and analyses on technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment, marked its 15th anniversary on 26 January. The […]
The UN Summit of the Future: A Fight at the End of the Tunnel?
By Richard Gowan* Ongoing crises keep multilateralism in turmoil, but ambitious reforms are still on the table. What to expect from the 2024 UN Summit of the Future? NEW YORK | 28 January 2024 (IDN) — Germany faces a tough task trying to build consensus among members of the United Nations on how to strengthen […]