By Kalinga Seneviratne HUANGSHI, Hubei Province, China | 12 January 2024 (IDN) — About 30 minutes drive from this city in Hubei Province are villages that are providing a model of village-based grassroots democracy that is paving the path to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, which […]
UN Agency Marks a Notable Achievement in Global Health
Forty-three Countries Certified as Malaria-free CABO VERDE | 12 January 2024 (IDN | WHO News release) — The World Health Organization (WHO), has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country, marking a significant achievement in global health. With this announcement, Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and one territory that WHO has awarded […]
The UN Costs 1.25 US Dollar to Each Inhabitant of the Planet Earth
When you add up the regular UN Secretariat and peacekeeping budgets, the annual average cost of the UN for each person on the planet is about $1.25; that’s about the cost of a bag of chips in New York. — UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. UNITED NATIONS | 7 January 2024 (IDN | UN News) […]
Gaza War: UN Agencies Struggling with Humanitarian and Health Needs
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 6 January 2024 (IDN) — The UN’s migration agency IOM has launched an urgent appeal for $69 million to support its response to escalating and critical humanitarian needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and neighbouring countries affected by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza. In a statement on 5 January, […]
The Problem of Refugee Camps in the Middle East and North Africa
By Saurav Sarkar* This article was produced by Globetrotter. NEW YORK | 5 January 2024 (IDN) — In 2024, 12 percent of “forcibly displaced and stateless people” are expected to be from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, said the United Nations. This displacement will be caused due to war, humanitarian crises, and […]
Israeli Atrocities in Gaza Go Before World Court
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 5 January 2024 (IDN) — South Africa’s case against Israel, that will go before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 11-12, is being backed by Turkey and Malaysia, along with a coalition of non-governmental and human rights organizations. But it is expected to gather wider support before […]
Migrants Can Be Climate Action Champions
By Shoko Noda The writer is the UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Crisis Bureau Director. NEW YORK | 4 January 2024 (IDN) — When we think of migration in the context of climate change, it is most often in relation to the thousands, or even millions, of people displaced by extreme weather. The numbers, while […]
In Pursuit of Eliminating Hamas, Israel Might Bring Forth Something Worse
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 3 January 2023 (IDN) — After futile attempts by others to get the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate allegations of genocide against the parties in the war in Gaza, South Africa raised the […]
Peace and Security: Homage to a Buddhist Spiritual Leader and a Great Writer
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 1 January 2024 (IDN) — “Even an old fountain pen, if it happened to have belonged to some great writer, is looked on with awe and reverence by the people of later times, for they feel that somehow it is capable of revealing the secrets of the great man’s masterpieces,” […]
South Africa Charges Israel with Genocide in UN’s Top Court
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 1 January 2024 (IDN) — Acting under the Genocide Convention, South Africa has made the first challenge worldwide against Israel charging genocide. The case was submitted to the UN’s International Court of Justice. In an 84-page application, South Africa claimed that “acts and omissions by Israel […]