By Lisa Vives NEW YORK (IDN) — Lalibela, a holy site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians and home to 13th century rock-hewn churches—a world heritage site—has been caught between the warring forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the central government in Addis Ababa, according to reports from the region. In a statement issued […]
India Aims to Use Its Security Council Seat to Show Why It Should Be Permanent
By Stéphanie Fillion, Passblue NEW YORK (IDN) — The presidency of the Security Council is always a high time for a country’s diplomacy, but for India right now, it’s more than that. In August, the country is going to try to show the world why it deserves a permanent seat in the United Nations’ most […]
A Colombian Replaces China’s Dr. Liu as Head of UN’s Civil Aviation Organization
By J C Suresh TORONTO | MONTREAL (IDN) — Colombia’s Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar officially assumed the office of Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on August 1, succeeding Dr. Fang Liu of China. Mr Salazar is the second to replace a Chinese as head of a UN specialized agency.
UN Urges Action as COVID Leaves Millions Vulnerable
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The COVID pandemic has pushed no less than 124 million more people into extreme poverty. “Many millions” have been left vulnerable to the scourge. Half of victims in low-income countries are children, noted UN Secretary General António Guterres noted just ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in […]
Germany’s Gerd Müller Chosen as Next UNIDO Director General
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) — The Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has recommended Gerd Müller of Germany to be the Organization’s next Director-General. He is currently Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. The Board’s recommendation will be forwarded for approval to the UNIDO General Conference—the […]
DON’T QUOTE ME: When the UN’s Most Powerful Body Enjoyed its Lighter Moments…
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — As the UN’s most powerful political body, the 15-member Security Council (UNSC) is armed with a mandate to maintain international peace and security. But regretfully, it has been missing in action (MIA) in recent months, particularly in the ongoing conflicts in Palestine and Myanmar, where it has failed […]
DON’T QUOTE ME: Cuba Survives One of the Longest Economic Wars in Modern History
By Thalif Deen* NEW YORK (IDN) — When Raul Castro decided to retire, both as leader of Cuba and head of the Communist Party last April, it was the end of a politically adventurous era for a country most American leaders loved to hate. In the late 1950s, it was Raul and his more famous […]
Guterres Calls for New Era Of ‘Solidarity and Equality’ After Re-appointment As UN Secretary-General
By Caroline Mwaga NEW YORK (IDN) — “We are truly at a crossroads, with consequential choices before us. Paradigms are shifting. Old orthodoxies are being flipped,” António Guterres told ambassadors after being re-appointed on June 18 to a second term as UN Secretary-General. He was the sole candidate from the UN’s 193 Member States to […]
DON’T QUOTE ME: An Indian Ocean Island That Comes with an Expiry Date
By Thalif Deen* NEW YORK (IDN) — Just after a band of mercenaries tried to oust the government of the Maldives, I asked a Maldivian diplomat about the strength of his country’s standing army. “Standing army?”, the diplomat asked with mock surprise, “We don’t even have a sitting army.” With a population of about 250,000, […]
UN Invites Applications for a Journalism Fellowship Programme
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is inviting applications for the 2021 Reham al-Farra Memorial Journalism Fellowship (RAF) programme which will be conducted online in September-October 2021, during the opening of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.