By Thalif Deen* This article contains excerpts from a recently-released book* on the United Nations titled “No Comment–and Don’t Quote Me on that” available on Amazon: https://www.rodericgrigson.com/no-comment-by-thalif-deen/ UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — During the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, and particularly in the 1960s, the United Nations was […]
UNESCO Protects Odesa Amid Threats of Destruction from War
By Jaya Ramachandran PARIS (IDN) — Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has denounced the decision of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to designate the historic centre of Odesa a World Heritage in Danger site. Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, criticised the designation, saying the only threat […]
Nuclear Weapons and Nationalism: An Incendiary Mix
By Andrew Lichterman* OAKLAND, California (IDN) — Seventy-seven years ago, the United Nations General Assembly passed its first resolution. The subject the governments represented there thought important enough to be first on their agenda was the establishment of a commission to develop proposals for the control of atomic energy and “for the elimination from national […]
New UN Report Explores Criminal Exploitation of Human Beings
COVID and Other Crises Obstructing Victim Identification By Aurora Weiss VIENNA (IDN) — Though the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises are increasing the possibility of vulnerable human beings easily falling into the trap of criminal exploitation for the sole purpose of economic gain, a new UN report finds that fewer victims of this kind of […]
UN Criticizes Taliban Decrees But Urges Not to Abandon Afghans
By Caroline Mawanga NEW YORK | KABUL (IDN) — While calling on Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban authorities to reverse course on recent decrees limiting women’s and girls’ rights, a high-level UN delegation has urged the international community not to abandon Afghans. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed led the delegation. UN Women’s Executive Director Sima Bahous, […]
UNICEF Pledges Humanitarian Assistance in 11 Emergencies
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Children’s agency UNICEF has pledged to continue to support children and families facing humanitarian crises across the globe in 2023. “Today, there are more children in need of humanitarian assistance than at any other time since the Second World War,” says UNICEF. Worldwide, children and their families […]
Alarm Bells Ringing for Endangered Indigenous Languages
UN Launches 10-year Survival Plan By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — Indigenous Peoples are guardians to almost 80 per cent of the world’s remaining biodiversity, said Csaba Kőrösi, the incumbent President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), while launching on December 16 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Of Pele, of Brazil, of Rio
By Ramu Damodaran The author is the first Director of UN Academic Impact and a Senior Fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP). NEW YORK (IDN) — It was 55 years ago that those involved in the Nigerian civil war paused their hostilities to watch a much-anticipated football match starring […]
Realising Safe Cities for Sanitation Workers in India
By Sameer Unhale, Dr Simi Mehta, Dr Arjun Kumar and Kushgara Khatri NEW DELHI (IDN) — World Toilet Day is held every year on November 19. It has been an annual United Nations observance since 2013, which celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It […]
Religious & Civil Society Call for An End to Crisis in Korean Peninsula
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A coalition of over 700 religious and civil society organizations (CSOs) is making a collective appeal to end the crisis in the Korean peninsula and avoid “military action provoking war”. In a recently released statement, the coalition says: “We are here today in a great sense of crisis. […]