By UN Women GENEVA | NEW YORK (IDN) — Women’s representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a dragging pace, with three-quarters of parliamentary seats still held by men, according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU‑UN Women map of Women in Politics. The data’s publication coincides with the […]
From Coronavirus to Climate and Gender Equality
By J Nastranis with UN News in Brief NEW YORK (IDN)— As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, the UN’s top human rights official Michelle Bachelet appealed on March 6 to countries and businesses to put rights “front and centre” to protect their most vulnerable citizens. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that although the […]
The Spiritual and Socialist Start of International Women’s Day
Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – March 8 is the International Day of Women and thus a time to highlight the specific role of women in local, national and world society. International Women’s Day was first proposed by Clara Zetlin (1857-1933) at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women […]
Trump’s Abandonment of Nuclear Deal with Iran Backfires
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) — The quarterly report on Iran released by UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on March 3 has revealed a significant increase in the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium since its last report. The stockpile stood at 1,020.9 kg in February, up from 372.3 kg in November […]
New UN Women Report Warns That Gender Equality Is Under Threat — Major Women Conference Falls Prey to Coronavirus
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) —While a new UN Women report warns that progress towards gender equality is faltering and hard-won advances are being reversed, the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has fallen prey to concerns regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19). CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body […]
Relentless Spread of Coronavirus Obliges Postponing the 2020 NPT Review to 2021
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf * VIENNA (IDN) — As Spring is in the offing, the days are drawing near when representatives of up to 191 countries will convene at a review conference at the United Nations in New York, from 27 April to 22 May, to celebrate 50 years of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) […]
UN Urges Russia and Turkey to Secure ‘Fresh Ceasefire’ in Syria
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — The UN has in an emergency session of the Security Council on Syria strongly urged Russia and Turkey “to build on previous agreements to secure a fresh ceasefire” across the war-torn northwest. The meeting was convened on February 28 following the death on the battlefield of dozens of […]
Doha Hosts High-Level Meeting of the UNODC’s Global Judicial Integrity Network
By Bernhard Schell DOHA | VIENNA (IDN | UNIS) —The second high-level meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched in Doha under the patronage of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, with hundreds of chief justices and senior judges from […]
UN Study Predicts $32 Billion Fall in Post-Brexit UK Exports
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN | UNCTAD) — A new study expects non-tariff measures (NTMs) to cause major fractures in post-exit trade relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), knocking up to US$32 billion, or 14 per cent, off of UK exports to the EU. NTMs are policy measures other than […]
Coronavirus ‘Not Yet a Pandemic’ But Affects 28 Countries
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | GENEVA (IDN) — A sudden increase in new cases of COVID-19 is of concern, but the spread of coronavirus is not yet a pandemic, maintains the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, […]