By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – More than 2,000 participants from the data user and producer communities will discuss in the first-ever fully virtual UN World Data Forum, from October 19-21, some of the greatest data challenges in our fast-changing world. They will identify innovative solutions to intensify cooperation on data for sustainable […]
Caribbean Concerns Find Voice at 75th Anniversary of the UN
Viewpoint by P.I. Gomes* PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (IDN) – The High-level Meeting to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations was held on September 21, 2020, with a view to adopting a political declaration on the theme: “The Future We Want, the United Nations We Need: reaffirming our collective commitment to […]
Call for a Strengthened and Reformed United Nations System
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – Ahead of the September 21 High-Level Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, a group of prominent former government and UN leaders are calling on current world leaders to take action to strengthen the United Nations system. According to the UN2020, in an Open Letter published […]
Will the United Nations Survive To See Its 100th Birthday?
Viewpoints by Franz Baumann, Fmr. UN Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations and Christopher Ankersen, Global Affairs, New York University. NEW YORK (IDN) – “Adlai Stevenson, President Kennedy’s Ambassador to the United Nations, rebutted UN critics by recounting Adam’s marriage proposal to Eve. When she hesitated, Adam asked ‘is there somebody else?’ Stevenson concluded that much good […]
Helping Women Entrepreneurs in Asia and Europe to Thrive Under Lockdown
Viewpoint by UN Women, Bopinc and The DO School NEW YORK (IDN) – The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical role of collaboration in creating gender-inclusive ecosystems where women can emerge and thrive. As the European Union, UN Women and its partners Bopinc and The DO School highlight their commitment to helping more women entrepreneurs […]
‘Heart-Breaking’ Accounts of Women Detained in DPRK
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | SEOUL (IDN) – A new UN report says that women forcibly returned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are subjected to torture, ill treatment, sexual abuse, and other violations. The report published by the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) on July 28 is based on 100 first-hand accounts […]
ESCAP, UNDP and ADB Determined to Achieve SDGs in 2030 Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana (ESCAP), Kanni Wignaraja (UNDP) and Bambang Susantono (ADB)* BANGKOK (IDN) – As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off track to meet the […]
UNDP Favours Temporary Basic Income to Protect the World’s Poorest from The Impact of COVID-19
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) – A new report by the United Nations is pleading for the immediate introduction of a Temporary Basic Income for the world’s poorest people, arguing that this could slow the current surge in COVID-19 pandemic cases by enabling nearly three billion people to stay at home. A United Nations […]
UN Publication Offers New Ideas for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) – As the government, business and civil society leaders fight the global COVID-19 pandemic, leading experts and thinkers have offered outside-the-box thinking and new solutions to prevent the outbreak of new pandemics while achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A new publication of policy briefs issued by the UN […]
UN Chief Makes a Passionate Plea for Discarding Fallacies and Falsehoods
The Rich and Poor are Not Sailing in the Same Boat By Jaya Ramachandran NEW YORK (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has in a surprise dramatic move, castigated a series of “fallacies and falsehoods” perpetrated particularly on the deprived of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed all lies such as the lie that […]