By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations is at risk of running out of cash, Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a letter to UN staff in July 2018 and stated that he had “written to Member States regarding the troubling financial situation facing the United Nations”. The situation has not changed for […]
New Study Shows How AI Can Generate Fake UN Speeches
By Felicia Vacarelu The writer is Communication Officer of UN Global Pulse, a flagship innovation initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General on big data, which has released a new study discussing the risks that can arise from the malicious use of automated text generation software, and the potential impacts. The study used open-source tools and […]
Global Festival Looks Beyond Promises of Agenda 2030
By Sean Buchanan BONN (IDN) – The SDG Global Festival of Action, which takes place in Bonn every year, is an occasion for bringing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) campaigners and multi-stakeholder partners together for inspiring and broadening the global movement to take action for the SDGs. It provides a dynamic and interactive space to showcase the latest […]
UN Report Calls for ‘Transformative Changes’ to Halt Nature’s Dangerous Decline
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK | PARIS (IDN) – UN biodiversity experts have warned in a hard-hitting report into the impact of humans on nature that “the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide” are being eroded. Current efforts to conserve the earth’s resources will likely fail without […]
Not Faith but Manipulation of the Faithful Behind Hate Attacks
By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK (IDN) – Following a recent series of hate-fuelled attacks on places of worship around the world, a forum on intercultural dialogue was told May 2 that “in all these heinous and cowardly attacks… we see a common pattern: hatred of the ‘other’. These criminals are hijacking entire faith communities, pitting […]
Kazakhstan Calls for Rigorous Implementation of the NPT
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Kazakhstan, an active supporter of nuclear disarmament and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime, has reiterated its firm support for the strict and complete compliance by all parties of the provisions of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This was stressed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yerzhan Ashikbayev, […]
UN Chief Expects Belt and Road Initiative to Foster ‘Inclusive, Sustainable and Durable’ Development
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – China’s international trade and economic development plan – known as the Belt and Road Initiative – could contribute to a more equitable and prosperous world, and help reverse the negative impact of climate change, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Addressing Chinese President Xi Jinping and dozens of other […]
Inadequate Funding Threatens Sustainable Development Goals
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Much to the United Nations’ dismay, desperately missing funds are imperiling realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Investments that are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals remain underfunded and parts of the multilateral system are under strain, warned a new report as the fourth Forum […]
Think Tank Supports NAM Call for Reform of the UN System
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Backing the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies (IINS) has called for “comprehensive, transparent, inclusive and balanced” reform of the United Nations. Recalling the final document of the 2018 NAM Ministerial Meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the think tank emphasizes that the reform […]
Vatican Encourages Faith Communities to Help Achieve SDGs
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | VATICAN CITY (IDN) – Much water has flown under the Tiber bridges since the Holy See declined an invitation in 1923 to join the League of Nations stating that its only competency was in matters of elucidation of questions of principle in morality and public international law. Forty-one years later, […]