By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – When Kazakhstan joined the 15-nation United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2017 as a non-permanent member for two years, President Nursultan Nazarbayev pledged “adapting the . . .Council and the entire UN system to the threats and challenges of the 21st century.” “We will […]
UN Chief Issues ‘Red Alert,’ Calls for Defending Shared Values
By J Nastranis UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued “a red alert for our world” in his message on the occasion of 2018 New Year. It’s probably the first time ever a UN Chief has done so. He does not explicitly refer to the nuclear muscle-flexing between the United States […]
UN Chief Expects New Sanctions To Help Make 2018 ‘A Pivotal Year’ for the Korean Peninsula
By J Nastranis UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres desires to make 2018 “a pivotal year” for the achievement of sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula. In a statement attributable to his spokesperson, following the adoption of a new Security Council resolution (UNSCR 2397), he said: “The only way forward for […]
Proposed Cuts in UN Budget Worry Civil Society and NGOs
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Civil society and non-governmental organizations have expressed “deep concern” over the proposals for substantial cuts to the United Nations (UN) biennial budget for 2018-2019. Known for their longstanding support for the UN, the organizers of NGO dialogues and international cooperation met in New York and Geneva to discuss […]
Launch of the Fund to Fight Desertification a Key Achievement
By Rita Joshi BONN (IDN) – The official launch of the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund is an outstanding achievement for the United Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2017. It is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public sector funds to raise private sector capital for sustainable land management and landscape restoration activities worldwide. It […]
Technology Bank for the World’s Poorest Set to Start in 2018
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Seven years after the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries charted out the international community’s vision and strategy for sustainable development of the world’s poorest countries, a new institution called the Technology Bank is set to start operations in 2018. The Conference, held in Istanbul, […]
Security Council Highlights DPRK’s Humanitarian Needs, Agrees on Importance of Communication Channels
By J Nastranis UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – While expressing his profound concern over the risk of military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, “including as a result of miscalculation,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed the need to disassociate the peace and security situation in the DPRK (North Korea) from the humanitarian needs in the […]
Global Upturn Offers Prospects For Sustainable Growth
By J Nastranis UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Despite an upsurge in world economic growth, which has reached 3 per cent – the highest since 2011 – very few least developed countries (LDCs) are expected to reach the Sustainable Development Goal target for GDP growth of “at least 7 per cent” in the near term (SDG […]
World Powers Trade Insults Over Rights Abuses in Iran, N. Korea
By John J. Metzler* This article is being reproduced with permission of WebPublicaPress, which carried it on November 28t, 2017 with the caption ‘UN Theatre of Absurd’. – The Editor UNITED NATIONS (IDN-INPS) – A key UN Committee has condemned Iran’s widespread use of the death penalty and has urged the Islamic Republic to eliminate “all […]
Re-election of India’s Nominee to the World Court ‘Historic’
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – India has scored a “historic” victory over Britain, one of the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council, with the re-election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The win is historic because it’s the first […]