By Kul Gautam The writer is a former UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF. KATHMANDU | 3 March 2024 (IDN) — We join the people of Canada in mourning the passing of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on 29 February 2024. He was a larger-than-life figure in Canadian politics. Although not as […]
Need to Invigorate the Nuclear Disarmament Process
By Dr. J. Enkhsaikhan The writer is Chairman of Blue Banner NGO and Former Permanent Representative of Mongolia to the United Nations. ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia | 28 February 2024 (IDN) — Despite or perhaps because of the increase in geopolitical tensions, conflicts and the rise in the risks of nuclear weapons use, it is high time […]
Deadlock Over Disarmament ‘Not Acceptable’: Guterres
GENEVA | 28 February 2024 (IDN | UN Geneva) — Amid geopolitical divides, arms competition, increasingly dangerous new technologies and an elevated nuclear risk, the Secretary-General highlighted his concern that the UN Conference on Disarmament is consistently failing to deliver. The Conference, which was established with the primary goal of fostering cooperation for mutual disarmament, […]
The Magic of Mali’s Digital Pharmaceutical Registry
By UNCTAD GENEVA | 10 February 2024 (IDN) — A digital transformation supported by UNCTAD in the West African nation’s pharmaceutical industry is paving the way for quicker import and distribution of life-saving medicines—all online. Imagine living in a country where urgent medical supplies take 18 months to be imported and distributed, putting people’s lives […]
UN Chief Urges Reform of IMF, World Bank, Stresses BRICS’s Role
By Arul Louis UNITED NATIONS | 8 February 2024 (IDN) — The international financial and development institutions should be reformed to reflect the interests of the Global South, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. While the BRICS can play an important and complementary role for developing nations, he stressed that it should not contribute to a […]
The UN Summit of the Future: A Fight at the End of the Tunnel?
By Richard Gowan* Ongoing crises keep multilateralism in turmoil, but ambitious reforms are still on the table. What to expect from the 2024 UN Summit of the Future? NEW YORK | 28 January 2024 (IDN) — Germany faces a tough task trying to build consensus among members of the United Nations on how to strengthen […]
Gaza War: Reading the ICJ Order Regarding ‘Genocide’
By A.L.A. Azeez* MELBOURNE | 27 January 2024 (IDN) — Concerning the Order delivered by the International Court of Justice indicating Provisional Measures against Israel in the case brought by South Africa under the provisions of the UN Genocide Convention, questions galore on different aspects were addressed. A question pertains to why the ICJ has […]
The UN Costs 1.25 US Dollar to Each Inhabitant of the Planet Earth
When you add up the regular UN Secretariat and peacekeeping budgets, the annual average cost of the UN for each person on the planet is about $1.25; that’s about the cost of a bag of chips in New York. — UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq. UNITED NATIONS | 7 January 2024 (IDN | UN News) […]
Gaza War: UN Agencies Struggling with Humanitarian and Health Needs
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 6 January 2024 (IDN) — The UN’s migration agency IOM has launched an urgent appeal for $69 million to support its response to escalating and critical humanitarian needs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and neighbouring countries affected by the ongoing hostilities in Gaza. In a statement on 5 January, […]
Cold War Politics at the Security Council—and its Lighter Side
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 29 December 2023 (IDN) — The devastating battle between Israel and Hamas has proved once again the ineffectiveness of the 15-member Security Council which is mandated to ensure international peace and security. But that mandate has not helped either in resolving some of the longstanding civil wars and military […]