By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 2 August 2024 (IDN) — As the spectre of a Nuclear Armageddon haunts our planet, the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan is joining hands with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) to organize a workshop—first in five years—to bolster the five Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) treaties. States-parties to the five […]
Call for Effective Follow-Up Tools for Proposed UN Pact for the Future
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 19 July 2024 (IDN) — The Summit of the Future on 22-23 September at the UN headquarters in New York “presents both an important milestone and another step in the long journey toward greater justice, security, and sustainable development for all nations and peoples”, says an open letter to […]
A New Battle Front in Gaza: Israel vs UNRWA
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 18 July 2024 (IDN) — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is the only agency of the world body which focuses solely on humanitarian assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees—and more so, during the current military conflict between Israel and Hamas. But as the […]
Remembering Nelson Mandela
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 17 July 2024 (IDN) — “Nelson Mandela showed us the extraordinary difference one person can make in building a better world,” says UN Secretary-General António Guterres, ahead of this year’s Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July—which reminds us, he adds that “combatting poverty and inequality is in our […]
The Ukraine War Could Have Been Averted If the UN Charter Had Been Observed
By Michael von der Schulenburg* BRUSSELS | 11 July 2024 (IDN) — As the war in Ukraine continues, we must once again ask ourselves perhaps the most important question about a peaceful future for humanity: can there be a world in which peace and an international order can be guaranteed by joint agreements between states, […]
Geneva Is a Western, And Not Global, Hub for Multilateralism
By Kasmira Jefford GENEVA | 10 July 2024 (IDN | Geneva Solutions) — A study revealing international Geneva’s largely western donor base suggests the city is not as global as it claims. Donor contributions to international organisations in Geneva have almost quintupled over the last two decades, according to a study released by the Geneva […]
History: Bogged Down in Iraq, US Crawls Back To UN
By Rodney Reynolds UNITED NATIONS | 30 June 2024 (IDN) — After the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003, in what transpired as a fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that did not exist, IDN’s Editor-at-Large Thalif Deen, a senior UN correspondent, wrote a series of articles strongly critical of the invasion […]
Giant Wall Mural on Sustainable Development Goals Inaugurated
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA | 28 June 2024 (IDN) — The gigantic mural painting, “Woman with Dove – Shaping Our Common Future”, has been inaugurated at a special ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in Austria’s capital city. Representatives of Host Country, City of Vienna, 22nd municipal district, the United Nations and the Calle Libre […]
Global South Leaders Call for Equitable Economy and Renewed Multilateralism
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 20 June 2024 (IDN) — Over 1,100 participants from 152 countries convened in Geneva for the three-day Global Leaders Forum to mark 60 years of UNCTAD, under the theme “Charting a new development course in a changing world”. Discussions focussed on shaping a vision for inclusive prosperity amidst global crises, […]
UN Keen to Tackle Global Refugee Crisis and Statelessness
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 16 June 2024 (IDN) — While the European focus is on the Russo-Ukrainian war, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is concerned about those crossing terrain such as deserts and seas without adequate resources to escape war, poverty, or climate catastrophe—often at risk of losing their lives or […]