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 […]
The Highest Number of UN Staffers Killed in Conflicts in 79 Years
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 8 June 2024 (IDN) —The growing military conflicts worldwide—and specifically the eight-month-old war in Gaza—are continuing to claim the lives of both UN staffers and UN peacekeepers. At the June 6 memorial service for fallen staff members, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We remember and honour the 188 United […]
UN Conference Assures Small Island Developing States a New Era Of Resilience
By J C Suresh TORONTO | ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda | 1 June 2024 (IDN) — The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has emphasized the need for investment in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). She made these remarks as the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) wrapped up on 30 […]
Turning Development Challenges into Opportunities
By Amanda K Serumaga The author is the UNDP Resident Representative, Mauritius and Seychelles. VICTORIA| 30 May 2024 (IDN) — An archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, Seychelles has a population of just over 100,000 in an area covering 457 square kilometres. But while it is classified as a high-income country, this Small […]
Latin America and the Caribbean: Initiative to Empower Young People in Arms Control, Peacebuilding
By Rodney Reynolds NEW YORK | 15 May 24 (IDN) — The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has launched the first edition of GenerAcción Paz: building dreams, disarming violence (GenerAcción Paz: armando sueños, desarmando la violencia), which aspires to empower young people to create […]
Kenya Hosts the first-ever UN Civil Society Conference
By Devendra Kamarajan NAIROBI | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — ‘Meaningful participation’ and ‘inclusion’ were the catchwords at a two-day UN conference in Nairobi, Kenya, ahead of the Summit of the Future, which will bring delegations from all over the globe to the UN Headquarters in New York in September. The first-ever UN civil society […]
The Palestinian Case: Applying to be a Member of the UN
UN Security Council Report BERLIN | NEW YORK | 8 May 2024 (IDN) — On 18 April, the US vetoed a draft Security Council resolution that would have recommended that “the State of Palestine be admitted to membership in the United Nations”. Twelve Council members voted in favour of the draft resolution, while two abstained […]
UNODC Launches New Action to Combat Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling
By Aurora Weiss VIENNA | 8 May 2024 (IDN) — Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are multi-billion-dollar businesses that have changed dramatically in recent years. Financial crises, armed conflicts, and forced displacement, catalysed by the pandemic, have strained justice systems, significantly reducing investigations, prosecutions, victim identification, and protection. In 2020 alone, the number of detected […]