By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 20 September 2023 (IDN) — When the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the 193-member General Assembly back in 2015, they were hailed as a panacea for some of the world’s economic, social and environmental ills. The SDGs were aimed at eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, ensuring […]
UN Chief Wants $500 Billion Annual Development Fund, Financial Reforms
By Arul Louis* UNITED NATIONS. 18 September 2023 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday renewed his call for the reform of the “outdated, dysfunctional and unfair” World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and for a $500 billion stimulus fund for the world organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking at the opening […]
A High Seas Treaty Aimed at Protecting Polluted Oceans is Now a Reality
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — A historic new international treaty, described as “a monumental win for the protection of the world’s oceans”, will be open for signature by member states beginning September 20 during the high-level meeting of world political leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The treaty will […]
UN Is a Victim of the Mythic Expectations That It Is ‘World Government’
By Arul Louis* UNITED NATIONS. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — A popular myth about the UN is that it is the world government and could unilaterally act to stop wars or punish all nations launching wars—and end the universe’s ill with a fiat. Yet again, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spectacularly blasted the myth like […]
Banish Nuclear Weapons ‘to History Books, Once and for All’, Urges UN Chief
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed on 26 September. UNITED NATIONS. 15 September 2023 (IDN | UN) — The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons reminds us that a peaceful future depends on ending the nuclear threat. Geopolitical mistrust […]
US Accused of Double Standards at the UN Security Council
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 6 September 2023 (IDN) — As North Korea continues to defy the Security Council, it has made a mockery of one of the most powerful political bodies at the UN—openly violating its resolutions with monotonous regularity. The violations have triggered strong condemnations by the US, the Group of 7 (G7), […]
UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution on UN-SCO Cooperation
By Dana Omirgazy BERLIN | ASTANA. 6 September 2023 (IDN | The Astana Times) — The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution on Cooperation between the United Nations (UN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on 1 September, spokesperson of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry Aibek Smadiyarov announced at a press […]
Realizing the UN’s Vision: Steps Toward a New Architecture for Peace
By Jordan Ryan* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. ATLANTA, Georgia, USA. (IDN) — Today’s world is beset by complex and interlinked global challenges—from the existential threat of climate change to rising geopolitical tensions reminiscent of the Cold War. Devastating conflicts rage internally in nations […]
Will Military Coup Leaders Show up at the UN?
By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS. 3 September 2023 (IDN) — The rash of recent military take-overs in Africa was perhaps best described by French President Emmanuel Macron as “an epidemic of coups in the Sahel”—a fast spreading disease in the continent. France, a former colonial power in Africa with access to rich minerals in the […]
Albania, As UNSC Chair, To Launch Private Sector Alliance for Humanitarian Aid
By Arul Louis* United Nations. 2 September 2023 (IDN) — Albania, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, is planning to launch a platform for the private sector to work with the world organization in providing humanitarian assistance, according to the nation’s Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha. On 1 September, he said that […]