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 […]
International Criminal Court Is No Longer a Paper Tiger
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 23 August 2023 (IDN) — There can be no question that if President Bashar al-Assad of Syria falls the International Criminal Court (ICC) will want to put him on trial for war crimes. The long arm of international law will reach him wherever he flees to. The ICC has an […]
UN Dilemma: Terrorists vs Freedom Fighters
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 21 August 2023 (IDN) — A former UN Ad Hoc Committee chairman to Eliminate International Terrorism once predicted the UN will never agree on a definition of terrorism because “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. As someone rightly remarked: to the Indians, it is the Muslims in Kashmir; […]
The UN Charter Must Remain the Heart and Soul of Any New Peace Architecture
By Michael von der Schulenburg* This article is a contribution to the German peace movement’s pamphlet on the occasion of this year’s Anti-War Day on September 1. On this day, 84 years ago, the German Reich marched into Poland and ignited the Second World War, bringing indescribable destruction, misery and suffering to Europe and the […]
US Foreign Policy Conflicts with the UN Charter
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* NEW YORK, 15 April 2023 (IDN) — US foreign policy is based on an inherent contradiction and fatal flaw. The aim of US foreign policy is a US-dominated world in which the US writes the global trade and financial rules, controls advanced technologies, maintains militarily supremacy, and dominates all potential competitors. […]