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Image: Cover of joint ACP Group-UNOSSC report. Source: ACP

Landmark Report Stresses Importance of South-South and Triangular Cooperation

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK | BUENOS AIRES (IDN) – South-South and triangular cooperation has triggered over decades the vigorous economic growth of countries of the global South such as Brazil, China, India and the Gulf States, and proved to be an important solution for many of today’s development challenges. It should, therefore, be seen as a critical complement to North-South cooperation, says a new report by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) and the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

: Santo D. Banerjee; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 26 March 2019

IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.

UN Environment Assembly Spells Out 'The Future We Want'

By Justus Wanzala

NAIROBI (IDN) – Global gross domestic product has doubled since 1970, enabling immense progress, and lifting of billions of people out of poverty. At the same time, this economic growth has been fueled by a relentless demand for natural resources. At no point in time nor at any level of income, has our demand for natural resources wavered, notes the Global Resources Outlook 2019.

"Our consume and throwaway models of consumption have had devastating impacts on our planet," says the report presented during the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi, Kenya, March 11-15.

: Justus Wanzala; UN INSIDER; 25 March 2019

Photo source: Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

Women’s Unpaid Work Needs Factoring In for Fairer ASEAN Economies

By Jose Ramon Albert

This article is abridged from a version that appears in the latest issue of East Asia Forum Quarterly, 'Investing in Women'. Jose Ramon Albert is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

MANILA (IDN-INPS) – The Philippines and other ASEAN economies are experiencing stellar economic growth. Frontier technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as automation and robotics, the internet of things, 3D printing, blockchain and nanotechnologies are rapidly transforming economies.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 25 March 2019

Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeats threats to ICC. Credit: U.S. Department of State.

U.S. Threats Against International Criminal Court Under Fire

By Shanta Roy

NEW YORK (IDN) – The U.S. threat to penalize and impose economic sanctions against judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – if they bring charges of war crimes against American troops in Afghanistan – has sparked an avalanche of criticisms from human rights groups, think tanks and civil society organizations (CSOs).

The strong protests have come from the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), among others.

: Shanta Roy; UN INSIDER; 24 March 2019

Photo: llustrations for the promotional materials of the 2019 World Water Day Campaign “Leaving no one behind.” Right to left: Water for all older people, Water for all refugees, Water for all rural people. Images: UN Water.

'Water for All by 2030' Remains Little More than a Pious Wish

By Reinhard Jacobsen

VIENNA (IDN) – More than 2 billion people live without safe water at home. One in four primary schools have no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty. More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation. Globally, 80 percent of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas.

These are some of the facts reflecting stark reality on the ground, making the motto of the World Water Day 2019 – "water for all by 2030" as envisaged in the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 6 to "ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all" – sound like a pious wish.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; SUSTAINABILITY; Clean Water & Sanitation; 23 March 2019

Photo: Participants rejoice as the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women adopts Agreed Conclusions, delivering a roadmap that ensures women’s social protection, mobility, safety, and access to economic opportunities. Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown

A 'Level Playing Field' for Women and Girls Key to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

By Caroline Mwanga

New York (IDN) – UN Member States have agreed to safeguard and improve women's and girls' access to social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure, ensuring that their design and delivery is transformed to prevent discrimination and create a "level playing field" for women and girls.

This is the upshot of the two weeks of intense dialogue, the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63), concluded March 22 in New York.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 23 March 2019

Photo: An ambitious new conservation programme brings six nations together to ensure the future of one of the world’s most vital ecosystems. Photo: Joseph King (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

New Global Initiative to Ensure the Future of Congo Basin Forest

By J C Suresh

TORONTO (IDN) – Stretching from the Gulf of Guinea in the west to the Rift Valley in the east, the Congo basin is the beating heart of African biodiversity. Spanning 530 million hectares across six countries – Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo – the basin contains some 70 per cent of the continent’s forest cover and is home to one of every five species on our planet.

: J C Suresh; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 March 2019

Photo: President Donald Trump is greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on February 27, 2019, at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, for their second summit meeting. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Beyond the U.S.-North Korean Summits in Singapore and Hanoi

By Kelsey Davenport and Alicia Sanders-Zakre

The following appeared in Volume 11, Issue 5 of the Issue Brief of the Arms Control Association. Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy, and Alicia Sanders-Zakre, research assistant.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN-INPS) – The second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended abruptly in Hanoi without any agreement on the next steps to advance the shared goals of denuclearization and peacebuilding on the Korean peninsula. While both Trump and Kim described the meeting [February 27-28, 2019] as valuable and appeared committed to continuing dialogue, the future of the diplomatic process is unclear.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 22 March 2019

Photo: Outgoing Kazakh President Nazarbayev with youth representatives. Credit: akorda.kz.

Kazakh President Quits to Make Room for New Generation

By George D. Gleboff, Aidana Yergaliyeva and Nazira Kozhanova

The following is compilation of three articles that appeared on The Astana Times on March 19 and March 21, 2019.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stunned the nation March 19, announcing during a nationally televised address that he would be resigning the office he has held for nearly three decades.

“As the founder of the independent Kazakh state, I see my future task in ensuring the coming to power of a new generation of leaders who will continue the ongoing reforms,” he said in what he called a “special” address that was delivered in both the Kazakh and Russian languages.

: Jaya Ramachandran; CENTRAL ASIA; 21 March 2019

Kazakhstan Attracts Foreign Investors with AIFC as the 'Hub'

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – Young and ambitious independent Kazakhstan is well-known for decisions marked by ingenuity and innovation. The creation of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) was no exception. In fact it confirmed the long-established tradition. The Center has turned out to be a unique project for the CIS countries. Backed by a court of its own, empowered by an arbitration facility, armed with stock exchange and a regulator, AIFC is becoming the "hub" drawing investors to Kazakhstan.