Triangular Cooperation

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses audience at New York University Stern School of Business. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

UN Chief Urges World To Rally Behind Paris Agreement

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – “Climate action is not just a necessity but an opportunity to forge a peaceful and sustainable future on a healthy planet,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told a gathering of students, business leaders and academics at the New York University Stern School of Business on May 30.

Amidst reports that President Donald Trump was poised to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Guterres called for sustained action to meet the global challenge and to ensure a peaceful and sustainable future for all.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 31 May 2017

Global Development Through China's New 'Silk Routes'

Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne

BANGKOK (IDN) - When China hosted a two-day conference in May to help revive the ancient trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa it was greeted with scepticism by most of the western media. But in much of Asia the mood was more of optimism and opportunity.

CNN reported that “some countries raised concerns over the project seen as boosting Beijing's global clout on trade and geopolitics” – a reoccurring theme in many of the western media reports. While pointing out that the U.S., Japan, India and most of the European leaders had boycotted the meeting BBC described it as a Chinese bid for global leadership. Australia’s ABC said that China wants its ‘new Silk Routes’ to dominate world trade.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 23 May 2017

Paris Summit Gives Global Lessons in Transparency

By A.D. McKenzie

PARIS (IDN) – If you have always suspected that politicians around the world tend to belong to certain cliques and to have attended particular schools, there is now a digital tool being developed to confirm (or deny) your suspicions.

Called 'Cargografías', this was one of the many data instruments presented at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit that took place in Paris from December 7 to 9 and brought together government and civil society representatives working for greater transparency in the public interest.

“The idea is that citizens have the right to know about public officials,” said Pablo Pignolo, a Uruguayan software analyst and developer who works on Cargografías with colleagues from other Latin American countries.