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United Nations
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) – "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This quote from Edmund Burke, the 18th century Irish statesman as well as an author, orator, political theorist and philosopher, was one of late Kofi Annan's favourites, his son Kojo told the UN General Assembly on September 21 as it paid warm tributes to the former Secretary-General who died on August 18 at the age of 80.
It was more than a quote. It was his code. My father's race has ended, but the work continues. He believed this was the only work worth doing, creating a world where everyone can find home."
By UN News
NEW YORK (IDN) – In yet another move to honour the contribution of late Kofi Annan to the United Nations as Secretary-General from 1997 to 2005, who died at the age of 80 on August 18, UN News carried an article on September 20, saying that he "championed everything from stronger human rights and peacekeeping operations around the world, to revitalizing the UN itself by insisting on creating a new dynamic deputy chief role, an effective ethics office and the mantra of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation."
By Reinhard Jacobsen
VIENNA (IDN) – China's Foreign Minister WANG Yi has praised the Group of 77 (G-77) countries in Vienna, one of the four headquarters of the United Nations, along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, for its important role as a platform for developing countries to engage in multilateral affairs.
The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries within United Nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity. The organization, established in 1964 by 77 developing countries, has expanded to 134 member states.
Fourth Woman President in 73 years – 18-year-old Female Activist to Speak at High Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament
By Santo D. Banerjee
NEW YORK (IDN) – The 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly opening on September 18 promises to be historic. Not only because its President, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the Foreign Minister of Ecuador, is the fourth woman on the top in the history of the UN’s main deliberative and policy-making body.
But also because on September 26, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, 18-year-old environmental and children's rights activist Kehkashan Basu will address the General Assembly. Espinosa has selected her to speak as one of the two representatives of global civil society.
Viewpoint by Åsa Regnér
Following are extensive excerpts from remarks delivered by Åsa Regnér, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women at the session on “the role of inclusive ODA by realizing human rights and gender equality” at the 12th Seoul ODA International Conference in the Republic of Korea, on September 14, 2018. – The Editor
NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Gender equality is always a result of political will. Gender equality does not come automatically. It does not arrive with a new generation; we have to actively work towards it. In every country of the world, gender inequality is about an imbalance in power, which normally favours men over women. Achieving gender equality requires negotiations around how society should be and political priorities and positions to change.
By Roberto Savio
The writer is publisher of Other News, an eminent proponent of "information that markets eliminate" and founder of IPS-Inter Press Service News Agency. This article is being reproduced courtesy of Other News with the writer's permission. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and his articles and comments can be read on Facebook @robertosavioutopia
ROME (IDN) – This testimony to Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, comes a month after his death. Much has already been written, and it is now superfluous to recall his efforts for peace and international cooperation. It is better to place his figure in a crucial context: how the great powers progressively reduced the figure of the UN Secretary-General and charged a high price from those who tried to keep the system’s independence.
By Jaya Ramachandran
GENEVA (IDN) – A new United Nations report has called for completely lifting the ongoing Israeli land, air, and sea blockade which has reduced the Gaza Strip to "a humanitarian case of profound suffering and aid dependency". The blockade is now in its eleventh year.
The report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) calls for reunifying Gaza and the West Bank economically and helping to overcome the energy crisis as a matter of priority by, among other things, enabling the Palestinian National Authority to develop the offshore natural gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea discovered in the 1990s.
- A Mountain to Climb Before December UN Climate Summit
- Kudos for Kazakhstan's 'Leading Role' as UN General Assembly Campaigns for Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
- Global Ban on Killer Robots Vital for Ensuring Human Control over Weapons of War
- Test-Ban Treaty Will Produce Tangible Benefits for Humankind
- Sri Lanka Takes Over Presidency of a Landmark Convention Calling for 'A World Free of Cluster Munition'
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