OPINION

Asia-Pacific: Older Persons as Agents of Development

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) — Older persons are highly visible across Asia and the Pacific: they work in agricultural fields producing our food supplies, peddle their wares as street vendors, drive tuk-tuks and buses, exercise in our parks, lead some of the region’s most successful companies and form an integral part of our families.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 June 2022

Photo: Dr Martin Luther King speaking against war in Vietnam, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota by Minnesota Historical Society. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.

Weaponizing Non-Violence: A Change of Tactics Required in Ukraine

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Non-violence can get you a long way, often further than violence. Look at Mahatma Gandhi whose movement compelled the British to withdraw from India years before they planned to. His famous long march to the sea to gather salt—the British insisted they run the salt industry and charged a lot for this necessary product—was the turning point. The British-led troops beat the protestors, which was reported all over the world and led to an outpouring of support for Gandhi in Britain.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 28 June 2022

‘Ocean Action’ Vital for the Asian and Pacific Countries

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) — As the Second Global Ocean Conference opens today in Lisbon, governments in Asia and the Pacific must seize the opportunity to enhance cooperation and solidarity to address a host of challenges that endanger what is a lifeline for millions of people in the region.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Oceans, seas and marine resources; 27 June 2022

Myanmar Military Junta's War Crimes

Viewpoint by Jan Servaes

BRUSSELS (IDN) — During decades of internal conflict, the Myanmar military has been repeatedly accused of atrocities and war crimes. Except between 1948-1958 and 2010-2021, the army ruled Myanmar with absolute control for 73 years. Thanks to social media, the international community is now better informed about the atrocities perpetrated by this military.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 26 June 2022

Image: President Donald J. Trump, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyanisigns sign the Abraham Accords on Sept. 15, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

The Abraham Accords’ Implications for The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Abraham Accords have been in the making for several years; what has ultimately brought them to fruition is the Arab states’ national security interests. By no means though have the Arab states abandoned the Palestinian cause, which will continue to haunt them and Israel until an independent Palestinian state is established.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 25 June 2022

Photo: Underwater Seascapes, Anders Nyberg

Addressing the Challenges Confronting the Oceans

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

BEIJING (IDN) — I was the co-chair, along with Dr Liesbeth Lijnzaad of the Netherlands, of the United Nations ad hoc Working Group on Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). Since handing over our conclusions and recommendations in 2015, a negotiating process has begun with a view to finalizing a Treaty on Biological Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, also referred to as a High Seas Treaty.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 24 June 2022

Photo: A few seconds was all it took for an atomic bomb to wipe out thousands of lives in Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. Credit: ICRC

ICRC Accentuates the Vital Importance of Nuclear Disarmament

Following are excerpts from the text of ICRC President Peter Maurer's statement at the TPNW MSP1 on February 21, 2022.

VIENNA (IDN) — A decade ago, this may have seemed illusory. Today, a global, unequivocal, comprehensive prohibition of nuclear weapons—the most catastrophic weapons ever created—is a reality. We owe this reality to the tireless efforts of many:

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 23 June 2022

Photo: Kazakh Minister addressing High-level Session of the First Meeting of the States Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri, IDN-INPS Multimedia Director

Kazakhstan Calls for Universalization of the TPNW

Following are excerpts from the text of the statement by Kazakh's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, at the High-Level Opening Session of TPNW MSP1 on June 21, 2022.

VIENNA (IDN) — The First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW is a remarkable historic achievement following a nearly decade-long collective effort to advance the universal objective of complete nuclear disarmament.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 23 June 2022

Photo: First Meeting of the States Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Credit: Seikyo Shimbun

Faith Communities Greet First Nuclear Weapons Ban Conference

By IDN-INPS Team

VIENNA (IDN) — Faith communities "from a diversity of traditions and located all over the world" have joined together "with one voice to mark" the first meeting of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)."

: UN Bureau; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 22 June 2022

Photo: Dr ElBaradei. Credit: Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

There Is No Such Thing as A Limited Nuclear War

Viewpoint by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei

Following is the text of comments by Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General Emeritus, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nobel Peace Prize 2005, at the opening of the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons on June 20, 2022.

VIENNA (IDN) — It is an honour to take part in this the 2022 Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons. I would like to thank the Austrian government for taking the initiative to organize it.