Global Partnerships

Photo: Euro-Asian Regional Midterm Review participants. Credit: UNESCAP

Bangkok Meeting Reviews Programme of Action for LLDCs

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK | BANGKOK (IDN) – Lack of territorial access to the sea, isolation and remoteness from world markets impose constraints on trade competitiveness of the 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and their overall socio-economic development.

In addition to the geographical impediments, LLDCs face challenges linked to high trade and transport costs, limited or low-quality infrastructure, delays at borders, bottlenecks related to customs procedures and border crossing regulations, and productivity constraints.

: Santo D. Banerjee; UN INSIDER; 12 February 2019

Photo: Town hall Meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Ghana Embassy in Washington, DC. Credit: Ghana Embassy, Washington, DC.

Ghana Rolls Out The Red Carpet To Encourage Resettlement In The Motherland

By Benjamin Tetteh, Africa Renewal

ACCRA (IDN-INPS) – In the heart of Accra, Ghana’s capital, just a few meters from the United States embassy, lie the tombs of W. E. B. Du Bois, a great African-American civil rights leader, and his wife, Shirley. The founder of the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People moved to Accra in 1961, settling in the city’s serene residential area of Labone and living there until his death in August 1963.

Mr. Du Bois’s journey to Ghana may have signaled the emergence of a profound desire among Africans in the diaspora to retrace their roots and return to the continent. Ghana was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; THE WORLD; Africa; 01 February 2019

UN Warns Of The Confluence Of Significant Risks Threatening Global Development

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) – The convergence of several significant risks is endangering efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the universally adopted plan containing 17 specific goals to promote prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment, a new report has warned.

The risks with the potential to severely disrupt economic activity and inflict significant damage on longer-term development prospects include waning support for multilateral approaches; the escalation of trade policy disputes; financial instabilities linked to elevated levels of debt; and rising climate risks, as the world experiences an increasing number of extreme weather events.

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 27 January 2019

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres makes remarks during the handover ceremony of the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 from Egypt to the State of Palestine. 15 January 2019. New York. UN Photo/Manuel Elias.

'Group of 77' Shows Multilateralism 'Only Way to Address Shared Challenges'

Palestine And Its Citizens Have First-Hand Experience Of Some Of The Most Challenging And Dramatic Global Issues We Face

By António Guterres

The following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks at the handover ceremony of the chairmanship of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, in New York on January 15, as the United Nations embarked on "another critical year of work".

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – The Group of 77 and China has demonstrated strong leadership throughout 2018 and proved once again to be a central force in demonstrating that multilateralism is the only way to address our shared challenges.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; The Group of 77; 20 January 2019

Antarctica: The Tale Of A Beauty Condemned

By Dr Palitha Kohona

The author is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary. Dr Kohona visited Antarctica on board the expedition vessel Silver Cloud recently. This is the second of a two-part report. Read Part 1 'End of The Antarctic Ice Cap In Sight If We Do Nothing' here.

COLOMBO (IDN) – The outlines of the frozen continent, seen from the approaching expedition ship Silver Cloud, are so hauntingly beautiful, serene and inviting. The snow covered surfaces, the glaciers glistening in the Antarctic sun are stunning. But without much warning the weather changes, the gloom sets in and the scowling glaciers threaten menacingly. The environment of the Antarctic has remained pristine largely due to its inhospitable nature. It is the only continent with no native human population.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 16 January 2019

Photo: Antarctica Iceberg. Credit: IAATO.

End of The Antarctic Ice Cap In Sight If We Do Nothing

By Dr Palitha Kohona

COLOMBO (IDN) – The thick ice cap above the Antarctic continent will not disappear in our lifetime. It will continue to glisten disarmingly in the summer sun, its soft outlines concealing its unforgiving ferocity. But if we do nothing, it will disappear, over time. Sooner than later. This could spell catastrophe for life on Earth. Already there is convincing evidence of something unusual happening. Large chunks of the glaciers are breaking and floating away and the mammoth Antarctic glaciers are in observable retreat.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 13 January 2019

Photo: The new UN Building at Tuanaimato. Credit: Government of Samoa/2017

UNCTAD Helps Pacific Islands Build New Economic Links

By Jamshed Baruah*

GENEVA (IDN) – United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has opened an office in Samoa to coordinate a trade and transparency project for Pacific small islands, ahead of a regional free trade agreement coming into force in 2019.

UNCTAD has joined agencies including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women in new premises in the capital of Samoa to support coordinated multilateral assistance to small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific region.

: Jamshed Baruah; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; United Nations; 10 January 2019

UNDP Selects Next Generation Of Leadership Worldwide

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) – While the vast majority of the senior leadership of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – 126 Resident Representatives – were slated to leave the organization simultaneously on December 31, 2018, a new pool of world class talent has been selected to lead the UNDP's development work across the globe.

The new pool is not only 50:50 gender balanced and geographically diverse, it also implies a significant leap forward in preparing to play a crucial role in the implementation of the Secretary-General's reform of the United Nations Development System.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; UN INSIDER; 05 January 2019

Photo: Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to creating sustainable development. Credit: UNIC Tunis.

UN Keen To Progress Towards 17 Global Development Goals

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – A series of events, including two High-level Political Forums (HLPFs) and the UN Secretary-General's Climate Summit on the margins of the 74th General Assembly underline the vital importance of 2019 that marks the fourth year of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015.

The first HLPF in July will be held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), completing its first cycle, and the other in September at the summit level during the General Assembly.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 04 January 2019

Photo (left to right): Ms. D. Walsweer-Sore, ACP Secretariat; Stefano Manservisi, European Commission's Director-General; Professor Robert Dussey, ACP Chief Negotiator; Rimnick Pato, Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea.

A Critical Year Ahead For EU's Ties With 79 ACP Countries

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – 2019 will be a crucial year for relations between the European Union (EU) and 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) – uniting more than half of all UN member countries and representing over 1.5 billion people.

The current partnership, governed by the Cotonou agreement, is one of the longest-standing and most comprehensive framework for cooperation between the EU and developing countries. The current agreement expires in 2020. Therefore, the new agreement needs to be both finalised and approved by then.