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Viewpoint by Champa Patel*
LONDON (IDN) – Southeast Asia already had a poor human rights record before the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite ASEAN’s rhetoric on democratic values and human rights, illiberal democracies have been on the rise, putting fundamental freedoms in the region under pressure. Most countries across the region continue to criminalise dissent using draconian often colonial-era laws, or new repressive legislation. COVID-19 has intensified these trends.
Viewpoint by Dilkhush Panjwani *
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not express the views or opinions of people, institutions or organizations that he is affiliated with in a professional or personal capacity.
TORONTO (IDN) – George Clooney said in a recent interview: “It’s been a crappy year. It has. But we’re gonna get through it. I believe that with my whole heart. If I didn’t believe that I don’t know how we’d raise kids in this world. We’re gonna get through these things and my hope and my belief is that we will come out better.” We too must hope and believe that tomorrow will be the dawn of a better future.
By Kalinga Seneviratne
SILVERTON (IDN) – With over 9.3 million international visitors spending close to $34 billion in Australia last year, Tourism Australia’s executive director Bob East predicted a rosy picture for the county' tourism sector, in its annual report for 2018-19 released at the beginning of this year. He said the sector has seen “exceptional achievements” in the past year, and thousands of tourism operators are “making a good living from a strong and sustainable industry”.
Even before the rosy report could be properly distributed, the tourism sector came crashing down, when Australia became the first country in the world to seal its borders in January this year. It was just before the peak of the international visitor arrivals during the lunar new year holidays in Asia.
Viewpoint by Angélica Maria Jácome Daza
The writer is FAO Director, Office for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs).
BRUSSELS (IDN) – The possible food crisis that could be triggered by the effects of COVID-19 differs significantly from traditional food crises brought on by conflict or natural disasters. In contrast to the food crisis of 2007 and 2008, the current challenge is about ensuring food access, not food availability.
By Lisa Vies, Global Information Network
NW YORK (IDN) – The South African firm Aspen may soon be rolling out drugs to combat COVID-19 on the continent after signing a deal with the U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson.
The American pharma company has conducted the only major study testing the efficacy of a single dose of Covid vaccine among 60,000 volunteers. In October, the company announced that the single-dose drug “induced a strong neutralizing antibody response in nearly all participants aged 18 years and older and was generally well tolerated.”
By Santo D. Banerjee
NEW YORK (IDN) – A new report by independent experts has proposed urgent actions to meet the pledge by developed countries to mobilize at least US$100 billion a year to support developing countries in mitigating and adapting to climate change. The study released by the United Nations on December 11 accentuates that "COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the context for international climate finance".
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
BANGKOK (IDN) – The Pacific Island Developing State of Vanuatu has emerged as one of the region’s great success stories. Vanuatu has joined the ranks of Samoa and the Maldives as one of only six countries to graduate from being a least developed country since the category was introduced by the United Nations in 1971.
By Sean Buchanan
LONDON (IDN) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has just launched a new alliance, the Africa Infodemic Response Alliance (AIRA), to coordinate actions and pool resources in combating misinformation around COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies in Africa.
It brings together 13 international and regional organisations, together with fact-checking groups which have expertise in data and behavioural science, epidemiology, research, digital health and communications.
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa*
NEW YORK (IDN) – Since the first identification of HIV/AIDS in the United States of America (USA), in 1981, approximately 76 million people have been infected with HIV, and nearly 35 million people have died of AIDS — the highest global death toll of all time — and also one of the world’s most politicized, feared and controversial diseases in the history of modern medicine.
However, this year, the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) has thus far infected over 65 million and killed over 1.5 million people around the world.
By J W Jackie
RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – The recent State of Global Air 2020 report has revealed that pollution leads to half a million deaths among babies on a global scale every year, with poor indoor air quality contributing to two-thirds of these deaths. Particulate matter is a huge problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 236,00 deaths take place annually.
This zone is followed by South Asia (186,000 deaths); South-East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (23,000); North Africa and the Middle East (20,000); Latin America and the Caribbean (7,700); and Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (2,700).
IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.