Peace & Justice

Crisis Means Danger and Opportunity

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery*

COPENHAGEN (IDN) – In written Chinese, the word “crisis” is represented by two characters. One of these, taken alone, means “danger”. The other, by itself, means “opportunity”. A crisis nearly always leads to great change. There is a danger that this will be a change for the worse. But there also is the opportunity to change society for the better – to reform and improve it. Both paths are present in a crisis like our present one. We must strive with all our strength to make society take the right path.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 11 June 2020

79-Nation OACPS Grows into The Power of Change in The International Arena

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | BRUSSELS (IDN) – The interregional ACP officially became the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) on April 5, when 79 leaders of the group endorsed the revised version of the 1975 Constitutive Act, known as the Georgetown Agreement, at the December 2019 Summit in Nairobi, Kenya.

One month earlier, on March 2, Angola's Ambassador to the European Union, Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, took over from the Guyanese Ambassador, Dr P.I. Gomes, the office of the Secretary-General. A highlight of Dr Gomes' five-year term was the decision of the group to change its name, thus stressing its importance for organisations such as the United Nations.

: Ramesh Jaura; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; OACPS; 08 June 2020

Photo: OCHA's Gema Cortés (right) interviews and photographs a woman in Bolivar, Venezuela prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. Credit: UN OCHA/Marrero

How a UN Official Got Out the Right COVID-19 Information from Venezuela

Viewpoint by Gema Cortés

The writer is Public Information Officer, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Caracas. He contributed the following to UN OCHA on June 1.

CARACAS (IDN) – When I arrived in Venezuela ten months ago, access to basic services and products such as food and medicines was already challenging. Patience and good humour were the formula for overcoming the long queues to pay at the supermarket. In a country where local cash is not operational, credit cards, mobile payments and cryptocurrencies are the only ways to pay.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 05 June 2020

Photo: Images of former South African President F.W. de Klerk (left) and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

In Quest of The Israeli De Klerk

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has announced that in a month's time he will start to annex the large-scale Jewish settlements inside Palestinian territory, a step as provocative as one can imagine. Not even President Donald Trump's Administration which has supported Israel with many measures has not gone along with such thinking.

Supporting the creation of settlements, Trump appears to think, is one thing, annexing a step too far. On the other hand, he has made it clear how close to Netanyahu he feels. He may well end up supporting the prime minister.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 02 June 2020

Photo: In Yemen after nearly five years of war, women have been hit hardest by the conflict. Credit: Kellie Ryan | International Rescue Committee

Arab Women's Organizations Join the UN Chief Urging a Global Ceasefire in the Face Of COVID-19

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) – In a joint statement, ninety-one women's organizations from Iraq, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Yemen have joined a global appeal issued by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the outset of the pandemic.

On March 23, Guterres urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19: the common enemy that is now threatening all the humankind.

: Caroline Mwanga; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 02 June 2020

Photo credit: Facebook Executive Mansion-Liberia.

On 'Unification Day', Hopes Dim Among Liberians for Mending National Ties

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | MONROVIA (IDN) – Decades after Liberians agreed to close the chapter on years of disunity and nagging inequality between groups of African-American settlers and indigenous Liberians, efforts to solidify the nation's fragile state of peace appear to have deadlocked.

At a National Unification Day conference in Paynesville, a suburb of Monrovia, Augustine Arkoi, head of the Better Future Foundation (BFF), called the Unification Policy promoted by the late President William V.S. Tubman, a critical challenge 56 years after its formal launch.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 01 June 2020

Photo: A USAF Boeing OC-135B Open Skies. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The Future of Arms Control Hangs in the Balance After US Quits Open Skies Treaty

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw from the 1992 Open Skies Treaty has posed unprecedented challenges, generated extensive debates among Russian politicians and experts. Equally worried are leaders in Europe and Asia.

Trump administration notified international partners on May 21 that the US was pulling out of a treaty that permits 30 plus nations to conduct unarmed, observation flights over each other's territory.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 31 May 2020

Photo: Collage with focus on Bience Gawanas, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General with 2020 African Dialogue Series banner on top right. Source: OSAA.

UN Discusses the Challenges of Combating COVID-19 Pandemic and Silencing the Guns in Africa

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – In opening remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series on "COVID-19 and Silencing the Guns in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities", UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: "The pandemic has exposed the fragility of our societies. It is a global problem that demands a coordinated global response built on unity and solidarity". He commended African Governments for having responded swiftly.

: Santo D. Banerjee; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 May 2020

Photo: The Potala Palace in Lhasa, chief residence and political centre of the Dalai Lamas. CC BY-SA 3.0

Timely New Book Warns India and China About Dangerous Manipulations in the Buddhist Himalayas

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 41st in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports.

SYDNEY (IDN) – At a time when the United States is ramping up its rhetoric against China triggering a new Cold War between the world's leading superpowers, India is increasingly being wooed by the U.S. to join them to pressure China. In recent weeks there have been some minor skirmished between Chinese and Indian forces on the border in the Himalayas.

In this scenario, former Indian diplomat Phunchok Stobdan's book on the Buddhist Himalayas is very timely.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 28 May 2020

UN Chief Reiterates Call for Global Ceasefire on Africa Day

Commends Leadership in Battling COVID-19

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – A star-studded benefit concert hosted by English actor Idris Alba, an online how-to video for jollof rice, and a UN call for a global ceasefire issued by the Secretary-General António Guterres marked the virtual Africa Day celebrated on May 24.

African countries have "demonstrated commendable leadership" battling the COVID-19 pandemic, but more nations across the continent where conflict prevails should heed the UN call for a global ceasefire to push back the deadly virus, said the Secretary-General.