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ALMATY (IDN | KazInform) – Kazakhstan militaries are taking peacemaking training in New Delhi jointly with Indian colleagues. The classes are taking place at the UN Training Center.
The Kazakhstani peacemakers came to New Delhi to study the Indian experience to apply it in missions. Upon arrival they familiarized with the general provisions, structure and principles of the UN work.
Viewpoint by Roberto Savio
Roberto Savio is publisher of Other News and an eminent proponent of "information that markets eliminate". 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) – It is now clear that we are in a period of transition, even if we do not know where we are headed. It is clear that the political, economic and social system which has accompanied us since the end of the Second World War is no longer sustainable.
Exponentially growing inequalities have practically taken us back to the levels of Queen Victoria's days, according to Amnesty International, and now on a global level. Ten years ago, 652 people possessed the same wealth as 2.3 billion people. Now they number just eight.
By J Nastranis
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – Amid global anxieties about nuclear peril, Kazakhstan has joined representatives of several countries around the world in calling on the international community to work together through inclusive dialogue that takes into account the views of other States.
The general debate in the UN Disarmament Commission (UNDC) on April 2, 2018 also heard delegates expressing frustration over the lack of progress in implementing disarmament obligations by nuclear-weapon States and calling on them to reduce or eliminate their arsenals, while highlighting the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT): disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
By Mirjam van Reisen and Gilad Liberman
BRUSSELS (IDN) – The previous two days have been rather turbulent in Israel's policy towards African refugees seeking asylum. On April 2, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a halt to deportations to Rwanda, believed to be the "third-country" he had mentioned for the first time, while announcing a new agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle half of Israel's refugees in western countries and absorb the other half.
Within 24 hours, on April 3, he “froze” the deal. The EU office in Israel tweeted: “Guess it's just one of those days. At 20:57 you congratulate #Israel & @refugees on their agreement, at 21:46 you like @IsraelMFA announcement on the deal, at 22:50 the PM suspends it and blames, among others, #EU (where #UNHCR hoped to resettle significant number of refugees).”
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Personally I'm a coward. I'm unlikely ever to be a hero. (I have rescued on different occasions three young children from drowning, but I didn't risk my life.) I certainly would never have done what Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, the French policeman, did.
He asked the terrorist who had taken over a supermarket if he could substitute himself for the female hostage he held. The terrorist agreed and then murdered him. Beltrame was given a state funeral on March 28. The Moroccan terrorist who appears to be a supporter of ISIS is in jail, awaiting trial.
By Santo D. Banerjee
NEW YORK (IDN) – The increasing fragility of international peace and security is accentuating the critical need for persistent dialogue and relentless diplomacy to deter multiple conflicts triggering nuclear confrontation, disarmament experts and campaigners say.
Conflicts related to nuclear weapons, including in Northeast Asia, between the U.S. and NATO on the one hand and Russia on the other, they say, should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and every effort must be undertaken to make the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament from May 14 to 16, 2018 in New York a success.
By Hahn Choonghee
Hahn Choonghee was Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the United Nations in New York for four years until early 2018. He is now Special Advisor to the Speaker of the National Assembly for Foreign Affairs, ROK. This article first appeared in UN Chronicle, Vol. LIV No. 4 2017 January 2018. – The Editor
NEW YORK, SEOUL (IDN-INPS) – We are currently facing unprecedented challenges, including continued conflicts, increased violent extremism and obstacles to sustainable development such as extreme poverty, gender and economic inequality, refugees and internally displaced persons, and climate change. These challenges are global in their scope and interwoven in nature.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – This present pope – Francis – is probably the most powerful man in the world, in the round.
Stalin once asked when confronted with the argument about the Pope’s reach and influence, replied, “How many divisions has the pope got?” He missed the point. The pope does not work these days in the world of hard power. He is a peddler of soft power.
Francis has much more power, maybe because of the strength of his convictions, than any of his predecessors, with the exception of the Polish pope, John Paul II, who played a front-line role in triggering the events that brought down communism.
Dr. Sally Matthews is Senior Lecturer in Politics, Rhodes University, South Africa. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – Non-governmental organisations have become key actors in responding to poverty and related suffering. In Africa, NGOs play a leading role in providing health care and education.
The non-profit sector continues to grow rapidly in Africa and around the world. In South Africa alone, there are more than 100,000 registered non-profit organisations and in Kenya the number of NGOs grew by over 400% between 1997 and 2006. And for most observers, they seem to be well-intentioned actors who do a lot of good on the continent.
By Rick Wayman
Rick Wayman is Programs Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF). In April 2016, he received the 'Activist of the Year' award from the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) for "dynamic leadership in bringing the Marshall Islanders' Nuclear Zero litigation to world attention, activating the next generation of peace leaders, and guiding ANA as board member and tech guru." – The Editor
SANTA BARBARA, CA (IDN) - A possible summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un is just weeks away. Questions abound: Is it a good idea? When and where will it take place? What will they talk about? Who, if anyone, is preparing the U.S. president for this high-stakes meeting? Will it be a success?
