Responsible Consumption & Production

Photo: Zanzibar. Credit: Kester Kenn Klomegah

Undeterred by Health Warnings, Russians Begin Flocking to Africa's Islands

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Despite the worsening coronavirus situation in Russia, at least during the months of October and November, Russian tourism agencies have briskly been organizing group tours to the Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar, Seychelles and Mauritius.

Obviously, because the islands seem to have the lowest cases of the pandemic and have taken strict measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. And, these islands are favourite destinations for foreign tourists and have closely diverse geopolitical relations with the world.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 06 November 2020

Photo: Collage of pictures of Prime Minister Rajapaksa and cattle. Source: Sri Lanka Newswire.

Sri Lanka Bans Cow Slaughter, But Has Yet to Pass Animal Welfare Bill

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 44th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports.

SINGAPORE (IDN) – The Sri Lankan government will be amending the Animal Act after the Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to ban the slaughter of cows in this predominantly Buddhist country. However, animal rights activists point out that there are no animal welfare laws in the country, and a bill to enact an Animal Welfare Act has been blocked in parliament since 2006.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 10 October 2020

What Happens to the Plastic the UK Recycles?

Viewpoint by Regina Frei & Diego Vazquez-Brust*

SOUTHAMPTON | PORTSMOUTH, United Kingdom (IDN) – The secretive way in which plastic recycling is handled in the UK carries the potential for the next big scandal. While the government’s statutory guidance is supposed to clarify who is responsible, our research suggests that what happens to plastics we believe to be recycled in the UK is in reality quite obscure.

Each council in the UK contracts different companies for the disposal and recycling of household waste, so the rules for residents in different areas vary. But you probably separate recyclables before filling your recycling bin and expect that waste (except when it’s black) to be recycled.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 04 September 2020

Examining the Unravelling of Mexico's National Petroleum Company Pemex

Viewpoint by Bill Dahl

The writer is a former Senior Vice President for Bank of America in Los Angeles, CA. He currently resides in Queretaro, MX. His insightful analysis of global economic affairs have been published widely. He is a contributing columnist for Mexico News Daily, IDN-InDepthNews and Wall Street International Magazine.

REDMOND, Oregon, USA (IDN) – Imagine you are the President of a country where the national oil resource is wholly owned, managed and operated by you – on behalf of 130 million of your citizens.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 18 May 2020

Photo: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (left) and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo (right). Credit: WHO/WTO

Good Health and Unimpeded Global Trade Go Hand in Hand

Viewpoint by Roberto Azevêdo and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Following is the text of a joint statement by WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on April 20.

GENEVA (IDN) – COVID-19 has rapidly progressed to become a global pandemic, causing unprecedented, far-reaching impact on the health, social and economic well-being of communities around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) are committed to responding effectively to the situation, working together with other international organizations and our respective memberships.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 20 April 2020

Photo: A lone passenger rides an escalator on the New York City subway at one of the network's busiest stations. The city's tourist industry is likely to be decimated by COVID-19 for the rest of 2020. United Nations/Katya Pugacheva

UN Travel Organization Predicts Revival of Holiday Traffic

By Ronald Joshua

ROME | MADRID (IDN) – Tourism has been brought to a near-standstill by COVID-19, but the World Travel Organization (UNWTO) believes that once the pandemic has passed, the industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of global GDP, is in a unique position to help put the global economy back on its feet.

UNWTO is closely monitoring the new coronavirus crisis from its Madrid headquarters and collaborating with other UN agencies in finding ways to mitigate its impact.

: Ronald Joshua; UN INSIDER; 18 April 2020

Photo: Pyramids are the backbone of Egyptian tourism. Credit: IFPRI.

Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism and Remittances – Insights from Egypt

Viewpoint by Clemens Breisinger, Abla Abdel Latif, Mariam Raouf and Manfred Wiebelt

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) – The economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are increasingly hitting low- and middle-income countries and the poor. International travel restrictions and the full or partial closure of businesses and industries in Asia, Europe, and North America have led to a collapse in global travel and are expected to reduce the flows of remittances. Tourism and remittances are important sources of employment and incomes for the poor, respectively. This post assesses the potential impacts of the expected reductions in these income flows by using Egypt as a case study.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 13 April 2020

New Technique Converts Plastic Waste into High-Quality Plastic

By J W Jackie

RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Every year, around eight million tons of plastic makes its way to our oceans, with the yearly input expected to double by the year 2025. The problem is most visible in developing nations (where garbage collection and recycling systems are inexistent or sub-par) but developed nations also often have low recycling rates, and the ‘throwaway culture’ is endangering the lives of countless marine species.

: Admin; SUSTAINABILITY; Responsible Consumption & Production; 27 October 2019

Golf’s Championship Takes a Swing at Single-Use Plastics

A UN Environment Feature

NAIROBI (IDN) – The small Scottish seaside town of St Andrews is replete with a rich history which includes a castle and Scotland’s oldest university, founded in 1413.

In 1754, the town witnessed another first when The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews was established. Today, St Andrews is also the home of The R&A which governs the sport worldwide (apart from the United States and Mexico) and organizes The Open, golf’s oldest major championship.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Responsible Consumption & Production; 02 September 2019

Image credit: Global Financial Integrity

As Global Leaders in Trade, G7 Are Committed to SDGs

By Edda Pleitez

The writer, a student at the University of Texas, Austin and 2019 GFI Summer Intern, explains how some of the world’s most advanced economies and free societies implement the SDGs. This article first appeared in Global Financial Integrity.

AUSTIN, Texas, USA (IDN-INPS) – The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of measurable, attainable and time-bound objectives that were accepted by all 193 Member States of the United Nations in 2015.