SUSTAINABILITY

Photo: Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury at 2019 HLF-CoP observing the 20th anniversary of the culture of peace at UN on 13 September 2019. Credit: UN

The Culture of Peace: For a Safer, Saner and Sustainable World

By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury

The author is a former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the UN, former Permanent Representative and Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations, and founder of the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP). The following are extensive excerpts from his virtual special lecture at the International Studies Institute at University of La Verne, California on 19 November 2020. "The objective of the culture of peace," he said, "is the empowerment of people, as has been underscored time and again by the global leader for peace and Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda."

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 28 December 2020

Photo: Drivers of the colourful and traditional 'jeepneys' have been among the hardest-hit populations in the Philippines. Credit: Dan Olanday.

COVID-19 Worsens Human Rights Situation in Southeast Asia

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.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; COVID-19; 27 December 2020

EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 25

By EEPA

BRUSSELS (IDN) – The United States has expressed deep concern “for the safety and security of Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia”, calling on “the Ethiopian government to uphold its obligations under international law and to take appropriate measures to ensure the protection and safety of all refugees in Ethiopia.  Those responsible for egregious abuses or violations against civilians must be held accountable”.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 25 December 2020

Image credit: Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)

Sufficient Uranium Resources Exist to Support the Sustainable Use of Nuclear Energy

By Reinhard Jacobsen

VIENNA (IDN) – A new report by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that sufficient uranium resources exist to support the long-term, sustainable use of nuclear energy for low-carbon electricity generation as well as for other uses such as industrial heat applications and hydrogen production.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 24 December 2020

Holidays: A Time to Renew Hope

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.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 23 December 2020

Photo: Barroso Agro-sylvo-pastoral System. Credit: Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

Portugal: Mainstreaming Food Systems in The Presidency of The European Council

Viewpoint by Paulo Caruso Dias de Lima

The writer is a Liaison Officer at the FAO Brussels Office.

BRUSSELS (IDN) – As announced two weeks ago, the Portuguese Presidency of the European Council, in the first half of next year, is set to position its priorities to promote a fair, green and digital recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19. This is in keeping with regional and global trends towards transforming the ways in which we produce and consume food. (Also available in Portuguese)

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 23 December 2020

Photo: Desert Locusts in Isiolo County, Kenya. Source: FAO

Desert Locust Upsurge Continues to Threaten Food Security in the Horn of Africa

FAO Needs Funds To Safeguard Agricultural Production and Livelihoods

By FAO

ROME (IDN) – A new generation of Desert Locust swarms is threatening Agricultural and pastoral livelihoods and the food security of millions of people in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, despite intense efforts to control the pest throughout 2020, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

With international support and an unprecedented large-scale response campaign coordinated by FAO, more than 1.3 million hectares of locust infestations have been treated in ten countries since January 2020.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture; 23 December 2020

Photo: A view of the Mabwepande Green Village. Credit: Kizito Makoye.

Mabwepande Green Village: Model for a Sustainable Future

The Watumishi Housing Company’s model estate harnesses clean energy technologies to improve lives and reduce the carbon footprint.

By Kizito Makoye

MABWEPANDE | Tanzania (IDN) – As a warm breeze blows from the Indian Ocean, two men in dazzling outfits show up on the balcony of a home with flower-filled pots to convey a message to their community members about the future plans of their green village.

“In order to achieve our goals of establishing a successful green village, it is important to come together and exchange our ideas,” says Reeves Ngalemwa, the chairman of the Mabwepande green village in Tanzania’s largest commercial city.

: Kizito Makoye; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 December 2020

Photo: Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolboys. Source: 24x7news

More Nigerian Schoolchildren Seized in Second Mass Kidnapping

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Schoolchildren were again the targets of unknown assailants who seized the youngsters as they returned from a religious ceremony in the Nigerian town of Dandume, near Kankara where a similar kidnapping had taken place.

According to published police sources, between 39 and 84 schoolchildren were abducted by the kidnappers after a gun battle between the abductors, security forces and local vigilantes. They were released after 10 days in captivity, press reports say.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 21 December 2020

Photo: The consultation event for the publication at the UN in February 2019. Credit: UN.

A New Handbook on Parliamentary Action for Disarmament

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) – Nearly one-and-half years after UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched Securing Our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament in May 2018, a new handbook to support disarmament for security and sustainable development has been released. Its approach and focus draw primarily on the Agenda. Titled Assuring our Common Future, published by four international parliamentary organizations and two international policy bodies on November 5, 2020, the new publication offers background and examples of effective policies and parliamentary actions on a wide range of disarmament issues.