SUSTAINABILITY

Image: Mirjam van Reisen in YouTube on Human Trafficking in the Sinai.

Dutch White Paper on Development Cooperation Beacons a New Discourse of Hope

Viewpoint by Mirjam van Reisen

Prof. Mirjam van Reisen, Ph.D. is member of the Dutch Council on International Affairs and author of Human Trafficking and Trauma in the Digital Era: The Ongoing Tragedy of the Trade in Refugees from Eritrea. She is Professor International Relations, Innovation and Care at Tilburg University and Professor Computing for Society at Leiden Centre for Data Science, at the University of Leiden. She is also the founding director of Europe External Policy Advisors and the Secretary General of Europe External Programme with Africa. – The Editor.

THE HAGUE (IDN) – A refreshing set of directives are offered by the Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, Sigrid Kaag, in the policy document entitled 'Investing in a Perspective. Good for the World – Good for The Netherlands', approved by the Dutch cabinet on May 18, 2018.

: Mirjam van Reisen; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 20 May 2018

Families in Asia-Pacific Could Benefit Much More from Growing Remittances

By Krishan Dutta

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) – Around US$6 trillion in remittances are expected to be sent to developing countries by 2030: over half of these flows will arrive in the Asia Pacific regions, very often in small towns and villages, says a new report.

Remittances to the Asia-Pacific region amounted to US$ 256 billion in 2017 representing 53 percent of flows worldwide. They have grown by 4.87 percent since 2008, with rates flattening in recent years.

Besides, remittances contribute to the region more than 10 times the official development assistance (ODA) in the region where 400 million people – one out of every 10 people – are directly affected by remittances either as a sender or as a receiver.

: Krishan Dutt; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 19 May 2018

Photo: A glimpse of the Continental Conference on Access to Justice for Children in Africa. Credit: The African Child Policy Forum and Defence for Children International.

Conference Calls for Action on Access to Justice for Children in Africa

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK | ADDIS ABABA (IDN) – The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child obliges all members of the world body to respect and ensure the rights of each child "within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind". While some progress has been made to fulfil the objectives set out in the Convention, too many commitments remain unfulfilled. This is particularly true for children deprived of liberty, who often remain invisible and forgotten.

Most countries lack data on the number of children deprived of liberty, on the reasons, length and places of detention. Judicial, administrative or other bodies, including the police, military authorities, immigration officials, child protection or welfare bodies, health professionals, and non-state actors, including in situations of armed conflict, decide children's detention.

: J Nastranis; THE WORLD; Africa; 18 May 2018

Photo: The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) commemorates the International Day of Peace by releasing doves, a symbol of peace. UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz

Call for Equal Citizenship Rights as Gateway to Peace

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) – The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, has called upon societies worldwide to embrace models of equal citizenship and to harness the collective energy of religions, creeds and value-systems in the pursuit of equal citizenship rights.

The Geneva Centre chairman Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim made this appeal on the occasion of the 2018 International Day of Living Together in Peace. On January 15, 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 72/130 declaring May 16 the International Day of Living Together in Peace.

: Jamshed Baruah; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 16 May 2018

Photo: UNICEF's youngest Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan in Chad. Credit: UNICEF UK.

Africa Committed To Gender Equality, Women's Empowerment

By Jeffrey Moyo

JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – Twenty-nine year old Ruramai Gwata had no reason to celebrate the International Women’s Day observed on March 8 every year. She lay in hospital nursing her wounds following a severe assault by her husband over a domestic dispute.

While licking her wounds two months later, as the world commemorated Mother's Day, Gwata was plagued by agonising memories of how her two children witnessed her abuse by her husband.

Jobless Gwata, though a qualified jobless teacher, is by no means a rare exception in Africa. Because of the fate of women like Gwata the continent’s bid to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 by accomplishing gender equality and empowering all women and girls by the year 2030, threatens to remain a pipe dream.

: Jeffrey Moyo; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 16 May 2018

Image: Cover (cropped) of Report on Inequality in Asia-Pacific. Credit. UNESCAP.

Inequality on the Rise in Asia-Pacific – UNESCAP Reports

By Rita Joshi

BERLIN | BANGKOK (IDN-INPS) – The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved by the United Nations in September 2015, pledged to "leave no one behind". But two years since the Agenda began to be implemented, inequality in Asia and the Pacific is on the rise. This is affirmed by a study launched at the 74th Session (CS74) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which opened on May 11, 2018 in Bangkok.

The Report shows that satisfactory progress has been made at the regional level towards eradicating poverty (Goal 1), promoting health and well-being (Goal 3), and achieving quality education for all (Goal 4).

: Rita Joshi; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 13 May 2018

Photo: UN Climate Talks in Bonn from April 30-May 10. Credit: UNFCCC

The Road to Climate Summit in Poland Leads Through Bangkok

By Jaya Ramachandran

BONN (IDN) – Since the climate negotiations in Bonn failed to pave the way for a successful United Nations climate summit COP24 in Poland in December, an extra round is being convened from September 3-8 in Bangkok.

Commenting the negotiations in Bonn, concluded on May 10, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group Chair Gebru Jember Endalew expressed concern at "the lack of urgency" to move the negotiations forward, despite the fact that "it is time to look at the bigger picture, see the severe impacts that climate change is having across the world, and rise to the challenge."

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 12 May 2018

Photo credit: The Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe

European Development Fund Comes to Rescue as Backyard Schools Swamp Africa

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE (ACP-IDN) – Enrolment in primary education in developing countries has reached 91 per cent but 57 million children remain out of school. More than half of children that have not enrolled in school live in 48 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, which are members of the 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). An estimated 50 per cent of out-of-school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas.

Sub Saharan Africa is home to 17 of the 33 countries and territories the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group classifies as 'fragile or conflict affected'. The IFC Conflict Affected States in Africa Initiative (CASA) is active in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.

: Jeffrey Moyo; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 12 May 2018

Photo: The ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up (FfD Forum) in New York on Day 1 (23 April 2018). Credit: UN

Finance for Development Should Focus on Poverty Eradication

By Sahar Nasr, on Behalf of the Group of 77 and China

Following are extensive excerpts from the Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by Ms. Sahar Nasr, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation of Egypt, at the general debate of the Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up on the follow-up and review of the financing for development outcomes and the means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in New York on 23 April 2018. – The Editor.

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – The Group of 77 and China has engaged constructively throughout the negotiations over the draft text of agreed conclusions and recommendations with a view to reaching a consensus-based outcome document encompassing all action areas of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Global Partnerships; 11 May 2018

Photo: Overgrazing by livestock can lead to land degradation. Credit: The United States Department of Agriculture.

UN Predicts Loss Of $43 Trillion Through Land Degradation

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN | BONN (IDN) – Land degradation has reached staggering proportions. If the current pace continues unabated, a gargantuan amount of $43,000,000,000,000 ($43 trillion) will be lost to the world economy by the year 2050, warns the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

But the anticipated colossal loss can be avoided by spending $4.6 trillion on addressing a combination of human-induced processes adversely affecting the biophysical environment and huge stretches of fertile lands.