THE WORLD

Photo: Briefing by Nickolay Mladenov, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

UN Envoy Expresses Hope and Concern About the Gaza Accord

By Santo D. Banerjee

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – A senior United Nations official has emphasized the urgency to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and to return the enclave to full civilian and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) as agreed in the Cairo accord on October 12, 2017, described as a "landmark development".

According to media reports, the agreement between the Fatah and Hamas factions allows the Palestinian government to resume its responsibilities in Gaza. A statement released by Egypt, which facilitated the accord, said the Palestinian government should assume its full responsibilities to manage the enclave by December 1, 2017.

: Santo D. Banerjee; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 21 November 2017

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in attend a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Credit: Kim Hong-ji/Pool Photo

Trump’s Asian Visit Exposes U.S.-Asia Perception Gap

By Kalinga Seneviratne

BANGKOK (IDN) – It is often said that since the end of the World War II, the United States has been the pre-eminent power in the Asia-Pacific region, providing the stability needed for the economic boom of the past 70 years.

This perception is changing, however, and has intensified especially after U.S. President Donald Trump’s infamous speech at the United Nations in September where he threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea, effectively killing 25 million people and committing the worse war crime in history.

The large “No Trump, No War” demonstrations that took place across South Korea during President Trump’s visit to Seoul earlier in November reflected the South Korean peoples’ different perception to that of United States about the North Korean nuclear threat.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 21 November 2017

Photo: A new road being constructed in Bamyan in 2013. Credit: UNAMA

Religious Scholars Discuss Peace-building in Afghanistan

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Religious leaders came together in support of efforts to build a culture of tolerance and non-violence in Afghanistan at an event organized by the Bamyan regional office of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

More than 30 scholars, including female scholars from different religious institutions attended the event to discuss and review their role in building a peaceful society, UNAMA reported on November 20, 2017.

"Religion is a key factor in peace-building," said Ibrahim Khalili, a scholar, stressing that religious leaders, by virtue of their standing in communities, can be a positive force for building peace among local communities.

: J Nastranis; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 20 November 2017

Photo: Signing of the peace agreement between the government of Colombia and FARC in Cartagena de Indias on 26 September 2018. Credit: Presidency of El Salvador

Were 'Timochenko' to Become President of Colombia

Viewpoint by Marcelo Colussi*

GUATEMALA CITY (IDN) – Rodrigo Londoño Echeverri, known by his nom de guerre 'Timochenko', of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has recently announced that he intends to run for the presidency of his country. It is difficult to predict what will happen in the next presidential elections in May 2018 but, if won by Timochenko, what might happen?

First of all, two considerations: 1) deepest respect for the struggle of an armed revolutionary movement such as FARC, and 2) this is no whimsical exercise in futurology.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 20 November 2017

Photo: A side event at COP23. Credit: IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada

Climate Change Impact in Asia-Pacific Needs Innovative Finance Solutions

By Jaya Ramachandran

BONN (IDN) – While global estimates range between US$55 trillion and $93 trillion to stay within 2 degree Celsius of temperature increase by 2030-2035, developing countries in Asia alone need an estimated US$3.6 billion per annum up to 2030 to transition toward net zero emissions and increased resilience, according to ESCAP News.

If finance is to be scaled-up to these levels, it is essential to use lending and capital market channels to shore up resources to effectively tackle the impact of climate change, according to countries in Asia-Pacific which gathered on November 16 on the sidelines of global climate talks in Bonn to discuss opportunities to raise ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement through innovative finance solutions. It was acknowledged that additional support from the international community was required to support this effort.

: Jaya Ramachandran; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 November 2017

Photo: Silk weavers of Sualkuchi in Assam, Promode Das and Dipti Das. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS.

Traditional Silk Weavers in India Losing Out To New Comers

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SUALKUCHI, Assam, India (IDN) – Silk weaving is an intrinsic part of Assamese culture and the "weavers' village" of Sualkuchi is famous for its silk products, especially the Muga silk made from the golden thread of the assama caterpillar. Situated about 30 km from Gauhati, the state capital, tourist brochures describe this as a weavers' paradise. But this is far from reality for the local weavers.

"The cost of production is going up, especially with an increase in the price of thread. We cannot feed the family with our loom," said Ninola Boruah, a local weaver in her 40s. She was particularly critical of the entrepreneurs who have set up what the industry calls "cluster" operations. These consist of a virtual factory with 8 to 12 looms packed into a small hut employing weavers on daily wages.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 November 2017

Photo: UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, Siddharth Chatterjee

Kenya A beacon of Hope, says UNDP Representative Siddharth Chatterjee*

BERLIN | NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS | WION) - Major Siddharth Chatterjee (Retd), the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya, a humanitarian and development professional, a feminist and a passionate advocate for youth empowerment who has served in many war-ravaged and fragile parts of the world spoke exclusively to WION about his passion for advancing gender equality, his impressions of Kenya, the UN reform, and his transition from the Indian Army to the UN.

Below is the full transcript of the interview, first published on WION on November 15, 2017. It is being reproduced with due permission.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 18 November 2017

U.S. and Russia Should Avail of the Avalanche of Truth-Telling

By Alice Slater*

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – NATO’s recent provocative decision to build up its military forces across Europe by sending four new multinational battalions to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, comes at a time of great turmoil and intense questioning of global security with new forces for both good and evil straining to make their mark on the course of history.

On November 10-11, at the Vatican, Pope Francis held an international conference to follow up on the recently negotiated treaty to prohibit the possession, use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons leading to their complete elimination which was negotiated in the UN General Assembly this summer by 122 nations, although none of the nine nuclear weapons states participated.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 16 November 2017

Look Beyond Nuclear Deterrence to Deserve the Title of 'Civilization'

By Alexey Arbatov

Dr. Alexei Arbatov is the head of the Center for International Security at the Institute of Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations. He is a former scholar in residence with the Carnegie Moscow Center’s Nonproliferation Program. Formerly, he was a member of the State Duma, vice chairman of the Russian United Democratic Party (Yabloko), and deputy chairman of the Duma Defense Committee. He is a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is the head of the academy’s Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations. Following is the complete text of his paper presented to the conference on 'Perspectives for a world free from nuclear weapons and for integral disarmament' at Vatican City on 11 November 2017 – The Editor