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Photo: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the European Policy Centre in Brussels on 10 February. Source: The Minister’s twitter account.

Looking Forward to Scotland’s Return to EU Membership

Viewpoint by Nicola Sturgeon

The following are extensive excerpts from the address of Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the European Policy Centre, a leading Brussels-based think tank, on February 10. She was in Brussels for a series of engagements to make Scotland’s voice heard in Europe.

BRUSSELS (IDN) – This is the first time I have been here – or indeed anywhere outside Scotland – since the UK left the European Union ten days ago.

Brexit was a sad matter for me, and for many people in Scotland and indeed across the UK.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 10 February 2020

Photo: Australian bushfires: Source: East Asia Forum.

Australia’s Exceptional Vulnerability to Climate Change

Viewpoint by Andrew Walter*

MELBOURNE (IDN) -- The bushfires now ravaging Australia’s flora, fauna and rural communities on an unprecedented scale underline the country’s exceptional vulnerability to global heating and its strong interest in global climate change mitigation and adaptation. Decarbonisation should be taken as an economic opportunity and it could elevate Australia’s leading role in Asia for years to come.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 10 February 2020

Photo credit: The conversation.Photo credit: The conversation.

Towards a Constitutional Crisis: Scotland and Britain After the General Election

Viewpoint by Michael Keating*

ABERDEEN (IDN) – Choppy waters lie ahead for both defending and defeating the union that is the United Kingdom, with Scotland and England having diverged sharply in their choices at the recent general election (December 2019).

Campaigns in both countries focused on Brexit but in Scotland equal prominence was given to the prospect of a second referendum on independence. In 2014, Scots voted by 55 percent to remain in the UK after a campaign in which both sides shared the wish to stay in the European Union. Two years later, Scotland voted by 62 percent to remain in the EU.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 09 February 2020

Image credit: Arrupe Tribal Cultural Center

Accelerating Actions Towards Zero Female Genital Mutilation

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) – While significant progress in eliminating the practice has been made in the last 30 years, approximately 200 million girls and women alive today have had their genitals mutilated. This can lead to long-term physical, psychological and social consequences, warns a joint statement by UN Women, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO.

: Caroline Mwanga; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 08 February 2020

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres briefs journalists on his priorities for 2020 and the work of the Organization. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten.

The UN at 75 Moving From a Talking Shop to a Listening Post

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | NEW YORK (IDN) – Bob Dylan in "Blowin' in the Wind", one of the 'Greatest Songs of All Time', poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".

This applies, albeit partially, to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres´ brief to journalists at the UN headquarters in New York on 4 February on the work of the organization and priorities for 2020 which marks a milestone for the United Nations – its 75th anniversary.

: Ramesh Jaura; UN INSIDER; 08 February 2020

Photo: Secretary-General António Guterres (left) briefs the UN General Assembly on his Priorities for 2020 and the Work of the Organization. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten.

2020 Priorities and the Work of the United Nations

Viewpoint by António Guterres

The following are extensive excerpts from the UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the General Assembly on 22 January on his priorities in 2020.

NEW YORK (IDN) – 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. I draw tremendous strength from all that we represent and all that we have achieved together. Yet anniversaries are not about celebrating the past; they are about looking ahead.

We must cast our eyes to the future with hope. But we must also do so without illusion. Today I want to speak to you in stark and simple terms about the challenges we face.

I see “four horsemen” in our midst — four looming threats that endanger 21st-century progress and imperil 21st-century possibilities.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 07 February 2020

Photo: People wear face masks at China's Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Credit: UN News/Jing Zhang

WHO Initiates a Two-Pronged Move to Combat Coronavirus

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) – Two important steps have been taken to combat further spread of the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in China and globally. On the one hand, the international community has launched a US$675 million preparedness and response plan covering the months of February through to April 2020. On the other, the World Health Organization (WHO) is convening a global research and innovation forum at its headquarters in the Swiss city on February 11-12.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 06 February 2020

Photo: People's Climate March 2017 in Washington DC. CC BY-SA 4.0

Climate Change Means Lifestyle Change

Viewpoint by John Scales Avery *

COPENHAGEN (IDN) – I would like to announce the publication of a book, which deals with the world's failure to adequately address the existential danger of catastrophic climate change. The book consists mainly of book chapters and articles that I have previously published, although a considerable amount of new material has been added. It can be freely downloaded and circulated from the following link: http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Climate-Change-Means-Lifestyle-Change-John-Scales-Avery.pdf

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 February 2020

Nigerians Seeking Visas to Settle in the US Face New Hurdles

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – She’s your pediatrician. He’s your surgeon. She’s a civil engineer. He has a doctorate. She’s an Emmy Award winner. He was a Chicago Bear.

They’re Nigerian-Americans who have set down roots in Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston – the latter of which has the largest Nigerian population outside Brazil and Africa.

They are the largest group among African immigrants in the U.S. – about 327,000. They’re a tiny portion of the U.S. population, but they rank as the most successful ethnic group in the U.S.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 05 February 2020

Photo: A Syrian father stands with his children at Bardarash camp in Duhok, Iraq, a day after arriving. © UNHCR/Hossein Fatemi.

More Offers Needed to Resettle Refugees Around the World

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – A continuing shortage of offers of sanctuary from governments across the world is a vital impediment to the resettlement of refugees. Nearly 1.4 million refugees are estimated to be in urgent need of resettlement worldwide, but only 63,696 or 4.5 per cent were relocated through the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in 2019.

Though the number of refugees resettled in 2019 increased modestly by 14 per cent compared to the previous year, when 55,680 people were relocated, the agency maintains that “a tremendous gap remains between resettlement needs and the places made available”.