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Photo: Collage of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is Executive Director of UN Women and Generation Equality. Source: Kea Taylor | UN Women.

End Rape and Usher in A Far-Reaching Shift for Our Society

Viewpoint by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

The following statement by Executive Director of UN Women is for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2019. [Also available in ar, es, fr, ru]

NEW YORK (IDN) – If I could have one wish granted, it might well be a total end to rape. That means a significant weapon of war gone from the arsenal of conflict, the absence of a daily risk assessment for girls and women in public and private spaces, the removal of a violent assertion of power, and a far-reaching shift for our society.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 21 November 2019

Photo: Greta Thunberg with Arnod Schwarzenegger. Source: @Schwarzenegger

Greta Thunberg and Schwarzenegger’s Bike Ride Conveys a Climate Message

By J W Jackie

RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Greta Thunberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two names uncommonly seen together, but they made November headlines after sharing a cycle ride together. Generations apart and from wildly different backgrounds, it would be easy to think the two would have little in common, but they share a passion about fighting climate change, and together illustrate its impact on everyone, no matter what their age and background.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 20 November 2019

Photo: A mother and her baby at the IDP Pissila campsite in Burkina Faso. Credit: WFP/Marwa Awad

The Humanitarian Emergency the World is Ignoring

By Kwame Buist

ROME (IDN) – Almost daily violent attacks in the Sahel nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have displaced nearly one million people and caused emergency levels of malnutrition, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

“Conflict is moving forward and moving fast,” says Margot van der Velden, Director of WFP’s Emergencies Division, referring to the three countries, where it is estimated 20 million people are living in areas affected by conflict and 2.4 million people are in need of food assistance – a figure that could rise due to continued displacements.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Africa; 20 November 2019

Photo: Children raise their hands to answer a question in class at a UNICEF learning space in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (8 July 2019). Credit: UNICEF Patrick Brown

Odds Still Stacked Against Poorest Children

By Sean Buchanan

NEW YORK (IDN) – Although there have been historic gains over the last 30 years in improving children’s lives, urgent action is needed if the poorest children are to feel the impact, warns a new UN report.

The report, published on November 18 by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and released ahead of World Children’s Day on November 20, calls on countries to recommit to promises made under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989.

: Phil Harris; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 19 November 2019

Photo: President Alpha Condé with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 28 September 2017. Credit: Kremlin.ru

Risks Grow For African Leaders Seeking Extended Term

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – It’s not a piece of cake these days for leaders of African countries plotting to rewrite their constitutions and give themselves another decade or two in power, frustrating efforts by citizen groups to give other leaders a chance to rule.

That’s the endgame facing Guinean President Alpha Conde who is poised to approve a new constitution favourable to extending his stay in power.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 19 November 2019

Photo: The workers are striking against a retrenchment plan that could see nearly one third of the 3,000 employees lose their jobs. Credit: Peoples Dispatch.

South African Airlines in Crisis Mode as Workers Strike

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Unions representing more than half of South African Airways (SAA) workforce called a strike last week after the airline refused to meet wage and job security demands.

The unions, representing more than 3,000 workers, walked out on November 15 after the state-owned airline rejected their demand for 8% raises, offering 5.9% instead. The airline is also planning to cut 944 positions. The strike forced the cancellation of most flights.

: Lisa Monique Söderlindh; THE WORLD; Africa; 19 November 2019

Photo: Remnants of the American RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance unmanned areal vehicle shot down by Iran. CC BY 4.0

Be Mindful of Constantly Confronting Iran

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Of all the present foes of America it is Iran which has consistently been over time the number one. Since its Islamic Revolution in 1979 that overthrew the secular-minded Shah and supplanted him with a militant, sometimes warlike, Islamic theocracy, it has been America’s Great Satan. (But for Europe rather less so, although no country has broken ranks with Washington.)

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 19 November 2019

Photo: Collage of the drone releasing sterile male mosquitoes (left) and TDR global scientists team Credit: WHO

Insect Birth Control to Combat Mosquito-Borne Diseases

By Kwame Buist

GENEVA (IDN) – A form of insect birth control – Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – that sterilises male mosquitoes using radiation will soon be tested as part of global health efforts to control diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

The technique involves the mass production, sex-separation and sterilisation of male mosquitoes by exposing them to low doses of radiation. Sterile males released into the wild mate with wild female mosquitoes of the same species, resulting in the production of unviable eggs that lead to a decline in wild mosquito populations.

: Phil Harris; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 18 November 2019

Photo: Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins as President of Sri Lanka. Source: Colombo Telegraph.

Rajapaksa Win Heralds A New Era for Sri Lanka

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE (IDN) – The emphatic win by former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential elections held in Sri Lanka on November 16 could herald in a new era for the strategically-placed South Asian island that could be modeled on the successful economic path of the Asian Tigers such as Singapore.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 November 2019

Photo: Nairobi ICPD25 Nairobi Summit closes with call to action. Credit: Flckr | UNFPA

ICPD25 Outlines Pathway for Attaining the Rights of Women and Girls

By Justus Wanzala

NAIRBI (IDN) – ICPD25, held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi from November 12-14 and marking the 25th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, ended with bold commitments towards attainment of the rights of women and girls.

The conference, attended by more than 6,000 world leaders, scholars, rights advocates and faith leaders saw partners announce commitments to end all maternal deaths, satisfy unmet need for family planning and tackle gender-based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.