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By Devendra Kamarajan
NAIROBI (IDN) – A new agreement signed in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, promises to fight global warming. Known as the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, came into force on January 1, 2019.
According to UN Environment, it will reduce the projected production and consumption of powerful greenhouse gasses termed as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by more than 80 per cent over the next 30 years.
By Caroline Mwanga
NEW YORK (IDN) – While the vast majority of the senior leadership of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – 126 Resident Representatives – were slated to leave the organization simultaneously on December 31, 2018, a new pool of world class talent has been selected to lead the UNDP's development work across the globe.
The new pool is not only 50:50 gender balanced and geographically diverse, it also implies a significant leap forward in preparing to play a crucial role in the implementation of the Secretary-General's reform of the United Nations Development System.
Viewpoint by Ellen R. Wald
The writer is a historian and author of 'Saudi, Inc.' She is the president of Transversal Consulting and also teaches Middle East history and policy at Jacksonville University, USA. Twitter: @EnergzdEconomy. This article first appeared on the Arab News on January 2, 2019.
JACKSONWILLE, USA (IDN-INPS) – President Donald Trump shook the establishment in Washington by announcing on December 19, 2018 that he would do exactly what he had promised during his campaign. He declared that American military service members would be leaving Syria. As Trump explained: "We have defeated (Daesh) in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump presidency."
Art is a means of soft power for persuading and attracting global attention. "As globalization has distributed economic benefits around the world more broadly, emerging economies are stepping up to express their role as actors in the global sphere," explains John Zarobell, associate professor and chair of International Studies at the University of San Francisco. China and India, both fast-growing economies, take different paths on nurturing art.
By William Mebane
The writer is former Director of Energy Efficiency Department at the Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA).
ROME (IDN) – A group of U.S. oil companies, including Chevron, Exxon Mobile, Marathon and Phillips – 66, together with the Trump Administration – are seeking to cancel the previously approved 2022-2025 requirements of energy efficiency in new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks.
As recently as January of 2017 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) affirmed that the 2022–2025 standards were technologically feasible and that benefits far exceeded costs. This is the single most important federal instrument for combating climate warming.
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) – A series of events, including two High-level Political Forums (HLPFs) and the UN Secretary-General's Climate Summit on the margins of the 74th General Assembly underline the vital importance of 2019 that marks the fourth year of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015.
The first HLPF in July will be held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), completing its first cycle, and the other in September at the summit level during the General Assembly.
By Santo D. Banerjee
NEW YORK (IDN) – The concept of sustainable blue economy is gaining momentum, including at the highest levels of decision making, encouraging proponents of the growing movement to believe that humans can use the ocean as a tool for lifting people out of poverty, all the while protecting its valuable ecosystems.
It was not surprising, therefore, that the first-ever Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, held in Kenya in November 2018, brought together thousands of ocean experts and activists to discuss how to sustainably use the ocean, and according to experts, the conference proved to be an important stepping stone towards the next anticipated UN Ocean Conference in 2020.
Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal
The writer is the Regional Director responsible for Finance Sector of UNI Global Union, Asia & Pacific Organization - Singapore.
SINGAPORE (IDN) – Imagine the feelings of millions of Americans holding their pay cheques during the festive seasons and at a time getting ready to face the harsh winter, as a consequence of the partial government shutdown decision of President Donald Trump.
This single most incident can be interpreted as the culmination of the LPG strategies of the Liberal, Libertarian, and Neo-Liberal order with an ultimate objective to get rid of state intervention for market forces to reign into government.
Viewpoint by Bharat Karnad
The author is Research Professor for National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi. He is author of 'Staggering Forward: Narendra Modi and India's Global Ambition' and blogs at 'SecurityWise'. This article first appeared on EastAsiaForum on 24 December 2018.
NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – The 2018 G20 Summit in Buenos Aires offered Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi another international occasion to bolster his political standing at home. But while domestic audiences lapped up the Indian media coverage of his umpteenth such outing, in the world of global power politics the Indian Prime Minister lacks any real influence or standing. So Modi followed the same strategy that he has in similar circumstances in the past — trying to make India relevant by inserting the country into clashing coalitions.
Viewpoint by Midori Kurahashi
The author is Project Associate Professor, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Japan.
TOKYO (IDN) – Worldwide forest fires and the abnormal heat experienced last summer are still fresh in our memory. Many people throughout the world had a sense that some kind of unsettling change is happening. Even so, response is slow and measures are not being taken. One reason for this is that the world is driven by people who believe that the cost of stopping global warming is too great for the achieved effect.
This interactive WHO dashboard/map provides the latest global numbers and numbers by country of COVID-19 cases on a daily Basis.
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