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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; 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

Religious Extremism Down The Memory Lane

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) - What drives people to extremes? Why do the people behind Wahhabism, Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) get so charged up and angry?

Perhaps to understand we should go back to the 16th century in Europe and the furious debate about the “divine right of kings”. For decades the royal houses of Europe had been becoming less accessible to their subjects. William of Orange, ruler of the powerful Netherlands, said he had “received his power from God and God alone.”

Philip II of Spain was also a principle protagonist of this theme. Indeed, when Spain conquered Holland, Philip tried to squash the new Protestant “heresy”, using the brutal practices of the Spanish Inquisition.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 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: UN Security Council in a session in November 2017. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten.

Security Council Delegation Visits Kabul Before Kazakhstan Assumes Presidency for January

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Kazakhstan is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2017-2018. Ambassador Kairat Umarov, the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, chairs the Council's Committees 1988 on the Taliban movement and 1267 on ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida.

Nearly two months ahead of Kazakhstan assuming the Council's rotating presidency for January 2018, Ambassador Umarov led a Security Council delegation to Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan. With the visit from October 28 to 31, the Security Council wanted to familiarize itself with the situation on the ground and receive first-hand information on how effectively sanction measures against the international terrorist organizations are being implemented.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 20 November 2017

Photo: Leaders from Indigenous communities speak at a press conference in COP 23. Credit: Stella Paul | IDN-INPS

COP23 Finally Provides a Platform for Indigenous People on Climate Talks

By Stella Paul

BONN (IDN) – Patricia Gualinga has been coming to the UN climate change conferences for several years. She usually receives 2-3 minutes on a panel of a side event on indigenous issues during which she tells about the struggles of her community – the Kichwas of Ecuador.

The struggles are, typically, of surviving in an environment where water is fast depleting, air is polluted, land is taken away and tribe members are evicted from their homes – all in the name of development. Sarayaku – where Gualinga comes from – is an Amazonian province in which the degradation is often caused by large oil explorers.

: Stella Paul; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 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: COP23 Venue. Credit: German Environment Ministry

Further, Faster, Together On Climate - From Bonn To Katowice

By Ramesh Jaura

BONN (IDN) – The two-week long intensive and multilevel talks concluded in Germany's former capital city in the early hours of November 18 tasking the negotiators to focus on 'Where are we, where do we want to go and how do we get there?' before they meet in Poland in December 2018.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat said the Bonn Climate Conference – officially known as COP23, the 23rd session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention – had become "launch-pad for higher ambition".

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 19 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

Inaction is Not an Option in the Face of Climate Emergency

By John Scales Avery*

John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist noted for his research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. Presently an Associate Professor in quantum chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, he is working on a book with the title 'THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY: Two time scales'. A first draft of the book can be downloaded from: http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/library/climate.pdf. The following are excerpts from introduction to the book. – The Editor

COPENHAGEN (IDN) - Quick change is needed to save the long-term future. The central problem, which the world faces in its attempts to avoid catastrophic climate change, is a contrast of time scales. In order to save human civilization and the biosphere from the most catastrophic effects of climate change, we need to act immediately. Fossil fuels must be left in the ground. Forests must be saved from destruction by beef or palm oil production.