By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A longstanding proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free-zone (NWFZ) in the politically and militarily volatile Middle East has been kicked around the corridors—and committee rooms—of the UN since the 1960s. A joint declaration by Egypt and Iran in 1974 resulted in a General Assembly resolution. But it never reached the […]
UN Agencies Help Enhance Food Safety and International Trade in 14 Countries
By Joanne Burge, IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication VIENNA (IDN | IAEA) — Animal diseases and crop pests can badly affect food supply and economies. Managing these problems can result in farming practices that involve the use of chemicals, which can lead to another problem: unsafe levels of chemical residues and contaminants in […]
Ukraine War Should Prompt Us to Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — In the year 2000 President Vladimir Putin made his own contribution to solving the nuclear weapons imbroglio. Moscow, he said in a speech, was prepared to drastically reduce its stockpile of nuclear missiles. Putin’s call was not just for further cuts than the U.S. suggested ceiling of […]
UN’s Top Environmental Award Supports Ecosystem Restoration
By Devendra Kamarajan NAIROBI (IDN) — A conservationist, an enterprise, an economist, a women’s rights activist, and a wildlife biologist have been honoured by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with its 2022 Champions of the Earth award for their transformative action to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation.
Climate Deal Disappoints Climate Activists
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — Delegates to the UN climate conference (COP27) reached a compromise to create a fund for disadvantaged countries coping with climate disasters worsened by pollution, mainly from wealthy nations. The meeting of almost 200 countries, ending on November 20 after two weeks […]
Agroecology, The Antidote for Climate Change?
By Busani Bafana SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — The world needs to dump the false solutions of industrial agriculture for food and nutritional security and adopt agroecology in tackling climate change, says Edward Mukiibi, president of Slow Food, a global organization promoting local food and traditional cooking. Agroecology rejects chemical fertilizers and tackles climate change […]
Women Highlight Their Under-Representation at UN Climate Conference
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | SHARAM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — More than 20 years since the first UN climate conference was held, less than five women have been climate conference presidents out of 110 heads of state and government. Women are now calling for greater representation at the next conference to […]
Done Deal on Loss and Damage but More Work on Cutting Emissions
By Busani Bafana SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — Developing countries hard hit by climate change are set to get funds to help them deal with climate disasters after delegates to COP27 agreed to establish a long-sought Loss and Damage Fund but made little progress about cutting carbon emissions responsible for them. Following around-the-clock negotiations that […]
The US Midterm Election: A Rude Awakening for the Republican Party
Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years. NEW YORK (IDN) — The result of the midterm election has caused a seriously widening fissure […]
Combating the Migrant Crisis Along the Balkan Route in Europe
A Special Report by Aurora Weiss VIENNA (IDN) — The flow of refugees is unceasing. According to the European border agency Frontex, between January and September this year, 228,000 people “arrived illegally” in the Schengen area, which is 70 per cent more than last year. The vast majority still come from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. […]