A Special Report by Aurora Weiss VIENNA (IDN) — United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) joined in early November to mark the 10th anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on […]
Community-Driven Decentralization and Reconciliation in Palestine
By Yossef Ben-Meir The writer Dr Yossef Ben-Meir is a sociologist and President of the High Atlas Foundation in Morocco. MARRAKESCH (IDN) — A decentralized governance administration, whose procedures and functioning are defined from implementing a wide range of local development projects across a country, generates results that appeal to a broad spectrum of social […]
The Climate Dispossessed are not Refugees
Viewpoint by Teall Crossen * This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. WELLINGTON, New Zealand (IDN) — Let’s be clear, people displaced by climate breakdown are not climate refugees under international law. They are not being forced from their countries because of persecution by their own […]
Building Security in the Korean Peninsula
Pursue Fresh Diplomatic Approaches Not Military-Nuclear Posturing Viewpoint by Dr Rebecca Johnson LONDON (IDN) — Nuclear fears have been increasing in North-East Asia in recent months. From early November, North Korea ratcheted up its usual sabre rattling with more direct threats, ‘tactical nuclear drills’, apparent preparations for more nuclear tests, and by firing around 25 […]
The US Is Making a Mess of the Concept of Democracy
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — It should take a long time before America can again strut the world stage and lecture about the values of democracy, poking its finger in the eye of every authoritarian or dictatorial government it has the desire to show up. A former president, about to announce he […]
Africa: China Ramps Up Funding for Renewable Energy
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — China is one of the main funders of renewable-energy projects in Africa. At last year’s China-Africa Cooperation forum, Beijing committed to ramping up investments in solar, wind, and other renewables across the continent and has made no overseas coal power investments since 2021. It is […]
Religious & Civil Society Call for An End to Crisis in Korean Peninsula
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A coalition of over 700 religious and civil society organizations (CSOs) is making a collective appeal to end the crisis in the Korean peninsula and avoid “military action provoking war”. In a recently released statement, the coalition says: “We are here today in a great sense of crisis. […]
Funders Commit to Restoring African Forests
But Is Philanthropy the Way to Go? By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A coalition of climate philanthropies, governments, technical support providers and others, responding to an urgent call by African leaders for environmental funding, has pledged close to $2 billion to help protect carbon reserves and biodiversity.
North Korea Abandons US and Aligns with China and Russia
Viewpoint by Jackie Cabasso The writer is the Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, based in Oakland, California. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, USA (IDN) — If our attention wasn’t riveted on the midterm election results and Russia’s continuing nuclear threats in Ukraine, we would be rightly alarmed about rising nuclear tensions on the Korean Peninsula. […]
A New Initiative Seeks to Transform Agriculture & Food Systems
By Bernhard Schell SHARM EL-SHEIKH (IDN) — The Egyptian Presidency of the UN Climate Conference COP27 has launched a new initiative Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation or FAST, to improve the quantity and quality of climate finance contributions to transform agriculture and food systems by 2030. The cooperation programme will have concrete deliverables for […]