By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — Forty years of war, recurrent natural disasters, chronic poverty, drought and the COVID-19 pandemic have devastated the people of Afghanistan. The recent upheaval has only exacerbated needs and further complicated an extremely challenging operational context, notes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its […]
COP26: Indigenous Peoples Join UN Representatives in Calling to End the ‘War on Nature’
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | GLASGOW (IDN) — Mother Nature, or “Pachamama“, as they say in Latin America, took centre stage as the critical UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, reached the halfway point on November 6. No one knows more about how best to protect nature, than the indigenous peoples of the world, […]
Myanmar Junta Becomes Internationally Isolated but More And More Bloodthirsty Against Its Own People
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes The author was UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change (2011-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands, and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of the 2020 Handbook on Communication for Development […]
Australia Accused Of ‘Bullying’ Pacific Over Climate Action, ‘Buying Silence’
By Asia Pacific Report Newsdesk SUVA (IDN) — Australia is accused of using “diplomatic strong-arm tactics” to water down outcomes in Pacific climate negotiations and “buy silence” on climate change, a new report has revealed. Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s report, Australia: Pacific Bully and International Outcast, reveals that the Australian government uses “bullying tactics” in regional […]
How Effective Communication Between Africans Can Help Boost Intra-African Trade
By Mosh Matsena The writer is the founder and CEO of a 100 per cent black female-owned company Africa Consulting, a South African-based strategic communications and business solutions agency. NEW YORK (IDN | Africa Renewal) — January 2021 marked a historic event for African economic development—the launching of free trading under the African Continental Free […]
Australian PM Criticised for Presenting A “Plan Without a Plan” at COP26
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison returned to Canberra on November 5 after presenting a “plan” to the UN climatic summit COP 26, which he claims will help Australia to reach a Net Zero strategy that will reduce emissions, protect regional communities, and meet an emissions reduction strategy consistent with […]
In Saving the Planet, What Should We Keep, Cows or Cars?
By Busani Bafana BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (IDN) — Livestock has been vilified as one key sources of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which has contributed to global warming. There have been global calls for a shift in livestock production and even removing meat off the menu in favour of plant-based diets to save the planet. But […]
Murders Sans Murderers in “The Land Like No Other”
Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa* “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them—Lois McMaster Bujold. NEW YORK (IDN) — The phrase “the land like no other” justifiably portrays Sri Lanka—the resplendent island to attract tourists but the country is also condemned for its murders, abductions, […]
COP 26: Can a Singing, Dancing Rebellion Save the World?
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK (IDN) — COP Twenty-six! That is how many times the UN has assembled world leaders to try to tackle the climate crisis. But the United States is producing more oil and natural gas than ever; the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere […]
Breaking Down Barriers to Food Entrepreneurship to Connect Us Beyond Our Differences
By Elizabeth Frame Ellison The writer is president and CEO of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation. TULSA, United States (IDN) — As Oklahoma is poised to resettle nearly 2,000 Afghan refugees in the near future, it is more important than ever to welcome newcomers who are fleeing war, poverty, trauma and many other hardships. That […]