By Yossef Ben-Meir Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir is President of the High Atlas Foundation and Chief of Party of the USAID Religious and Ethnic Minorities Activity Program in Morocco. MARRAKESCH (IDN) — Twenty-seven years ago, I lived in a village called Amsouzerte in the Tifnoute Valley, the south side of the High Atlas Mountains, closeby to […]
UN Relocates its Besieged Staff from a Strife-Torn Kabul in Virtual Chaos
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — As the US airlifts its diplomats and embassy staffers, along with thousands of local Afghan employees, from the chaotic capital of Kabul, the United Nations has followed in its footsteps by relocating some of its more than 300 international and 3,400 national staffers who were tasked with peacekeeping […]
The Role of Citizen and Science Diplomacy Interactions in Nuclear Disarmament
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — The year 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semey test site, the 76th anniversary of the United Nations, Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, of the first atomic testing Trinity, 51 years of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 25 years of the […]
The People of Afghanistan Need Support & Solidarity, Says WHO
By Bernhard Schell CAIRO, Egypt (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to staying in Afghanistan and delivering critical health services, says Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and is calling on all parties to respect and protect civilians, health workers, patients and health facilities. “During this difficult time, […]
Australian Farmers Cry Out for Foreign Labour as Locals Shun “Slave Wages”
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia’s farming sector has been badly hit by the closing of the borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with the harvesting season on the horizon there is an estimated shortage of 25,000 fruit pickers and harvesting machinery operators across Australia. While the farmers are asking the government to […]
After US and NATO Withdrawal, Afghanistan’s Future Is Unclear
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979 and withdrew, exhausted and demoralized, 10 years later. In Moscow a joke had long circulated: “Why are we still in Afghanistan?” Answer: “We are still looking for the people who invited us.” The same is true for the Americans […]
Foreign Minister Botchwey on Russia’s Trade and Investment in Ghana, the Gateway to the West African Region
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — For more than six decades, Ghana and Russia have had excellent diplomatic relations and are looking forward to build stronger economic cooperation. During these years, the bilateral political, economic and cultural engagements have transited through different distinctive phases taking cognizance of challenges and setbacks including the political […]
Taliban In Frame, Afghanistan in Flames, India in Firing Range
By Mahendra Ved, LOKMARG MUMBAI (IDN) — Buzkashi, the national game of the people of Afghanistan, has horsemen competing to possess the headless body of a goat. In one of the world’s most enduring ironies, the country has itself become the goat, being dragged and tossed around. A horrified world watches as an elected government […]
Leading Athletes Stress the Role of Sport in Building a Better World for All
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is convinced that sport promotes values such as diversity, tolerance and respect and contributes to the empowerment of women and young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives. With this in view, the UN Department of Global Communication’s […]
UN Working with Aid Partners in the Wake of Massive Earthquake Hitting Haiti
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is working to support rescue and relief efforts in Haiti following a powerful earthquake that reportedly left hundreds dead, with perhaps even more injured and missing, and caused massive damage in the south-western part of the country. UN chief António Guterres said that he is […]