Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Poets as diverse as William Blake and Yehuda Amichai have sung the praises of the heavenly Jerusalem, a land without strife or rancour, war or bitterness, envy, acquisitiveness or hatred. Israel, Fatah and Hamas, in the midst of the present chaos and carnage, have the historic opportunity […]
Youth Social Media Campaign Pushes Ghana Govt. to Reform
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A silent generation of young Ghanaians seems to have found its voice. Joshua Boye-Doe, among the nation’s active social media users, put it this way: “This is the right time for us to come together as one people to speak and let [government] know that […]
Declining Power Supply Cripples Ivory Coast and Ghana Cocoa Economies
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A prolonged dry season is being blamed for inadequate power supplies to West African countries from Ivory Coast to Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso, threatening businesses and the world’s largest cocoa economies. Consumers, unions and business leaders in Ivory Coast are sounding the alarm about […]
Covid-ravaged India Hard Put to Cope with the Crisis
By Shastri Ramachandaran* There is no dearth of novels and films that conjure up images of a dystopia of the dead and the dying. The reality in India though is indescribably grimmer than anything imagined or picturised in fiction or films. Not even the most authentic and devastating accounts of the plague and Spanish flu […]
Tahitian Community Keen To Save Endangered Sacred Mountain
By Asia Pacific Report News desk TAHITI (IDN) — A collective of community groups in Tahiti, trying to preserve a historical-cultural icon at Tautira, have condemned the Tahitian government for “deliberately trying to destroy our heritage”. The iconic Tahua-Reva is the community’s sacred mountain on the southeastern tip of Tahiti-Iti, the smaller section adjoining the […]
Latin America and the Caribbean Boost Chances of Success at Climate Conference
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | SANTO DOMINGO (IDN) — The three-day Virtual Thematic Sessions of the Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week 2021 (LACCW2021), which wrapped up on May 14, hosted by the Government of the Dominican Republic, are reported to have provided important momentum for a successful UN Climate Change Conference COP26 […]
Stop Muddying The Waters On The Appointment Of The CTBTO Executive Secretary
Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf* “And so … ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country”, President John Kennedy, 20 January 1961. VIENNA (IDN) — For the better part of a year, diplomats from more than 180 countries have been feuding over the appointment of the […]
Put People Before Runaway Military Spending
Viewpoint by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Izumi Nakamitsu Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka Executive Director of UN Women and Ms Nakamitsu is UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. This OpEd was first published on May 6. NEW YORK (IDN) — For all of us, but especially women, the pandemic is a reminder that traditional notions of “security” that fuel […]
Education For Sustainable Development as Overarching Framework to Achieve the SDGs
Viewpoint by Simone Galimberti The writer is Co-Founder of ENGAGE, a not-for-profit in Nepal. He writes on volunteerism, social inclusion, youth development, and regional integration as an engine to improve people’s lives. He can be reached at simone_engage@yahoo.com KATHMANDU, Nepal (IDN) — A life insurance policy for humanity, this is how Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO […]
COVID-19: Africa Needs to Break the Circle of Dependency
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — Africa Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative (AVMI) primarily aims at promoting the establishment of sustainable human vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa. Since its establishment, AVMI together with multiple and different partners, have been advocating for the establishment of vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa. With the outbreak of coronavirus, […]