Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is United Nations-Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — The COVID-19 crisis poses an unprecedented threat to development in the Asia-Pacific region that could reverse much of the hard-earned progress made in recent years. The […]
WTO Chief Faces First Test Over Generic Corona Drug Patent
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The first African woman to lead the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is facing her first test of leadership as the leaders of poor and rich nations spar over the rights to generic versions of the COVID-19 vaccine, currently held by the rich nations. […]
U.S. Steps Up Counterterrorism in Mozambique and the DRC
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — U.S. counterterrorism officials are stepping up their activities in Africa, addressing the expansion of violent extremism on the continent. Two previously unlisted insurgent groups identified as foreign terrorist organizations operating in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been slapped with sanctions along […]
Tanzanian President Is Suspected Victim of Coronavirus
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Tanzania is missing a president. John Magufuli, a pandemic denier, has not been seen for three weeks according to reports by the opposition which place him in India with Covid. Speaking to the BBC, Tundu Lissu, opposition leader and Member of Parliament, cited unconfirmed sources […]
Senegalese Singer Thione Ballago Seck Recalled As “A Legend”
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Thione Ballago Seck, born in a family of praise or “griot” singers and one of Senegal’s beloved music stars over the last four decades, has died at the age of 66 in Dakar on March 14. Tributes poured in after his death was announced with […]
UN Keen to Achieve Gender Equality Far Ahead of 2150
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The international community has set the goal of achieving gender equality by 2030. But UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, maintains that “at the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until […]
Afghan Women’s Voices on Peace Heard with UN Mission’s Backing
By Devinder Kumar NEW DELHI | KUNDUZ (IDN) — While the UN Security Council on March 14 “condemned in the strongest terms” the alarming number of attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan, women activists were over several days knocking on doors in Kunduz, posing two questions to their relatives, neighbours and fellow residents of the […]
A Campaign Plans ‘Global Primaries’ for the UN Chief’s Post
The goal of the campaign is to democratize the selection process and give António Guterres a viable candidate to run against. By Stéphanie Fillion*, Passblue NEW YORK (IDN) — A new grass-roots campaign, called #Forward, is launching open, digital global primaries to find a “people-backed” candidate to run for United Nations secretary-general this year, for […]
Profit Hungry Modi Government Ready to Risk Famine in India
Viewpoint by Justin Podur* This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. TORONTO (IDN) — India’s right-wing government has been deploying all the modern tools of repression against a historic farmers’ protest. Much is at stake. For the people of India, their agricultural system is about to get far more […]
Buddhists Map A New Paradigm for Dev. Communication
By Krishan Dutta BANGKOK (IDN) — A group of Buddhist economists and communication scholars from Asia are embarking on a mission to redefine the development communication paradigm using concepts from the Buddhist philosophy. A webinar held earlier this month organized by Lotus Communication Network (LCN) in association with the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) at […]