Viewpoint by Salim Lone The writer is former Director of Communications under Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Spokesman for Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga for more than a decade and currently working on a book on Kenya in the Global Context with a focus on the UN. PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (IDN) – Former President Ben Mkapa was […]
Tanzania’s Ex-President and Peacemaker Mkapa Dies of Malaria
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | DAR ES SALAAM (IDN) – Flags are being flown at half-mast for the former Tanzanian president, Benjamin William Mkapa, who passed away on July 24 after a bout of malaria. He was 81. He died in the early hours of July 24 while receiving treatment at […]
ESCAP, UNDP and ADB Determined to Achieve SDGs in 2030 Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana (ESCAP), Kanni Wignaraja (UNDP) and Bambang Susantono (ADB)* BANGKOK (IDN) – As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to business as usual is unimaginable in a region that was already off track to meet the […]
India Confronted with ‘Infodemic’
Viewpoint by Usha M Rodrigues, Deakin University VICTORIA, Australia (IDN) – India is now the third most impacted country by COVID-19, with cases nearing 900,000 and deaths surpassing 23,000 as of July 13. India is also one of the leading nations when it comes to the sharing of ‘fake news’. By all accounts, India has […]
Australia’s COVID-19 Second Wave Blamed on Insecure Jobs
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – As a serious second wave of COVID-19 with higher daily rates of infections than in March has infected Australia, where some five million people in Melbourne are under lockdown, the Premier of the worst affected Victoria State, Daniel Andrews, has blamed the situation on insecure jobs. Andrews told a […]
Apollo to Apple Store: The American Dream
Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal * SINGAPORE (IDN) – On July 24, 1969, Apollo 11 lunar mission completed landing on the moon and the safe return of the three astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. The famous Neil Armstrong’s words after landing on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap […]
Building a Definition of Development
Viewpoint by Dr. Yossef Ben-Meir The writer is a sociologist and President of the High Atlas Foundation, a U.S.-Moroccan non-for-profit organization dedicated to sustainable development in Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) – The idea of development itself, its definition, and even the method we use for defining it, would be a good place to begin toward discovering […]
Deployment of Federal Troops to Democratic-Run Cities Is Extreme Even for Trump
Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. LOS ANGELES (IDN) – President Donald Trump’s recent […]
A German Law Might Put an End to Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains
Viewpoint by Franziska Korn, Friedich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)* BERLIN (IDN) – For over half a decade, the German government has been working to enact mandatory compliance for companies regarding human rights and environmental protection in their supply chains. The United Nations has also pushed for this measure. Adopted in 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council, the […]
The Choices We Make Will Determine the Future of The Maldives
Viewpoint by Kanni Wignaraja and Akiko Fujii Ms Kanni Wignaraja is UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. Ms Akiko Fujii is Resident Representative, UNDP Maldives MALÉ (IDN) – With 70 percent of its GDP linked to tourism, the COVID-19 wrecking ball has crashed hard into the Maldives economy. UNDP’s […]