Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana. The writer is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. BANGKOK (IDN) – Rising economic prosperity and poverty reduction may not tell the whole story of progress in Asia and the Pacific. Telling signs in the natural world recount a narrative that is far from complete. This year […]
One-Size-Fits All Approach to COVID-19 Could Have Lethal Consequences for Africa
Viewpoint by Alex Broadbent and Benjamin T.H. Smart* JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – Suppose you had the choice between two health policies, A and B. Policy A would result in the death of a lot of elderly people. Policy B would result in the death of a lot of children, especially infants. Which would you choose? Right […]
UN Chief’s Call for Global Ceasefire Gathering Support
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) – In a clarion call for “an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres on March 23 urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19: the common enemy that is now threatening […]
The Power of The Black Vote in The US Election
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) – According to the New York Times, President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is investing more money and resources in an attempt to attract African-American voters than any previous Republican presidential campaign. The Trump camp believe that with eight months of continuous advertising coupled with the opening of field […]
China Heeds Global Demand for Anti-Coronavirus Masks
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – As much of the world attempts to source much-needed face masks, Africa has been offered 5.4 million masks, more than a million testing kits and other items in a donation from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma. Massive medical supplies donated by the Jack Ma Foundation to […]
Kenya Surges on UN ‘Happiness’ Report
Kenya Surges on UN ‘Happiness’ Report NEW YORK (IDN) – As Mae West once said, “I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor; believe me, rich is better.” But could there be more to the story? A landmark survey of the state of global happiness designates Kenya as more positive and hopeful than its neighbors despite […]
COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and South Asia: Need for a Rational Policy Response
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (1882-1945). Viewpoint by Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* The writer is a cultural anthropologist with research expertise in international political economy, peace, and development studies in South and South East Asia. COLOMBO (IDN) – COVID 19 is […]
COVID-19: UN Agencies Working Round the Clock to Ensure Humanitarian Support
By Daniel Johnson of UN News GENEVA (IDN) – United Nations agencies are working round the clock to provide all the necessary aid to vulnerable sections of the society to combat the Coronavirus pandemic at diverse levels: ensuring meals to millions of children affected by the closure of schools, airlifting relief to Sudanese refugees in […]
New UN Report Warns of Adverse Impacts of Climate Change
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – A new UN study has warned of accelerating climate change on land, sea and in the atmosphere. Compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), parented by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the report documents impacts of weather and climate events on socio-economic development, human health, migration and […]
Colombia’s Conflict Victims Await 16 ‘Seats for Peace’ in Congress
Viewpoint by Hobeth Martinez Carrillo* LONDON (IDN) – Four years after the UN-monitored peace agreement that was intended to end more than five decades of civil war in Colombia, the communities that suffered most during the armed conflict may finally be gaining places at the political table. The members of the UN Security Council welcomed […]