By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Zimbabwe is experimenting with a bold attempt to make parents prioritize education and bring down drop-out rates. Harare has amended its laws to make the first 12 years of schooling compulsory. Children are now required by law to stay in school for an extra five […]
Too Few Women in Power 25 Years After Beijing Declaration
By UN Women GENEVA | NEW YORK (IDN) — Women’s representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a dragging pace, with three-quarters of parliamentary seats still held by men, according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU‑UN Women map of Women in Politics. The data’s publication coincides with the […]
From Coronavirus to Climate and Gender Equality
By J Nastranis with UN News in Brief NEW YORK (IDN)— As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, the UN’s top human rights official Michelle Bachelet appealed on March 6 to countries and businesses to put rights “front and centre” to protect their most vulnerable citizens. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that although the […]
Singapore’s Fight Against the Coronavirus on Social Media
Viewpoint by Archana Atmakuri The writer is a Research Analyst at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore. This opinion piece first appeared on East Asia Forum on 6 March 2020. SINGAPORE (IDN) — Over 60 countries are now fighting confirmed and suspected cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), […]
CORVID 19 – The Insatiable Urge to Bash China Surfaces Again!
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary. COLOMBO (IDN) — Historically, the West has always had an equivocal attitude towards China, not to mention the non-white world. A fear, a suspicion, a fascination, an uncertainty, a sense of […]
The Virus of Nuclear Proliferation
Viewpoint by Alice Slater The writer serves on the Board of ‘World Beyond War’, and represents the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at the United Nations. NEW YORK (IDN) — In an avalanche of reporting we are now assaulted with information about how the world is urgently attempting to batten down the hatches to avoid the […]
Former ACP Secretary General Appeals for Calm in World’s Newest Oil State Guyana
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS | PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (IDN) – Former secretary general of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, Dr. Patrick I. Gomes whose five-year tenure concluded end of February, has called on “all political leaders to let the rule of law prevail and the country remain calm”. He told the Caribbean […]
Coronavirus Exposes Australia’s Economic Dependence on China
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia hasn’t had a recession for 29 years. Economists are now warning that the coronavirus (COVID-19) is almost certainly driving the country towards it and thus exposing Australia’s heavy dependence on China for its economic prosperity. Until the mid-1970s Australians were paranoid about a ‘yellow peril’ (the Chinese takeover) […]
The Spiritual and Socialist Start of International Women’s Day
Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – March 8 is the International Day of Women and thus a time to highlight the specific role of women in local, national and world society. International Women’s Day was first proposed by Clara Zetlin (1857-1933) at the Second International Conference of Socialist Women […]
Trump’s Abandonment of Nuclear Deal with Iran Backfires
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) — The quarterly report on Iran released by UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on March 3 has revealed a significant increase in the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium since its last report. The stockpile stood at 1,020.9 kg in February, up from 372.3 kg in November […]