Viewpoint by Kelsey Davenport and Daryl K. Kimball This article first appeared as Issue Brief of the Arms Control Association on 5 March 2020. Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy, and Daryl G. Kimball, executive director, Arms Control Association. WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) — More than a decade ago, the United States and its partners […]
Unlocking the Potential of Tanzania’s Smallholder Farmers
By Kizito Makoye IRINGA, Tanzania (IDN) – When Osmund Ueland met a group of farmers to pitch his idea about starting a goat milk project at a village in Tanzania’s southern highlands to help poor families improve nutrition and boost incomes, he elicited loud applause from the crowd. Huddled in a dimly lit mud-walled house […]
New UN Women Report Warns That Gender Equality Is Under Threat — Major Women Conference Falls Prey to Coronavirus
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) —While a new UN Women report warns that progress towards gender equality is faltering and hard-won advances are being reversed, the 64th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has fallen prey to concerns regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19). CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body […]
Sri Lanka Challenges UN Human Rights Council’s Impartiality
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE (IDN) — Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Dinesh Gunawardena, has officially withdrawn from the co-sponsorship of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution on “Promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka”. His predecessor, Mangala Samaraweera, had co-sponsored it along with the U.S. and a number of European member […]
COVID-19: Switching to Airplane Mode — Life Lessons From the Unchartered
Viewpoint by Nisar Keshvani SINGAPORE (IDN) — Like many others around the world, life took an unexpected turn around Lunar New Year. With the world health situation suddenly becoming unpredictable, we’ve had to adapt to new scenarios, almost by the hour, based on new information. I feel privileged to be in my communications role — […]
USA Needs Social Democracy or What Sanders Calls Socialism
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) – The U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is having trouble with his socialism. The younger voters get it, but many of the older liberally-minded people don’t — the kind of people who read the New York Times and probably like its endorsement of Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar […]
African Students Trapped In China
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The coronavirus is spreading fast beyond its China borders, with cases now rising in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Some 90,000 people have been infected in over 65 countries and 3,000 worldwide have died of Covid-19. As soon as the virus emerged, […]
Women In Malawi In Day of Action for ‘She Decides Day’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — It’s a day of action and global solidarity. SheDecides Day takes place annually on March 2 as feminist activism is on the rise in Malawi and around the world. This year, wearing red t-shirts, some 90 young women took to the streets in a silent […]
South Africa Cancels Promised Wage Increase, Angering Unions
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Promises promises. I’m all through with promises promises. That’s the Diane Warwick tune South African public servants will be singing bitterly if a three-year wage deal signed in 2018 is headed for the recycling bin. The promised wage hike was due to start next month, […]
US Penalizes Chinese Media While Beijing Expels American Correspondents
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – The Trump administration’s ongoing war of words with China – involving tariffs, naval supremacy in the South China sea, allegations of espionage and support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong – have been further escalated by a decision to designate five Chinese state-run media organizations as “foreign missions”.