By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – The broad-based Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh claims to have “liberated Iraq and northeast Syria from Daesh/ISIS’s grip” over five years of “military and civilian engagement”. At its peak, Daesh/ISIS controlled nearly 110,000 square kilometers of territory, including major cities in both Iraq and Syria and attracted more […]
Two UN Agencies Reveal High Rate of Soil Erosion in Benin
By Emil Fulajtar and Joanne Liou* VIENNA (IDN) – Harmless traces from nuclear testing more than half a century ago are helping researchers assess soil erosion rates. In Africa, about 65 percent of the continent’s farmland is affected by erosion-induced losses of topsoil and soil nutrients, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the […]
IAEA Ensures Effectiveness and Sustainability of Ageing Research Reactors
By Joanne Liou* VIENNA (IDN) – As over two thirds of the world’s operating research reactors are now over 30 years old, operators and regulators are focusing on refurbishing and modernizing reactors to ensure they can continue to perform in a safe and efficient manner. This is also one of many topics that will be […]
Pneumonia the Number One Killer Disease of Children
By Sean Buchanan NEW YOK (IDN) – Pneumonia, an entirely preventable disease, claimed the lives of 800,000 children – or one child every 39 seconds – under the age of five last year, but funding to improve survival rates continues to lag, according to a new analysis. Most deaths occurred among children under the age […]
The Importance of Gambia Invoking Genocide Convention Against Myanmar
Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – The Government of Gambia on November 11, 2019 has brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague a complaint against the Government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) for violation of the 1948 Convention on Genocide concerning actions against the Rohingya. Under […]
$78 Billion a Year Will Suffice to Abolish Extreme Poverty
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power “Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere” is the first of 17 Goals of the United Nations. The latest data indicate that it would cost only $78 billion a year – less than 0.1% of Global GDP – to abolish extreme poverty. Indeed, there is an argument for giving the abolition […]
Gambia Sues Myanmar at UN Court with Rohingya Genocide
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Few countries are standing up to Myanmar, formerly Burma, for its mistreatment of the Muslim community known as Rohingya. On November 11, Gambia – the smallest nation in mainland Africa – came to the defense of the persecuted minority, filing a lawsuit with the Hague-based […]
Fulfil the Rights of Afro-descendants in Latin America and the Caribbean
Viewpoint by Natalia Kanem Following are extensive extracts from the Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem at the High-level Meeting on “Accelerating global action for the fulfilment of rights for Afro-descendant people in Latin America and the Caribbean”, San José, Costa Rica, in October 2019. NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Leave no one behind […]
The UN Experts Shining a Light on Human Rights Violations
By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK (IDN) – The experts who fan out across the world to research, hold consultations and gather information on a vast range of human rights violations often find themselves caught in the crosshairs of international and domestic politics. Independent of governments and institutions – including the UN’s Human Rights Council which […]
Fukuyama Expects People to Still Mark 1989 in 100 Years
Deutsche Welle Interview BERLIN (IDN-INPS) – “I think democracy has got a lot of strengths that may not be evident in the short run, but will play out over the longer run because the ability to change your leaders, ability to hold them accountable is really important,” American political scientist and writer Francis Fukuyama, author […]