By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – “We are most vulnerable, have contributed the least to climate change, yet are most ambitious towards the 1.5 C goal,” said Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr., President of Palau. The sentiment was echoed by the other high-level speakers emphasizing that enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) would require enhanced support and […]
DPRK Blames U.S. For ‘Little Progress’ in Achieving Peace on The Korean Peninsula
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Lack of progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula is “entirely attributable” to the United States, a senior official from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the UN General Assembly on September 30. Kim Song, head of the country’s delegation, observed that more than a […]
The Climate Crisis Cannot Be Solved by Capitalism
To Fulfil the Paris Agreement, Germany’s Climate Policies Need to Look Beyond Market-Based Strategies Viewpoint by Kai Niebert* ZURICH (IDN-INPS) – It’s time to get tough – that’s how Chancellor Angela Merkel set the tone for Germany’s climate policies in 2019. But the question remains: will the federal government manage to reduce emissions in line […]
The Roots of Hong Kong’s Crisis
By Henry Huang* WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) – Hong Kong, the pearl of the East, yet lives in such a turmoil. The ongoing political crisis and massive protest have drawn a large amount of international concern and attention. There are multiple explanations of what has happened in Hong Kong. Some may say it is for a […]
Nobel Peace Laureates Call for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Ten Nobel Peace Laureates and 30 organisations bestowed that honour have expressed profound concern that 74 years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons “continue to pose an existential threat to humankind”, reiterated the warning of “the catastrophic consequences of nuclear war”, and accentuated the […]
UN Chief Warns of Nuclear Disarmament Going Reverse
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – As the United Nations commemorated its annual International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons September 26, Secretary-General António Guterres underlined two political realities facing the world community. Firstly, not only has progress on nuclear disarmament come to a halt, but “it is going in reverse,” he […]
12 States Join the Nuclear Ban Treaty at Signature Ceremony
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN | UNODA) – For the second year in a row, the “core group” of States supporting the Treaty for Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) convened a signature and ratification ceremony on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, September 26. At the ceremony, Botswana, Dominica, […]
Concern About UN’s Smooth Functioning but Kudos for ‘G-77’
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are extensive excerpts from UN Secretary-General’ remarks to the opening ceremony of the forty-third annual meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the 134-nation Group of 77 developing countries and China, in New York on 27 September 2019. NEW YORK (IDN) – The Group of 77 and China are on […]
Palestine-Led G-77’s Work Pertinent to 80% of the UN Agenda
Viewpoint by Mohammad Shtayyeh Following are extensive excerpts from statement by Mohammad Shtayyeh, Prime Minister of The State of Palestine, at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Ministers For Foreign Affairs of the 134-nation Group of 77 in New York on 27 September 2019. NEW YORK (IDN) – Our Group was created 55 years ago […]
White Paper Expounds China’s Relationship with The World
By Globaltimes.cn BEIJING (IDN-INPS) – The State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled “China and the World in the New Era“ on 27 September. This is the first governmental white paper that has comprehensively expounded the relationship between China and the world. The white paper focuses on China’s international outlook, its development objectives […]