Viewpoint by Ali Moussa The writer is Coordinator of UNESCO’s Slave Route Project. This article first appeared on UNESCO Website on 22 August 2019, a day before the International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolion initiated by UNESCO. PARIS (IDN-INPS) – Among the major crimes that have marked human history, the […]
Grave Concern About US-Russian Actions Evoking Cold War
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – While nuclear experts and peace advocates have expressed heightened concern about the collapse of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the United States and Russia are trading accusations over breaching commitments and taking actions evoking Cold War era. The Treaty was signed by former U.S. President […]
Reframing the History of Slavery in Angola and the U.S.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – If the U.S. has 35,000 museums, a writer asked in 2014, why is only one about slavery? And if the wealth of this country was built on the backs of enslaved people from Africa, why has that story been vastly under-reported in our media, in […]
New Climate Reality Is Frightening, But Surmountable
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) – The past five years have been the hottest on record in Asia and the Pacific. Unprecedented heatwaves have swept across our region, […]
Great Novelist Ben Okri Explains Why Nigeria Has Become a ‘Literary Factory’
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – “In the beginning there was a river. The river became a road and the road branched out to the whole world. And because the road was once a river it was always hungry.” This must be one of the best opening lines ever penned by a novelist. […]
UN Chief Stresses the Urgency of Tackling Climate Emergency
Viewpoint by António Guterres The UN Secretary-General met with the Group of Seven (G7) leaders during the 3-day summit to mobilize action ahead of the Climate Action Summit taking place in New York on September 23. Following are extensive excerpts from the transcript of his Press Encounter at the G7 Summit which ended in Biarritz […]
The IAEA: In Search of a Director General
By Tariq Rauf * VIENNA (IDN) – For only the sixth time in its 62 year history, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is engaged in the search for a new Director General. The Agency was established in Vienna in 1957, to promote the peaceful uses of atomic energy while preventing its misuse for weapons […]
Introducing the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative
UN Messenger of Peace @JaneGoodallInst introduces @IRIforests, a new global effort uniting people of all faiths to end tropical deforestation. Watch the video and share this important message: InterfaithRainforest.org/video #FaithsForForests
World Leaders to Focus on Climate Action in September
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Issues such as highlighting how governments, civil society and individuals can take action on climate, sharing updates on the Sustainable Development Goals, and celebrating outstanding figures whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment will take centre stage when world leaders gather in New York […]
Much More Needed than Planting a Trillion Trees
Viewpoint by Tim Christophersen The growing enthusiasm for forests and trees is a good thing. But we need to be mindful of some pitfalls lurking along the way. With the right approach, we can make the conservation and restoration of ecosystems, including the planting of billions of new trees, a major step in building the […]