By Paul Akiwumi The writer, a national of Ghana, is UNCTAD’s Director of the Division for Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes. This article was first published in The EastAfrican, print edition (20-26 July 2019). GENEVA (IDN-INPS) – Meskerem is a middle-aged Ethiopian woman, who runs a café and bakery with ten employees in […]
28 Corporations Pledge to Curbing Temperature Rise to 1.5°C
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – In the run-up to the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23, twenty-eight leading companies have responded to a call-to-action campaign and committed themselves to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels with a view to reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. In doing […]
Tea the Invigorating and Sustaining Wine of Life
Dr. K. Mulaffer Chairman, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (1990-1992); Chairman, Building Materials Manufacturing Corporation (1992-1994) & Project Director & Coordinator, National Equipment & Machinery Organization (1994-1995) COLOMBO (IDN) – My American friends must understand that choosing tea is like choosing wine. And here is why? The natural flavors of teas are quintessentially different from […]
NGOs Seen to Play Crucial Role in Implementing Global Environment Pacts
By Justus Wanzala NAIROBI (IDN) – The civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) supported by local communities can play a critical role in addressing climate change and growing inequalities, and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to participants of the recent High-level Political Forum (HPLPF) at the UN headquarters in New […]
Nationally-owned Transitions Are Key to Sustainable Peace
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are extensive extracts from the UN Secretary-General’s remarks at Security Council Briefing on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace: Strengthening Partnerships for Successful Nationally-owned Transitions on July 18, 2019. NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – United Nations special political missions and peacekeeping operations are some of our most effective tools to promote and maintain […]
Papua New Guinea Takes Over Presidency of The ACP Group
By ACP Press BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Ambassador of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Mr. Joshua Kalinoe will preside over the Committee of Ambassadors (CoA) of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States in Brussels for the period August 1, 2019 – January 31, 2020. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and […]
Top UN Economic and Social Body Has a New Head with an Ambitious Agenda
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Norway’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Mona Juul, has taken over from Rhonda King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the presidency of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), who chaired the recently-concluded High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable […]
China’s Risky Bets Along the Belt and Road Initiative
Viewpoint by James M. Dorsey James M. Dorsey – a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture – offered this viewpoint to IDN. SINGAPORE (IDN) […]
When Social Democracy Bows to the New Pensée Unique
Viewpoint by Roberto Savio* ROME (IDN | OtherNews) – Social Democrats, who had been steadily disappearing following the crisis of 2008, have been making a small comeback in the last year. Now they are in power in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and, most recently, in Denmark. But the statistics are daunting. The recent European elections […]
Everglades in Florida See Hope for Renewal Through Ecotourism
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – A massive ecosystem of lakes, rivers and marshes known as the Everglades dominates the southern portion of Florida. The aqueous territory once spanned a great length down the state, but extensive damage to the environment has reduced the wetland’s size in half. As young environmentalists around […]