By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK (IDN) – While there has been progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the past four years, some vulnerable small island developing states (SIDs), such as those in the Pacific, are losing momentum in the run-up to 2030. In 2015, the United Nations set out a vision for […]
Intra-Afghan Dialogue Seen as A Step Towards Peace
By R. Maxwell Bone The writer is Vice President for Political Affairs, Democracy, and Governance at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD). He lives in Washington, DC. Follow him on Twitter @maxbone55. WASHIGTON, DC (IDN) – A broad delegation of representatives from Afghan society partook in an Intra-Afghan dialogue session with the […]
Germany and EU Encouraged by Afghan Talks in Doha
Afghanistan On the Long Road to Trust and Reconciliation By Rita Joshi BERLIN (IDN) – As a friend to Afghanistan, Germany has supported efforts to achieve peace in the country for many years. After 40 years of almost constant violence, the main prerequisites for peace, according to the German Foreign Office, are “a willingness to […]
Many More Than Just Maritime Powder Kegs in the Gulf
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) […]
New Report Warns of Resurfacing Nuclear Risks
By Jaya Ramachandran NEW YORK (IDN) – In the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2020, arms control experts have warned that “the risk of nuclear use is increasing and … critical nonproliferation and disarmament norms are eroding”. Assessing Progress on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament in 2016-2019, the Arms […]
Standoff in Kyrgyzstan After Parliament Strips A Powerful Ex-President of Immunity
By Kamila Eshaliyeva* | Open Democracy BISHKEK (IDN-INPS) – At the end of June 2019, Kyrgyz MPs removed former president Almazbek Atambayev’s immunity from prosecution by 103 votes out of a possible 109. Parliament’s decision is based on a new law signed by current President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, which provides a mechanism for removing immunity from […]
West Africa ‘Least Committed’ in Africa to Fighting Inequality
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK (IDN) – “African countries, especially those in West Africa, are simply not doing enough” to “ensure that no one is left behind”, declares a new report, unveiling shocking figures that underline extreme inequality and poverty rampant in the region. West Africa is the African region “least committed to […]
Do More to Expand African Counter-Terrorism Networks
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are excerpts from UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the African Regional High-Level Conference on Counter-Terrorism and the Prevention of Violent Extremism Conducive to Terrorism, in Nairobi on 10 July 2019. NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – I would like to honour the tens of thousands of African victims of terrorism and to express solidarity […]
Burkina Faso Orders Stiff Prison Term For ‘Fake News’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – A law adopted on June 21 but still awaiting presidential approval would send writers to jail for up to 10 years’ jail for “demoralizing the defense and security forces of Burkina Faso.” A fine of up to $3,500 would be imposed for publishing what the […]
West Africa Inequality Crisis Called Extreme in New Report
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – “Inequality has reached extreme levels in West Africa, and today the wealthiest 1 per cent of West Africans own more than everyone else in the region combined.” That was the finding in a new report published by Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI). According to […]