By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) – “We need to look at how best multilateralism can be advanced and strengthened rather than at theories that suggest a ‘doomsday’ scenario or the ‘dawn of an era of post-multilateralism’,” said Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to United Nations in Geneva. He was addressing the 10th […]
Stop Preventable Scourge of Violence Against Women
By UN Women NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – To commemorate this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign is calling upon us to stand in solidarity with survivors and survivor advocates and women’s human rights defenders who are working to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Our duty is not only to stand […]
Continuing Political Instability Impacting Economic Policy-Making in Sri Lanka
By Friday Forum The following media release issued by the Friday Forum (FF) on November 22, 2018 expresses grave concern about the situation in the aftermath of Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s move to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and prorogue Parliament on October 26, 2018. The FF is an informal group of concerned citizens pledged […]
Blue Economy Conference: Kenya Keen to Stimulate Global Conversations and Partnerships
By Jaya Ramachandran NEW YORK | NAIROBI (IDN) – The first ever Sustainable Blue Economy Conference (SBEC) opens on November 26 in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Canada and Japan are co-hosts of the three-day landmark event. It builds on the momentum of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development comprising 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), […]
UN Reviews Education Programme on Slave Trade, Warns of Racism
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – The Ark of Return by Rodney Leon, an American architect of Haitian descent, at the UN Headquarters in New Yok honours the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade that was perpetrated for over 400 years. The permanent memorial was erected on March 25, 2015 – […]
Israeli-Palestinian Escalation Ends But Peace Nowhere in Sight
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict “doesn’t seem to have a solution”, says the renowned conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim who has been striving to promote peace through the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, comprising young musicians from Israel and the Arab world. Yet, as a Messenger of Peace, he puts hope in […]
Wanted a Geographically Diverse and Gender-balanced UN
Viewpoint by Karim Ismail on behalf of G-77 The following are extensive extracts from the statement on behalf of the “Group of 77”, comprising 134 member countries including China, by Karim Ismail, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations, at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the UN General Assembly on […]
EU-ACP Initiative Leads to Natural Disaster Risk Reduction
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – The African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program (ACP-EU NDRR) launched in 2011 has worked to build climate and disaster resilience in ACP countries, where the impacts of climate change are increasingly visible, says a new report. The Program is an initiative of the African Caribbean […]
The Cambodian-UN War Crimes Trials are Finally Over
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Finally, finally, the over-long, ten year trials of the leaders of the murderous Khmer Rouge leadership of Cambodia, are over. The two defendants, Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, were each given a life sentence at the end of the first trial in August 2015 for crimes against […]
Teammates of U.S. Green Beret Face Murder Prosecution
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – More than a year has passed since the death of U.S. Green Beret Logan Melgar in Bamako, Mali. Investigators now believe they have men of interest – two Navy SEALS and two Marine Raiders. The four face charges that include felony murder in the strangulation […]