Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Reacting to the radio interview by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to mark Armistice Day, in which he was reported as saying, “We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America… We need a true European army”, President Donald […]
Japan, Russia Join UNODC to Support Afghanistan’s Counter Narcotics Efforts
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Afghanistan, Japan and the Russian Federation have signed a declaration, highlighting the new development of the Trilateral Cooperation to support counter narcotics efforts of the Government of Afghanistan, according to UN Information Service (UNIS). The declaration also gives an overview […]
Decline in External Finance to Developing Countries Endanger Global Goals
By Krishan Dutta PARIS (IDN) – “Donor countries have not followed through on their 2015 promise to expand development finance flows,” said OECD Development Co-operation Director Jorge Moreira da Silva, launching a landmark report at the Paris Peace Forum. He was commenting on an important finding of the report that external finance to poor countries […]
Interfaith Statement Pushes for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons – a group of diverse faith-based organizations and individuals committed to a nuclear-weapon-free world – have called for urgent action for the abolition of nuclear weapons. “As people of faith, we advocate for the right of all people to live in […]
Combative Politics and Hostile Discourse Mark UN Disarmament Initiatives
By Jaya Ramachandran NEW YORK (IDN) – “If one had to pick a single word to describe this year’s First Committee, contentious would be a reasonable contender. The increased volume – in all senses of the word – of accusations and denials has descended as close to name calling as diplomatic forums get,” says Ray […]
WHO Determined to Prevent Noncommunicable Diseases
Sri Lanka Co-Chaired Meeting Focuses on Diseases Killing the Poor By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) – Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a serious global development challenge. As the year three of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comes to a close, evidence shows that the international community […]
‘Growing Economic Divides’ Trouble Europe
By Robert Johnson BRUSSELS (IDN) – A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of Growing Economic Divides, which threaten to create tensions not only between the young and the old but also between employers and employees as well as between the low- and high-income earners. At the heart of the growing divides is housing, […]
Migration a Major Issue in EU’s Relations with 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific States
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – As the United Nations Global Compact fractures, migration has become a key issue in negotiations between the European Union (EU) and 79 countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) which kicked off in September 2018 to hammer out a successor to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement set to […]
Sri Lanka Needs a Consensus Builder – Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
Viewpoint by H.M.G.S. Palihakkara * The author is a Sri Lankan civil servant, diplomat and former Governor of Northern Province. This article first appeared in The Island and is being republished in view of its fervent plea for ‘building a culture of consensual governance’. – The Editor. COLOMBO (IDN-INPS) – Many concerned citizens are seen […]
NATO’s Gottemoeller Discusses Military Applications of Artificial Intelligence in China
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN-INPS) – “We know that we cannot fight tomorrow’s threats with today’s tools. Defending ourselves is no longer about just looking at a map and deciding where to position troops and equipment. We need to defend ourselves in the digital age, and in the age of artificial intelligence,” NATO Deputy […]