UN Chief Implores ‘Faith and Inspiration’ Kofi Annan Embodied
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” This quote from Edmund Burke, the 18th century Irish statesman as well as an author, orator, political theorist and philosopher, was one of late Kofi Annan’s favourites, his son Kojo told the […]
Remembering Kofi Annan, UN Recalls His Contributions
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN) – In yet another move to honour the contribution of late Kofi Annan to the United Nations as Secretary-General from 1997 to 2005, who died at the age of 80 on August 18, UN News carried an article on September 20, saying that he “championed everything from stronger human […]
Brazil Sets Up an Innovative Model to Reverse Land Degradation
Viewpoint by Prof. Dr. Valdemar Rodrigues The writer is Director of Sustainable Rural Development of the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, National Director of the UNDP / GEF / MMA Program and National Director of the FAO / GEF / MMA Program. Prior to joining the Ministry, he was he was a Professor at the […]
Global Compact Pays Heed to Migrants Fleeing Degrading Lands
Viewpoint by Mariam Traore Chazalnoël The writer is a specialist in environmental and climate migration at the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Office to the United Nations in New York. She has been working since 2013 on the global governance of environmental migration and regularly publishes on the topic. This article first appeared in UNCCD […]
When Climate Change Dishes Up a ‘Toxic Stew’
By William S. Becker* MILWAUKEE, USA (IDN) – It happened in July 2016. A flash flood roared through Ellicott City, Maryland, killed two people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damages to the historic buildings along Main Street. The experts said it was one of those rare 1,000-year flood events. The city set […]
UN Nuclear Watchdog Concludes 62nd General Conference
Rounding Up Coca-Colonization – Will the UN Human Rights Council Stand Up For The People?
By Jayasri Priyalal The writer is the Regional Director responsible for Finance Sector of UNI Global Union, Asia & Pacific Organization – Singapore. SINGAPORE (IDN) – Regulatory capture and the influence of powerful Transnational Corporations in lobbying the policy makers towards their own advantage is no secret. Putting profits before people and planet is their […]
The Group of 77 at UN HQ in Vienna Celebrates 20th Anniversary
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) – China’s Foreign Minister WANG Yi has praised the Group of 77 (G-77) countries in Vienna, one of the four headquarters of the United Nations, along with New York, Geneva and Nairobi, for its important role as a platform for developing countries to engage in multilateral affairs. The Group of […]
African Countries Seek Relief from Burgeoning Chinese Loans
By Allan Olingo In the past 15 years, Beijing has written off more than $2 billion worth of debt advanced to African countries, says Allan Olingo, an accomplished business journalist from Kenya. This article first appeared in The East African on September 17, 2018. NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – Some African countries are now seeking to write […]