Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations and former Foreign Secretary. – The Editor COLOMBO (IDN) – The Indian Ocean region is experiencing a fondly anticipated luxury. Almost every one of the economies of the region is expanding at a rate that gives hope […]
Caribbean Faith Leaders Call for Debt Relief and More
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – Ahead of the next hurricane season in the Caribbean, faith leaders are calling for action from government leaders, the United Nations system, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and regional development institutions. A statement signed and endorsed by 22 religious leaders from Grenada to Saint Lucia is urging the […]
World’s Major Tourism Fair Underlines the Significance of Sustainable Development
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN (IDN) – The number of tourists around the world grew in 2017 to an all-time record of 7 percent to reach 1.3 billion. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP), 10 percent of the world’s jobs, and 7 percent of the world’s total exports. The need […]
Under-representation of Women in UN System is Mendable
By Fausia Abdoel* VIENNA (IDN) – Women are under-represented at the managerial and leadership levels within the United Nations system. The world body intends to mend this situation and achieve gender parity at all levels by 2028. But indications are that it’s going be an uphill task. Statistics published by UN Women, the UN Entity […]
UN Achieves Consensus on Addressing the Drug Menace
By Jaya Ramachandran VIENNA (IDN) – Enhancing international cooperation to combat the synthetic opioid crisis, removing stigma as a barrier to the availability and delivery of health care and social services for people who use drugs is part of eleven resolutions the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has endorsed. The five-day […]
Why Eye Care is Important – for Bangladesh and Other Countries
By Naimul Haq DHAKA (IDN) – John Bob Ranck, also known as Bob, Chief Executive Officer and President at Orbis International, recently visited Bangladesh on a special mission. He travelled to some of the hospitals where Orbis as a partner has been supporting Bangladesh’s efforts in addressing avoidable blindness. Bob, a retired United States Air […]
Obama Foundation To Launch Leaders Africa Program in July
NEW YORK (IDN) – The Obama Foundation, which aims “to inspire and empower people to change their world”, is launching a ‘Leaders Africa Program’, and is seeking to identify a group of emerging African leaders from all sectors – government, civil society, and the private sector. They should have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the […]
Sri Lankan Academics Abroad Condemn Violence Against Muslim Community
By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – A group of Sri Lankan academics teaching in educational institutions abroad – and numbering about 50 – has written to condemn ongoing violence against Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, especially the “brutal attacks” perpetrated early March. In a letter published by ‘Groundviews‘, they say: “We are outraged that the […]
Reflections on Turkey: From Mustafa Kemal To Recep Erdoğan
Viewpoint by Pier Francesco Zarcone* ROME (IDN) – Has Turkey changed under Erdoğan? The question may seem absurd due to the habit of considering Turkey a secular and Westernised country before Recep Erdoğan came to power. However, this consolidated image turns out to be false. There has been a change, but not in substance: what […]
G20 Urged to Root Out Corruption in State-Owned Enterprises
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – One of the many challenges facing today’s world is corruption and one sector in which this is particularly evident is that of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Controlled by national governments, SOEs rank among the largest companies in the world, often serving as some of the biggest employers in their country. […]