By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK (IDN) – While Sri Lanka “celebrates” 70 years of independence from British colonial rule this month, its sovereignty is being threatened as never before since gaining independence in 1948 – tempting one to remark that Sri Lanka is celebrating ‘independence in chains’. The strategically placed Indian ocean island is an important […]
UN, African Union Partnership Key to Success of Peacekeeping
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Strong partnership between the United Nations and African Union is a key to the success of peacekeeping operations of the Joint Task Force on Peace and Security, particularly in view of an increasingly complex nature of conflict and the lack of progress of political processes, a consultative meeting […]
Reparations Suit Over German Colonial Massacre Significant for the UN Genocide Convention
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – In its first formal response to a class-action suit filed by the Herero and Nama people of Namibia, Germany has asked a New York judge to throw out the suit as “inadmissible” because of “the principle of state immunity.” Representatives of the communities directly affected […]
Decision to Deport African Immigrants Sparks a Debate in Israel
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Under a so-called “infiltrator’s law”, more than 1,000 African asylum seekers in Israel face deportation from Israeli detention centres starting in March. Speaking at a recent Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the harsh enforcement policy. “We are not acting against refugees,” he said. […]
What Prosperity for Central America Under US Hegemony?
Viewpoint by Marcelo Colussi* GUATEMALA CITY (IDN) – Between 50 and 60 percent of the inhabitants of the three countries of the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) live below the poverty line, and this structural and chronic poverty is compounded by alarming rates of delinquent violence (largely a product […]
Ensuring Access to Sexual and Reproductive Rights – A Global Challenge
By Julia Zimmerman* This is the fifth in a series of reports on the Vienna UN Conference from January 10-12, 2018, which discussed actions and challenges linked to the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) and in the spirit of SDG 17. The Vienna Liaison Office of the Academic Council on the United Nations System […]
Trump Appears to be Getting Ready to Wage War in Syria
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – President Donald Trump said it would never happen. Now it is. During the election he said he did not want more interventions – no more Iraqs, no more Afghanistans, Libyas or Syrias. A year into his presidency the American military is involved in all these places and […]
Bookshops and Race: Nigerian Writer Speaks Out
By SWAN PARIS (IDN | SWAN) – “Are there bookshops in Nigeria?”, asked a French journalist of famous Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, igniting a firestorm on social media following an event in Paris on January 25. Many outraged observers accused the journalist of racism and ignorance, while lauding Adichie’s response “I think it reflects very poorly […]
Women’s Path to Leadership: Are We at a Turning point?
By Darline Giraud* This is the fourth in a series of reports on the Vienna UN Conference from January 10-12, 2018, which discussed actions and challenges linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly 5 (SDG 5) and in the spirit of SDG 17. The Vienna Liaison Office of the Academic Council on the United Nations […]
Nuclear-Weapons Ban Will Help Usher In Peace, Human Rights
By Jamshed Baruah NEW YORK | TOKYO (IDN-INPS) – Eminent Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), has welcomed the July 2017 adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) as a turning point in the global history of efforts to achieve peace and disarmament, emphasizing that while […]