Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Every so often reports emerge that attempt to measure which are the best countries to live in. The Nordic countries plus New Zealand, Holland and Switzerland, usually come out top. Sweden is number one just for the sheer stability of life and security. Denmark is seen as […]
UN Expert Reveals Shocking Facts about Poverty in the U.S.
By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN) – More than one in every eight Americans, numbering 40 million, equal to 12.7 % of the population, are living in poverty, and almost half of those – 18.5 million – in abysmal poverty, according to a new report. Though the United States is one of the world’s richest, […]
Proposed Cuts in UN Budget Worry Civil Society and NGOs
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Civil society and non-governmental organizations have expressed “deep concern” over the proposals for substantial cuts to the United Nations (UN) biennial budget for 2018-2019. Known for their longstanding support for the UN, the organizers of NGO dialogues and international cooperation met in New York and Geneva to discuss […]
Launch of the Fund to Fight Desertification a Key Achievement
By Rita Joshi BONN (IDN) – The official launch of the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Fund is an outstanding achievement for the United Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 2017. It is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle leveraging public sector funds to raise private sector capital for sustainable land management and landscape restoration activities worldwide. It […]
Technology Bank for the World’s Poorest Set to Start in 2018
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Seven years after the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries charted out the international community’s vision and strategy for sustainable development of the world’s poorest countries, a new institution called the Technology Bank is set to start operations in 2018. The Conference, held in Istanbul, […]
In Just Ten Years ICAN Makes It To Nobel Peace Prize
By Alice Slater* NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – In Oslo on December 10, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and was accepted on behalf of the Campaign by its executive director, Beatrice Fihn, and by Setsuko Thurlow, an ICAN campaigner and survivor of the 1945 Hiroshima bombing. […]
Eritrean Refugees in the Netherlands Want Ban on Diaspora Tax by Asmara
By Reinhardt Jacobsen and Klara Smits AMSTERDAM | BRUSSELS (IDN) – Hundreds of Eritreans have been taking to the streets in various cities and refugee camps all over the world against the Eritrean regime to express solidarity with the unusual protests that took place in Asmara, the country’s capital, on October 31. The latest in […]
The Price of Forest Degradation and Biodiversity Loss for Livelihoods
By Fabíola Ortiz BONN (IDN) – Forest degradation and biodiversity loss carry a very heavy price for climate and people’s livelihoods. Restoring forests matters when it comes to growing resilience to climate variation and securing a healthy environment for future generations. This was the main message delivered by experts and community leaders who met in […]
Traumatised Rohingya Women Bear the Brunt of Persecution
By Naimul Haq COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (IDN) – Shefali Aktar, mother of three, fled her home in Thaphanbin, a tiny village overlooking the Arakan Mountains in Rakhine state in Myanmar. The 22-year-old pregnant woman escaped near death when her neighbour helped her and her children to hide in the nearby forest the night after the […]
Focus on Prevention As Conflicts Become More Intractable
By António Guterres, UN Secretary-General Following are extensive excerpts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at open debate of the Security Council on ‘Addressing complex contemporary challenges to international peace and security‘ on December 20, 2017 during Japan’s presidency of the Council for the month. – The Editor UNITED NATIONS (IDN-INPS) – I would like […]