Disarmament Talk with Non-proliferation Expert Tariq Rauf
Disarmament Talk with former UN Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapala
Disarmament Talk with Alyn Ware, PNND Founder & Coordinator
Disarmament Talk with CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo
Pugwash celebrates 60th anniversary with an international conference in Astana, Kazakhstan
Screams of the Soul: A Glimpse of the Paintings of Karipbek Kuyukov
Disarmament Talk with eminent Kazakh artist Karipbek Kuyukov
R2P Back on the UN General Assembly’s Agenda After 12 Years
By J Nastranis
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – For the first time in twelve years, the UN General Assembly has included – with the recorded vote of 113 in favour to 21 against, and 17 abstentions – “The Responsibility to Protect” in the agenda for its 72nd session that kicked off on September 12.
The protractors of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) consider it a global political commitment, which was endorsed by all member states of the United Nations at the 2005 World Summit to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Yet, as a “not an official record” of the General Assembly’s plenary on September 15 points out, several delegations took the floor to express their concerns about formally adding the item to the agenda.
UNDP Supporting Eco-friendly Development in Laos
By Devinder Kumar
VIENTIANE (IDN) – Laos is a landlinked country bordering Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. About 6.8 million people live in its 18 provinces, with most people – 68 percent – still living in rural areas. However, urbanisation is occurring at a rate of 4.9 percent each year. The country is largely mountainous, with the most fertile land found along the Mekong plains. The river flows from north to south, forming the border with Thailand for more than 60 percent of its length.
Despite still being a least developed country (LDC), Laos – officially known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) – has made significant progress in poverty alleviation over the past two decades with poverty rates declining from 46% in 1992 to 23% in 2015, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). “The country achieved the Millennium Development Goal target of halving poverty, however the challenge now is to ensure that all Lao people benefit in the country’s development.”