IDN-InDepthNews – Page 646 – News for a Sustainable World, Peace and Security

UN INSIDER2017-07-182023-07-10

New UN Report Shows the Way to Achieving Agenda 2030

By J Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – A new United Nations study has warned that the current growth curve in the aftermath of the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis “does not provide the enabling environment” for supporting progress in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the latest World Economic and Social Survey, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires “greater and deeper international coordination in key policy areas including fiscal, monetary and trade.”

But the Report launched by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) finds that “such challenges are not insurmountable.” In the last 70 years, says the Survey, the world has witnessed episodes of economies experiencing remarkable economic development, which include: Germany and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the Asian Tigers – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.

Nuclear Weapons2017-07-172023-07-10

What After the Adoption of the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

By Susi Snyder

Susi Snyder is the Nuclear Disarmament Programme Manager for PAX in the Netherlands. She has published numerous reports and articles. She is an International Steering Group member of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and a 2016 Nuclear Free Future Award Laureate. Previously, Mrs. Snyder served as the Secretary General of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). – The Editor

UTRECHT, The Netherlands (IDN) – It’s nearly impossible to believe: nuclear weapons are banned. Outlawed. Making their way to where they belong, the dustbin of history. Since July 7 2017, that is a new reality. There is now a treaty that makes it illegal to make, have, get or use nuclear weapons. But what’s the next step for the nuclear ban?

UN INSIDER2017-07-172023-07-10

UN Development Agenda Found Falling Behind in Reaching Goals

By Shanta Rao

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – As part of its the Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations is determined to “to leave no one behind” in its strong commitment to ensure the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2030, which is an integral part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in September 2015.

But in a new report released July 17, the UK-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI) points out that only 25 of the 44 countries presenting their progress on SDGs at the UN’s High Level Political Forum (HLPF), which concludes July 19, are ready to meet the central commitment of “leaving no-one behind.” The report has been released to coincide with the UN’s 10-day HLPF.

Nuclear Weapons2017-07-172023-07-10

Democracy at the UN: 122 Nations Vote to Ban the Bomb

By Alice Slater*

NEW YORJK (IDN-INPS) – On July 7 2017, at a UN Conference mandated by the UN General Assembly to negotiate a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons, the only weapons of mass destruction yet to be banned, 122 nations completed the job after three weeks, accompanied by a celebratory outburst of cheers, tears, and applause among hundreds of activists, government delegates, and experts, as well as survivors of the lethal nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and witnesses to the devastating, toxic nuclear-test explosions in the Pacific.

The new treaty outlaws any prohibited activities related to nuclear weapons, including use, threat to use, development, testing, production, manufacturing, acquiring, possession, stockpiling, transferring, receiving, stationing, installation, and deployment of nuclear weapons. It also bans states from lending assistance, which includes such prohibited acts as financing for their development and manufacture, engaging in military preparations and planning, and permitting the transit of nuclear weapons through territorial water or airspace.

UN INSIDER2017-07-162023-07-10

Poverty Impeding Global Sustainable Development

By Santo D. Banerjee

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – While nearly 1.1 billion people escaped extreme poverty between 1990 and 2013 because of strong economic growth that benefited the world’s poorest, “the number of people living in extreme poverty remains unacceptably high, with nearly 800 million living on or below US$1.90 per day,” according to a new UN document.

In view of this, “the road to 2030 will not be easy because economic growth alone will not be sufficient to help those remaining in extreme poverty to move out,” warns the document prepared for the 2017 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development which kicked off on July 19 and concludes on July 19 after the three-day ministerial meeting.

Asia-Pacific2017-07-162023-07-10

Modi’s Israel Visit Underlines India’s Balanced Approach in the Middle East

By Manish Rai*

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – The recent three-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi marks the first trip of an Indian Premier to Israel after 25 years of diplomatic relations. Many analysts see the July 4-6 visit as a clear diplomatic tilt toward Israel after years of India keeping its distance.

Israel also gave a lot of importance to this state visit. Only a selected few world leaders such as U.S. President and the Pope receive a grand reception at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. So, it did not go unnoticed that India’s Prime Minister received the same red-carpet treatment.

UN INSIDER2017-07-152023-07-10

UN Chief Welcomes Ban Ki-moon Global Education Institute

By J Nastranis

NEW YORk (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the ground-breaking ceremony for the Global Education Institute (GEI) initiated by his predecessor Ban Ki-moon on July 11 2017 at Handong Global University – in Pohang, 374km southeast of Seoul – the hub of UN Academic Impact (UNAI) for capacity-building in higher education.

“I am pleased to greet all those attending the ground-breaking ceremony for the Ban Ki-moon Global Education Institute,” said Guterres in a message, adding: “The opportunity to enjoy an inclusive and equitable quality education is a prerequisite for improving lives and ensuring sustainable development.”

Nuclear Weapons2017-07-152023-07-10

NATO, OSCE Asked to Pursue Nuclear Disarmament in Europe

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN | PNND) – Fifty Parliamentarians from 13 European countries have sent a letter today NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Chair of the OSCE Minister Sebastian Kurz, urging these two key European security organizations to pursue dialogue, détente and nuclear risk reduction in Europe.

The letter on July 14 also calls on NATO and OSCE (the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) to support the multilateral process for nuclear disarmament through the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the United Nations. OSCE is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections.

Latin America & the Caribbean2017-07-152023-07-10

Caribbean Calls for Reducing Economic Burden of NCDs

By Desmond Brown

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (ACP-IDN) – Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) make a significant contribution to mortality and morbidity in the Caribbean and continue to represent an economic burden for most of the region’s countries.

Addressing the latest meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) held here from July 4-6, St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris – who has responsibility for health in the organisation’s Quasi-Cabinet – called for urgent action to reverse the situation.

Citing the findings of a 2016 study on the economic dimensions of NCDs in Trinidad and Tobago, Harris noted that an estimated 5 percent of that country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is being lost through the impact of preventable diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

UN INSIDER2017-07-142023-07-10

Kazakhstan Leads Discussion on Agenda 2030 in North and Central Asia

By Joan Erakit

NEW YORK (IDN) – The implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is slowly building momentum around the United Nations and amongst member states who see its success as vital to their work.

During the High-Level Political Forum July 10-19, many are gathered at the Headquarters in New York to not only review action plans and offer recommendations but also to continue a dialogue on implementation.

Kazakhstan, a country keen to promote its growing economy and energy sector, is part of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESACP) — a group of 53 member nations and 9 associate member states — one of the UN’s most comprehensive regional commissions.