IDN-InDepthNews

Africa2016-02-232023-07-10

Grace Keen to Succeed Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe

NEW YORK | HARARE (INPS | GIN) – Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest president, turned 92 on February 21 without a clear successor. His wife, Grace, however, is grooming herself for the job but will Zimbabweans favour a family dynasty even as the idea seems to have fallen out of favour in the U.S.?

Political analysts say Mugabe has no clear intention of handing over power, even as the country’s dire economic situation and drought has worsened the plight of a country that has seen four million of its citizens flee to the diaspora.

Africa2016-02-232023-07-10

RTS Award for Sudanese-born Journalist But Diversity Still Lacking

NEW YORK | LONDON (INPS | GIN) – The Sudanese-Born Nima Elbagir scooped a distinguished media prize from the Royal Television Society (RTS) February 18 for her work highlighting the human rights plight of children and young people in Africa and beyond.

RTS wrote for the award ceremony last week: “The work of the Specialist Journalist of the Year took this journalist (Nima Elbagir) to some of the darkest and most difficult places to report on in the past twelve months. The judges thought the winner demonstrated great determination and bravery as well as deep humanity. She highlighted the plight of young people moving between continents and had the language skills to follow their journey in a way that no-one else could achieve.”

GLOBAL ISSUES2016-02-232023-07-10

Scientists Warn of the Perils of Sea-level Rise

By Rita Joshi | IDN-InDepthNews Report

BERLIN (IDN) – During the past millennia sea level has never risen nearly as fast as during the last century, says a new study. It warns that even if ambitious climate policy follows the 2015 Paris Agreement, sea levels would rise by 20 to 60 centimetres by 2100 and stresses the importance of coastal protection.

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has in fact come to the conclusion that sea levels worldwide might rise by 50 to 130 centimetres by the end of this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced rapidly. For the first time it combines the two most important estimation methods for future sea level rise and yields a more robust risk range.

Africa2016-02-232023-07-10

Congolese Kids to Join U.S. Adoptive Parents Ending 2-Year Wait

NEW YORK (INPS | GIN) – After spending more than two years in legal limbo, 159 children from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be united with adoptive parents – from the U.S., France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The government agreed to grant long-stalled permits to the children and is working to resolve the remaining cases, said DRC Ambassador Francois Balumuene to Washington.

UN INSIDER2016-02-222023-07-10

74 Percent of Poor People Directly Affected by Land Degradation

BONN (IDN) – 2.6 billion people depend directly on agriculture, but 52 per cent of the land used for agriculture is moderately or severely affected by soil degradation. Land degradation is affecting at least 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Due to drought and desertification each year 12 million hectares are lost (23 hectares per minute), where 20 million tons of grain could have been grown. 74 per cent of the poor are directly affected by land degradation globally.

SYNDICATION, UNITED NATIONS2016-02-222023-07-12

74 Percent of Poor People Directly Affected by Land Degradation

By Jutta Wolf | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

UN INSIDER2016-02-212023-07-10

Sidelining Mother Languages Threat to Global Citizenship

PARIS (IDN) – While the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has signed an agreement with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to measure global citizenship and sustainable development education, the persistent marginalization of mother languages worldwide is threatening Goal 4 of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Agenda 2030 includes seven targets in Goal 4 that aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

SYNDICATION, UNITED NATIONS2016-02-212023-07-12

Sidelining Mother Languages Threat to Global Citizenship

By Jaya Ramachandran | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

The Agenda 2030 includes seven targets in Goal 4 that aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

UN INSIDER2016-02-212023-07-10

Kazakhstan Determined to Achieve a Nuclear-Weapons Free World

BERLIN | ASTANA (IDN) – Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov has urged the civil society, social movements and the public at large to support governments in achieving a nuclear-weapons-free world by 2045, when the United Nations will turn 100, and to help in the establishment of a Global Anti-Nuclear Movement,

These goals were part of key international initiatives President Nursultan Nazarbayev tabled during the General Assembly session in September 2015. He also called for creating a single global anti-terrorist network, allocating 1 percent of countries’ defence budgets to sustainable development, organizing a high-level international conference on reaffirming the principles of international law and coordinating international efforts under the UN on promoting green technologies.

ARMAMENTS2016-02-212023-07-10

Kazakhstan Determined to Achieve a Nuclear-Weapons Free World

By Ramesh Jaura | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis