IDN-InDepthNews – Page 778 – News for a Sustainable World, Peace and Security

GLOBAL ISSUES2015-11-262023-07-10

Huge Sporting Events Must Uphold Human Rights

By OHCHR* | IDN-InDepthNews Feature

GENEVA (IDN) – A human rights based approach to mega sporting events would not just generate good on and off the playing field, but it would also help generate certainty for sponsors, said Brent Wilton, Global Director, Workplace Rights and Human Rights for Coca Cola.

“We want to make sure that when people are inside that stadium and that event kicks off and there is happiness inside, that the people who are outside that stadium are not worse off by not having had their rights respected,” he said.

Wilton was one of several speakers during a panel discussion on identifying solutions to key human rights challenges associated with huge sporting events.

Global Goals2015-11-262023-07-10

Asien: Erneuerbare Energien können Wachstum in Schwellenländern stützen

Von Krishan Dutt

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) – Bei der künftigen Entwicklung in Südostasien, China und Indien werden erneuerbare Energien aller Voraussicht nach eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Das geht aus einem gemeinsamen Bericht des in Paris ansässigen Entwicklungszentrums der Organisation für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (OSZE), der UN-Wirtschafts- und Sozialkommission für Asien und den Pazifikraum (ESCAP) und des Asiatischen Entwicklungsbankinstituts hervor, der den asiatischen Schwellenländern für 2015 und die folgenden fünf Jahre ein robustes Wachstum vorhersagt.

GLOBAL ISSUES2015-11-262023-07-10

The Gap between Rhetoric and Reality – Human vs Military Security

By Roberto Savio* | IDN-InDepthNews Viewpoint

ROME (IDN) – The downing of a Russian jet on November 24 by Turkey near the Syrian border will complicate even more the mess surrounding Syria.

Putin has called Turkey an “accomplice of terrorists”, and has denounced that the oil extracted by the Islamic State (ISIS), which is vital for its finances, is sold through Turkey, This was an open secret, as it is an open secret that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are in fact financing Sunni terrorism.

Meanwhile, France is pushing for military support from European partners. British Prime Minister David Cameron has promised support, and has announced a 16.8 billion pound increase in Britain’s defence budget, while at the same time cutting public spending costs, including for education and health.

Climate Change2015-11-262023-07-10

Climate Summit An Opportunity for Accelerating Transformation

By J C Suresh | IDN-InDepthNews Report

TORONTO (IDN) – The Global Environment Facility (GEF) expects the twenty-first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – from November 30 to December 11 in Paris – to be a “turning point”.

It expects COP21 to send “a loud and clear signal to citizens, markets and the private sector that the transformation of the global economy is inevitable, beneficial, and already underway”.

Governments from around the world are meeting in Paris to reach a new climate change agreement that aims to keep global average temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) – the level beyond which there will be irreversible impacts.

Latin America & the Caribbean2015-11-252023-07-12

Drought Threatens Water-Truck Lifeline in Parched Northeast Brazil

By Nadia Pontes | IDN-InDepthNews Feature

This story is the first in a series of news features related to the 21st UN Climate Conference (COP21) from November 30 to December 11. It was sourced through the Voices2Paris UNDP storytelling contest on climate change and developed thanks to Megan Rowling and @alertnetclimate.

Pesqueira / Pernambuco, Brazil (IDN) – For the rural community of Pacheco in northeastern Brazil, the local school has never been so important. It is now the only place in the drought-stricken area that has water on tap.

Climate Change2015-11-252023-07-10

Climate Marches Planned in 150 Countries Ahead of Paris Summit

By J Nastranis | IDN-InDepthNews Report

A thousand students from Rizal High School, in Pasig City, Philippines form a human banner that reads: “Act for our Future,” to call for a strong and fair global climate agreement ahead of the international climate talks in Paris. Credit: 350.org

NEW YORK (IDN) – In run-up to the start of the COP21 climate summit in Paris on November 30, hundreds of thousands of people will be taking to the streets in over 2,000 events spread across 150 countries to demand that negotiating parties keep fossil fuels in the ground and finance a just transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Health2015-11-242023-07-10

HIV/AIDS Killed 40 Million People, And Continues To Kill 4000 A Day

By Somar Wijayadasa* | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (third from right) meets with the keynote speakers at an event on the occasion of the World AIDS Day, with the theme “One world. One hope” on December 2, 1996 at the UN Headquarters. From left to right: Martina Clark; Marina Mahathir; Cristina Saralegui; Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali; Elizabeth Taylor and Noerine Kaleeba. | Credit: United Nations, New York – Photo # 158026

NEW YORK (IDN) – The World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 every year, inspires me to recall how the United Nations acted – hesitantly but resolutely – when the AIDS pandemic killed millions of people around the world causing a substantial impact on the health and economy of many nations.

Since the first identification of HIV/AIDS among gay men in the United States of America, in 1981, approximately 76 million people have been infected with HIV, and 39.6 million people have died of AIDS – the highest global death toll of all time, and also the most politicized, feared and controversial disease in the history of modern medicine.

Middle East2015-11-242023-07-10

The Syrian War is Not Triggered by Syrians Alone

By Roberto Savio* | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

ROME (IDN | Other News) – The U.S. Congress, under the valiant leadership of Republicans, has vetoed the entry of Syrian refugees, including women and children, into the United States against Obama’s intention to accept 10,000 – a symbolic amount in a country, which accepts over 50.000 refugees every year – while Germany is accepting at least 800,000 Syrians.

What is frightening is the total ignorance of the world behind that veto.

Gender2015-11-232023-07-10

Global Report Calls for End to ‘Media Sexism’

By Jutta Wolf | IDN-InDepthNews Report

BERLIN | BRUSSELS (IDN) – A new report finds that progress towards equality of women and men in the news media has virtually ground to a halt over the past five years. In fact, “progress towards news representation that acknowledges women’s participation in economic life remains elusive”. The report calls for “an end to media sexism by 2020”.

According to the findings of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), released on November 23, worldwide, women make up only 24% of the people heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news, exactly the same level found in 2010.

Latin America & the Caribbean2015-11-232023-07-12

Costa Rica Aims at Being the World’s First Decarbonised Economy

The Central American country of Costa Rica is a model state that embodies the concept of global citizenship by pursuing a culture of peace and aspiring to achieve complete carbon-neutrality.

By Fabíola Ortiz | IDN-InDepthNews Analysis

SAN JOSE (IDN) – With less than five million inhabitants, Costa Rica became famous for abolishing its army in the late 1940’s, when its Central American neighbours were involved in armed conflicts. After becoming a model of peace in the region, the country now wants to be known as a laboratory for a deep decarbonisation process of the world economy.