By Herbert Wulf* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BONN, Germany | 9 April 2024 (IDN) â Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February two years ago was a shock to European security policy. It did not come entirely out of the blue, however, because Russia […]
Senegalâs New President Should Begin a Strategic Reset of Relations with France
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 09 April 2024 (IDN) âThe words of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye were honey to taste. Following the bitter ending of the 12-year rule of Macky Sall, highlighted by the widespread belief that France is at the heart […]
Kenyan Doctorsâ Strike Enters Third Week As Govât Stonewalls Talks
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 8 April 2024 (IDN) â Kenyaâs health sector, underfunded and understaffed, is closed for business until the government makes good on salary arrears and agrees to hire badly needed trainee doctors as promised to the union. The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) also […]
New Leadership in Senegal Inspires a Continent Seeking Change
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 8 April 2024 (IDN) â A firebrand politician and a young tax inspector opposed to French colonialism have taken the government of Senegal by storm, say journalists inspired by the electoral victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, and Ousmane Sonko, 49, on a platform of major […]
Indian Ocean âZone of Peaceâ Sinking in Troubled Waters
By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS | 8 April 2024 (IDN) â Just after a group of mercenaries tried to unsuccessfully oust the government of the Maldives in 1979, I asked a Maldivian diplomat, using a military jargon, about the strength of his country’s âstanding armyâ. “Standing army?”, the diplomat asked with mock surprise, and remarked […]
A Flame of Remembrance for Victims of the Rwandan Genocide
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 7 April 2024 (IDN) â Rwandans are marking the 30th anniversary of a genocide that took the lives of an estimated 800,000 mostly ethnic Tutsis over 100 days between April and June 1994. President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame laid wreaths at the Kigali […]
Are Voluntary National Reviews Helping Achieve UNâs Development Goals?
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 7 April 2024 (IDN) â What do jargons like âwhole of governmentâ or âwhole of the societyâ approach or really mean when we talk about implementing the SDGs? What about âmulti stakeholdersâ engagementâ? These are some key questions that UN policymakers should ask when they encourage member states to […]
WHO Urges Additional Funds to Ensure Primary Health Care in Poor Countries
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 6 April 2024 (IDN) â The World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency, has launched âMy health, my rightâ campaign to champion the right to health of everyone, everywhereâurging an additionalâŻUS$ 200â328 billionâŻa year globally, to scale up primary health care in low- and middle-income countries. Because of necessary […]
Diplomatic Debate Over Autonomous Weapons Heats Up
By Michael T. Klare* This article was issued by Arms Control Today and is being republished with their permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. | 6 April 2024 (IDN) â Diplomatic activity concerning the regulation of autonomous weapons systems is accelerating. The United States convened a conference on the subject in March, Austria has scheduled one for April, […]
Japan Chairs a Rare UN Security Council Disarmament Debate
By Shizuka Kuramitsu and Daryl G. Kimball* This article was issued by Arms Control Today and is being republished with their permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. | 5 April 2024 (IDN) â Japan chaired a rare, high-level UN Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation on March 18. Although the meeting underscored the urgency of addressing […]