Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Correspondents* DOHA, Qatar, Jul 11, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) – The head of the United Nations refugee agency has described the situation in drought-hit Somalia as the "worst humanitarian disaster" in the world, after meeting with those affected at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. The camp, located [...]
UN Faces Tough Challenges in Libya and Eastern Africa
June 19, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN By Richard Johnson IDN-InDepth NewsReport GENEVA (IDN) – Conflict in Libya and drought in Eastern Africa are posing grave challenges to humanitarian aid agencies of the United Nations, which are being called upon to muster all their resources in coping with rather critical situations. The World Food [...]
MIDEAST: September Knocks on Israeli Gates
June 7, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Pierre Klochendler JERUSALEM, Jun 7, 2011 (IPS) – "September 2011 is knocking on our gates," says an Israeli army officer who, under strict operation procedures, would not reveal his name. He was alluding to the United Nations General Assembly annual meeting expected to resoundingly endorse the Palestinian [...]
Syria’s Crackdown Undermines Claim for Seat on Human Rights Council
May 2, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, May 2, 2011 (IPS) – When the General Assembly meets on May 20 to elect 15 new members for the Human Rights Council (HRC), the four candidates from the Asian Group – India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Syria – were until now considered [...]
U.N. Decries Stagnant Funding For Population Goals
April 13, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr 13, 2011 (IPS) – As the international community readies to cope with a rising world population of some seven billion people by the middle of this year, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that financial assistance for population-related activities has made no visible [...]
Call For Banning Radioactive Weapons Gathers Momentum
April 11, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN By Jaya Ramachandran IDN-InDepth NewsReport AMSTERDAM (IDN) – Amidst growing apprehension that the United States and its allies might use radioactive weapons in Libya, as they are reported to have done in several local and limited wars beginning with the 1991 Iraq War, the International Coalition to [...]
EU Ready to Help UN Ease Grave Libya Situation
April 8, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN By Jaya Ramachandran IDN-InDepth NewsReport BRUSSELS (IDN) – The United Nations is deeply concerned about the humanitarian conditions along the Libyan border as well as health, food and security situation in Benghazi and on the whole in eastern and north-western Libya. To make matters worse, new mines laid [...]
U.N. Member States Falter in Protecting Staffers, Peacekeepers
April 5, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Apr 4, 2011 (IPS) – The United Nations has remained virtually helpless as hundreds of its staffers, mostly peacekeepers, are killed, kidnapped or victimised by unbridled violence worldwide. The latest victims – three staff members and four Nepalese guards – were killed Friday [...]
SOMALIA: Manifestation of Stealth Trusteeship
April 5, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Afyare Abdi Elmi * DOHA, Apr 5, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) – Somalia is currently under what James Fearon and David Laitin of Stanford University call "a neo-trusteeship system". Various external powers, while disagreeing among themselves, make the important decisions for the Somali people. On Jan. 30, 2011, [...]
Green Economy Needs Respect for Indigenous Rights
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Haider Rizvi UNITED NATIONS, May 21, 2011 (IPS) – Nations must pay more than lip service to the idea of indigenous rights if they hope to seriously address problems like species loss and climate change, say delegates at the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a U.N. body [...]