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US Accused of COVID-19 'Travel Apartheid'

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | GABORONE (IDN) — Harsh criticism continues to be heard from Africans and their leaders against UK and U.S. travel restrictions allegedly to control the spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant—now showing up in several U.S. states.

"What is expected is a global approach, not selective," Sarafa Tunji Isola, Nigeria's high commissioner to the UK, told the BBC.

He also echoed comments made by the UN's chief, who described restrictions imposed on some southern African countries as "travel apartheid.”

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 06 December 2021

Call for A New Deal for Development to Bridge Vaccine Divide

By Jaya Ramachandaran

PARIS (IDN) — Ministers and high-level representatives from 55 developed and developing countries have proposed a New Deal for Development and stressed the urgency of bridging the vaccine divide and strengthening financing capacities in developing economies. They have called for greater international support for developing countries on the occasion of the Seventh High-level Meeting of the OECD Development Centre, under the heading “Accelerating a just recovery for all” on December 6.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 06 December 2021

The Taliban's Social Media Warfare Operation Toward Seizing Kabul

Viewpoint by Iria Puyosa

This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

MICHIGAN, United States (IDN) — In their advance towards Kabul, the Taliban were anticipating their military victory through WhatsApp's voice notes, tweets, and Facebook posts. The Taliban insurgency crafted transmedia storytelling on how Afghan army soldiers were surrendering without much fighting.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 December 2021

Global Agreement Defines The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — A historic agreement defines the common values and principles needed to ensure the healthy development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). All the member states of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have signed the agreement.

The importance of the agreement signed on November 23 is underlined by the fact that AI is pervasive and enables many of our daily routines—booking flights, steering driverless cars, and personalising our morning news feeds. AI also supports the decision-making of governments and the private sector.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Poverty; 05 December 2021

Photo: A 'derelict' vessel in Suva Bay. Credit: Josefa Babitu

Fiji Islands: Sunken Suva Harbour Wrecks Pose Environmental and Safety Hazard

By Josefa Babitu

Suva (IDN | Wansolwara) — Instead of a safe haven for ships, the famous Suva Bay has become a graveyard for derelict vessels, which pose a major risk to shipping and marine habitat. And there are growing concerns over the impact of derelict vessels on the environment and the safety of ships that sail in.

According to the Clear Seas Centre, a research centre in marine shipping in Canada, abandoned ships can harm tourism and fisheries, damage infrastructure, interfere with navigation and pose safety risks to people.

: Asia Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 05 December 2021

Image credit: Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Middle East Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone, Long Elusive, is Making Progress, say Experts

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN) — A longstanding proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the politically and militarily volatile Middle East remains elusive. Since 1967, five nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ) have been established worldwide—in Latin America and the Caribbean, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia.

Speaking at the second “UN Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs),” which took place November 29 to December 3, UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that the five existing zones include 60 per cent of the UN’s 193 Member States—and cover almost all of the Southern Hemisphere.

: Thalif Deen; THE WORLD; Middle East; 04 December 2021

Sustainable Development Observer Issue 3 Focuses on COP 26 and Climate Change

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The November 2021 issue of Sustainable Development Observer focuses on Climate Change and the COP26 summit in Glasgow. We look at the debate on methane gas reduction from a farming mythology perspective. Indigenous people have called for a stop to ‘war on nature’ and we look at their perspective on climate change.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 03 December 2021

Photo. The CSTO Secretariat hosted the 34th meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council Working Group on Afghanistan. Source: Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Russia’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Strategy In Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Andrei Kazantsev & Svetlana Medvedeva*

MOSCOW (IDN) — Russia has fundamental interests in Afghanistan. Three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan—are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). As a member of the CSTO, Russia guarantees the security of these three countries and maintains military bases and facilities on their territory.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 December 2021

Afghanistan's Destination Is Unknown Yet

Viewpoint by Farooque Chowdhury*

DHAKA (IDN) — Unknown is Afghanistan’s trajectory of developments. None of the players, external and internal, knows the highly-contested land’s flight path. All of the players are unsure of the possible impact of each of the tactical moves being taken by each of them. So, there’re compromises or postures to compromise, and contest—cold and hot.

Already an empire has experienced, as has been admitted, strategic failure in that land. At least one faction in the Empire is telling: War in Afghanistan isn’t over. At least two forces within that landlocked land are getting prepared to carry on their bloody fight while at least one force, faction-ridden, is rifle-ready to counter all counter-forces.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 02 December 2021

Photo: Soil salinization and sodification are among the most important problems at a global level for agricultural production, food security and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. Credit: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Food Systems Transformation Must Be Grounded in Healthy Soil

Viewpoint by Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Research Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health, World Agroforestry (ICRAF)

LONDON (IDN) — A world without healthy soil is a world in which little grows. Yet, for those who live in the roughly 25 to 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface that is degraded, this is what the future could hold.

Healthy soil stands at the centre of all our pressing global challenges and will be crucial in achieving the aims of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, launched in June this year.