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By Lisa Vives
Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) – Is it a welcome development? Or legislative sadism?
Those are the two sides of a debate roiling Nigeria following the passage of an amendment to a law that orders convicted rapists to be surgically castrated if a man, or have their fallopian tubes removed if a woman.
If the victim is under 14, the rapist will have his testicles surgically removed before being executed, under the legislation signed by the governor of Kaduna state.
By Busani Bafana
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (IDN) – Horticulture farmer Prosper Chikwara, grows cabbages, spinach and kale on the idyllic family farm, 20km north of the city of Bulawayo. Word of mouth is no longer enough to sell his produce.
He now grows on order because it no longer guaranteed there will be buyers at his gate when the crops are ready for harvest.
Six months ago, Chikwara, supplied 20 000 kg of vegetables to wholesalers in the city of Bulawayo. He is now selling less than half of his produce since the Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown was imposed.
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) – In a significant move to mobilise global support, the United Nations, Project Everyone and 72 Films are launching 'Nations United - Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times'. A first of its kind film has been released September 19 on the UN YouTube channel and global broadcast networks.
The importance of the move lies in the fact that with just ten years to go for the 2030 deadline, implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is far from satisfactory. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening decade of global progress.
Business as Usual Will Only Reinforce Economic Hardship
Viewpoint by Njuguna Ndung’u*
NAIROBI (IDN) – Africa’s low level of economic diversification is a leading factor in the continent’s economic fragility. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the risks of countries’ over-dependence on a single natural resource such as oil.
Africa is endowed with abundant natural resources, including minerals, and revenues from their export constitute a major source of income for many countries.
By J. Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) – A new UN report has underlined the importance of biodiversity in addressing climate change, and long-term food security, and concluded that action to protect biodiversity is essential to prevent future pandemics.
The fifth edition of the UN's Global Biodiversity Outlook report, released on September 15, has warned: "The continued degradation of the environment is increasing the likelihood of diseases spreading from animals to humans."
By Sudip Ranjan Basu, Monica Das, Alexandra Boakes Tracy and Achim Wennmann*
BANGKOK (IDN) – The United Nations has tasked the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Population and Public Health (CIHR-IPPH) to lead the research roadmap to identify priorities that will support an equitable global socio-economic recovery from COVID-19 within the broader framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the world grapples with the impacts of COVID-19, identifying the research agenda and partnering with academic institutions and think tanks have become more essential than ever before.
Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad and John Ross*
This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts | LONDON (IDN) – In Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward’s new book, Rage, reports on interviews he did in February and March with U.S. President Donald Trump about the coronavirus. Trump admitted that the virus was virulent, but he decided to underplay its danger. “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump said, “because I don’t want to create a panic.” Despite months of warnings from the Chinese authorities, Trump and his health secretary Alex Azar completely failed to prepare for the global pandemic.
By Rosemary DiCarlo
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Following are extensive excerpts from Ms DiCarlo's briefing to the Security Council on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on peace and security.
NEW YORK (IDN) – It is sobering to realize that the risks the Secretary-General identified to this Council on 2 July are manifesting in a number of countries across the world.
But we are also witnessing resilience, innovation and inclusive political action to mitigate the impact of some of them.
I would like to begin by highlighting three heightened risks.
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) – As global temperatures continue to hit new highs, the choice, according to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, is between "business as usual, leading to further calamity, or using the recovery from COVID-19 to provide a real opportunity to put the world on a sustainable path".
Speaking at the launch of the report United in Science 2020 on September 9, he emphasized that there is "no time to delay" if the world is to slow the trend of the devastating impacts of climate change, and limit temperate rise to 1.5 degree-Celsius. "Whether we are tackling a pandemic or the climate crisis, it is clear that we need science, solidarity and decisive solutions," he said.
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
The writer is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
BANGKOK (IDN) – As the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the length and breadth of Asia and the Pacific, finance ministries are continuing their relentless efforts to inject trillions of dollars for emergency health responses and fiscal packages. With continued lockdown measures and restricted borders, economic rebound seems uncertain.
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