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Viewpoint by Dmitry Babich*
This article was issued by The Astana Times.
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (IDN) — The 77th General Assembly of the United Nations was characterized by a general feeling of anxiety and alarmism. Some speakers limited themselves to accusations, blaming other members of the “community of nations” for the generally accepted fact that the world’s security situation and economic perspectives are visibly worsening.
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Brazil has long lived out its personal fantasy as the archetypal relaxed, tolerant and gregarious country with Copacabana beach, the samba, the carnival and a great deal of sexual freedom. But, as it was often said when Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva came to power in 2003, it had yet to live its societal dream, an economic-cum-social revolution.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Pope Francis has added his voice to calls by the bishops of Cameroon for the release of five priests, a religious sister, a cook, a catechist and a 15-year-old girl kidnapped in southwest Cameroon, where a civil war has been raging between the French and English-speaking communities for years.
on September 25, the pope said he was praying for peace in Cameroon. “I join in the appeal of the bishops of Cameroon for the liberation of people kidnapped in the diocese of Mamfe,” reported the Catholic News Agency.
Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf
This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.
BONN (IDN) — In the shadow of the Ukraine war and the extraordinary media attention, the conflict over North Korea's nuclear ambitions is currently receding into the background. For years, the government in Pyongyang has been continuously advancing its program. After numerous missile tests earlier this year, according to the English-language state news agency KCNA, the Supreme People's Assembly passed a law on September 8, "On Policy of the Nuclear Force of DPRK".
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Nairobi on September 24 to demand that wealthy countries pay more in the fight against climate change.
"We need the Global North to pay for the damages they are causing," said Duncan Omwami, an activist who joined the protest.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — The daughter of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said she was “stunned” by the Church of England when they denied her the right to officiate at her godfather’s funeral because she is married to a woman.
According to the Rev. Mpho Tutu van Furth, an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Washington, DC, the Church barred her from officiating despite her late godfather’s personal wish that she lead the ceremony at his funeral.
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A coalition of over 1,000 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 127 countries, under the umbrella of the Global People’s Assembly (GPA), has declared that the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be best achieved—and on its 2030 deadline—only with the active participation of civil society.
“Seven years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals—almost halfway to the 2030 deadline—the visionary promise of social justice and a rights-based, equitable and ecologically just world for all appears to be a distant dream,” warns the coalition.
By A. L. A. Azeez
COLOMBO (IDN) — Much-loved and respected Dr Mohamed Jameel of Sainthamaruthu passed away on September 24.
The last time I visited him in 2020, he received me with open arms, shared with me his anxiety over what was then going on in the country and within the community, and discussed his ideas for how healing and reconciliation should be advanced at every level of Sri Lankan society and asked me about my future plans.
By Kalinga Seneviratne
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (IDN) — An exhibition that opened at Keruen Mall, an upmarket shopping centre here on September 16 and continues until the end of the month, uses a novel method to reach out to young people with the message of the dangers of nuclear weapons.
The exhibition depicts over 70 years of nuclear history from the Hiroshima explosion through to today, using photographs, illustrations, and graphs that show the devastating effects of nuclear weaponry on communities.
Viewpoint by Dr Randa Grob-Zakhary
The author is the Founder and CEO of Education.org
ZURICH (IDN) — At the recent Transforming Education Summit in New York, 130 countries pledged to reboot their education systems and accelerate action to tackle the global learning crisis. Fifty foundations pledged to support those ambitions.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres outlined, COVID-19 has “dealt a hammer blow” to education systems worldwide. But this has come on top of a much longer term crisis. Too often, education systems “don’t make the grade,” the Secretary-General said, as they are “dependent upon outdated and narrow curricula, under-trained and underpaid teachers, and rote learning”.
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