Thursday, March 5, 2015
Turning the World Downside Up
IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse
World Misses Its Potential by Excluding 50 Per Cent of Its People
The meeting is billed as one of the biggest single gatherings of women activists under one roof.
Opinion: Bridging the Gap – How the SDG Fund is Paving the Way for a Post-2015 Agenda
The countdown has begun to September’s Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with world leaders discussing the 17 goals and 169 targets proposed by the United Nations Open Working Group.42 Human Rights Groups Slam Indonesia’s Death Penalty
More than 40 human rights groups from around the world have penned an open letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, pleading for the halting of 10 imminent executions.
Opinion: Let’s Grant Women Land Rights and Power Our Future
Women are not only the world’s primary food producers. They are hardworking and innovative and, they invest far more of their earnings in their families than men. But most lack the single most important asset for accessing investment resources – land rights.Syrians “Have No Faith” in International Community to Solve Human Rights Crisis
Syrian citizens “have no faith” in the international community to solve the chaos and war raging across their country, according to a prominent human rights defender.
Opinion: It’s Time to Step It Up for Gender Equality
If we look at the headlines or the latest horrifying YouTube clip, Mar. 8 – International Women’s Day – may seem a bad time to celebrate equality for women.
Gaza Reconstruction, Hampered by Israeli Blockade, May Take 100 Years, Say Aid Agencies
Despite all the political hoopla surrounding an international pledging conference in Cairo last October to help rebuild Gaza, the reconstruction of the Israeli-devastated territory is apparently moving at the pace of paralytic snail.
Women Leaders Call for Mainstreaming Gender Equality in Post-2015 Agenda
Women leaders from every continent, brought together by U.N. Women and the Chilean government, demanded that gender equality be a cross-cutting target in the post-2015 development agenda. Only that way, they say, can the enormous inequality gap that still affects women and children around the world be closed.
Families See Hope for Justice in Palestinian Membership of ICC
"I have lost all meaning in life after the death of my child, I will never forgive anyone who caused the tearing apart of his little body. I appeal to all who can help and stand with us to achieve justice and punish those who killed my child."
U.N. Member States Accused of Cherry-Picking Human Rights
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has criticised member states for ‘cherry-picking’ human rights – advocating some and openly violating others – perhaps to suit their own national or political interests.
Everyone Benefits from More Women in Power
Women’s participation in decision-making is highly beneficial and their role in designing and applying public policies has a positive impact on people’s lives, women leaders and experts from around the world stressed at a high-level meeting in the capital of Chile.
Opinion: War on Wildlife Crime – Time to Enlist the Ordinary Citizen
It is no exaggeration to say that we are facing a “wildlife crisis”, and it is a crisis exacerbated by human activities, not least criminal ones.
Bamboo – An Answer to Deforestation or Not in Africa?
Deforestation is haunting the African continent as industrial growth paves over public commons and puts more hectares into private hands.
Opinion: Goals for Gender Equality Are Not a ‘Wish List’ – They Are a ‘To Do List’
This weekend, at the invitation of President Michelle Bachelet and myself, women leaders from across the world are meeting in Santiago de Chile. We will applaud their achievements. We will remind ourselves of their contributions. And we will chart a way forward to correct the historical record. History has not been fair to women – but then, women usually didn’t write it.
Despite U.N. Treaties, War Against Drugs a Losing Battle
As the call for the decriminalisation of drugs steadily picks up steam worldwide, a new study by a British charity concludes there has been no significant reduction in the global use of illicit drugs since the creation of three key U.N. anti-drug conventions, the first of which came into force over half a century ago.Next Page »
It was dubbed "The Glass House" by U.S. ambassador James Wadsworth in 1966. Half a century later, the United Nations has gradually expanded its role as agent of peace and protector of the world's vulnerable populations, while simultaneously facing internal pressures to become more inclusive, increase transparency and maintain legitimacy in the post-Cold War political and economic order. Highlighting the local impacts of global policies on economic development, environment, health and human rights, IPS's coverage goes beyond the edicts of the Security Council to illuminate the power struggles, successes and shortcomings of the 193-member institution as it grapples with crises like climate change, armed conflict, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
