Stories written by Thalif Deen
Thalif Deen, Senior Editor & Director, UN Bureau, Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency has been covering the United Nations since the late 1970s. Beginning with the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, he has covered virtually every major U.N. conference: on population, human rights, the environment, sustainable development, food security, humanitarian aid, arms control and nuclear disarmament.   As the former UN Bureau Chief for IPS, he was cited twice for excellence in U.N. reporting at the annual awards presentation of the U.N. Correspondents' Association (UNCA). In November 2012, he was on the IPS team which won the prestigious gold medal for reporting on the global environment-- and in 2013, he shared the gold, this time with the UN Bureau Chief of Reuters news agency, for his reporting on the humanitarian and development work of the United Nations.   A former information officer at the U.N. Secretariat, he served twice as a member of the Sri Lanka delegation to the UN General Assembly sessions. His track record includes a stint as deputy news editor of the Sri Lanka Daily News and senior editorial writer on the Hong Kong Standard. As military analyst, he was also Director, Foreign Military Markets at Defense Marketing Services; Senior Defense Analyst at Forecast International; and military editor Middle East/Africa at Jane’s Information Group. He was a longstanding columnist for the Sri Lanka Sunday Times, U.N. correspondent for Asiaweek, Hong Kong and Jane's Defence Weekly, London. A Fulbright scholar with a Master’s Degree (MSc) in Journalism from Columbia University, New York, he is co-author of the 1981 book on “How to Survive a Nuclear Disaster” and author of the 2021 book on the United Nations titled “No Comment – and Don’t Quote me on That”— and subtitled ‘from the Sublime to the Hilarious’, both of which are available on Amazon

DEVELOPMENT: Third World Needs to Assert Itself, says Activist

By Thalif Deen
A leading environmental and women's activist says that developing nations need to assert themselves politically at the United Nations, where the United States and other western nations still call the shots.

DEVELOPMENT: Globalisation Marginalising the South

By Thalif Deen
The growing trend toward globalisation and liberalisation has further marginalised developing countries from the mainstream of the world economy, says the head the Third World coalition 'Group of 77.'

POLITICS-UN: Chernobyl Fund Evokes Little Donor Sympathy

By Thalif Deen
The international community has offered little sympathy - and hardly any funds - to the United Nations in its efforts to help victims of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.

CHILDREN: U.N. Appeal For African Relief Falls on Deaf Ears

By Thalif Deen
The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) is faulting Western donors for neglecting a serious humanitarian crisis currently taking a heavy toll on human lives in Africa.

POLITICS: U.N. Projects Must Produce or Perish

By Thalif Deen
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan wants all future projects funded by the United Nations either to produce - or perish.

DEVELOPMENT: Prevention Better than Cure

By Thalif Deen
The old adage that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" could be applied to the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) - currently spending billions of dollars in war-ravaged Third World nations.

POLITICS: U.N. Laments World’s Two Forgotten Emergencies

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations believes that ongoing civil wars in Sudan and Afghanistan are in danger of falling off the world's radar screens.

POLITICS: U.N. Laments World’s Two Forgotten Emergencies

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations believes that ongoing civil wars in Sudan and Afghanistan are in danger of falling off the world's radar screens.

DEVELOPMENT: Asian Investors Rush to Leave Shaky Economies

By Thalif Deen
The economic crisis in Asia has resulted in international investors pulling out of the region's shaky economies - devastated by bank failures, currency devaluations, rising debt burdens and suspension of multi-million dollar infrastructure projects.

POLITICS: U.N. Development Assistance to Afghans in Jeopardy

By Thalif Deen
The myriads of U.N. aid agencies actively involved in Afghanistan have given the Taliban government an ultimatum: either it removes all its edicts restricting the movement of women or forego U.N. development assistance in the long run.

DRUGS: U.N. to Hold Special Session on Fighting Drug Trade

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations is planning a coordinated global attack on one of the world's most lucrative and insidious businesses: the 400-billion-dollar-a-year drug trade.

CHILDREN: Deployment of Children a War Crime, Says UNICEF

By Thalif Deen
The deployment of children in military conflicts should be designated a war crime, says the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF).

DISARMAMENT: U.N. Explores Special Session on Disarmament

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations is exploring the possibility of convening a Special Session of the 185-member General Assembly on a politically and militarily sensitive issue: global disarmament.

RELIGIOUS BULLETIN-UNITED NATIONS: North-South Divide Over Islamic Holidays

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations, overcoming strong opposition from Western nations and Russia, has decided to declare two Islamic holy days -- the Eid al-Fitr and the Eid al- Adha -- as official U.N. holidays.

POLITICS: West Remains Opposed to Indian Ocean Peace Zone

By Thalif Deen
The United States, Britain and France - three veto-wielding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - virtually have killed a longstanding proposal to declare the Indian Ocean a Zone of Peace.

DISARMAMENT: France, UK Only Big Nuclear Powers to Ratify Treaty

By Thalif Deen
Britain and France Monday became the world's only two major nuclear powers to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which outlaws all nuclear explosions worldwide.

UNITED NATIONS: North-South Divide Over Islamic Holidays

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations, overcoming strong opposition from Western nations and Russia, has decided to declare two Islamic holy days - the Eid al-Fitr and the Eid al- Adha - as official U.N. holidays.

POLITICS: U.S. Administration Battles Congress Over U.N. Dues

By Thalif Deen
The U.S. Administration, in its battle with the republican-dominated Congress over money owed to the United Nations, is stressing the point that continued non- payment of its dues could jeopardise national security.

POLITICS: U.N. Owes 884 Million Dollars to Peacekeepers

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations owes 884 million dollars to member nations, mostly from the Third World, who currently provide troops and military equipment for 15 U.N. peacekeeping operations.

DISARMAMENT: Canada Deploys NGOs in Fight Against Landmines

By Thalif Deen
The Canadian government, armed with a 100 million dollar fund, plans to collaborate with non- governmental organisations (NGOs) in a renewed fight to stamp out the use of anti-personnel landmines worldwide.

POLITICS-UN: North-South Divide Over Islamic Holidays

By Thalif Deen
The United Nations, overcoming strong opposition from Western nations and Russia, has decided to declare two Islamic holy days - the Eid Al-Fitr and the Eid Al- Adha - as official U.N. holidays.
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