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Friday, September 18, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
U.S. Honours 10 “Extraordinary Women” for Courage and Leadership
Speaking at a ceremony to honour 10 “extraordinary women” from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America for their exceptional courage and leadership in advocating peace, justice, human rights and gender empowerment, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom cited the former president of Malawi Dr. Joyce Banda, recognised at the United Nations as a relentless advocate for women’s rights.
Women Make Progress in Politics, But Glass Ceiling Remains Unbreakable
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a creature of the U.N.’s 193 member states and who serves at their will and pleasure, did not hesitate to fault 13 countries that kept women out of their national parliaments and governments in power.
World Misses Its Potential by Excluding 50 Percent of Its People
The meeting is billed as one of the biggest single gatherings of women activists under one roof.
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.
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.
Syrian Conflict Has Underlying Links to Climate Change, Says Study
Was the four-year-old military conflict in Syria, which has claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, mostly civilians, triggered at least in part by climate change?
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.
A New Forensic Weapon to Track Illegal Ivory Trade
The wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, is deploying a new forensic weapon - DNA testing - to track illegal ivory products responsible for the slaughter of hundreds of endangered elephants in Asia and Africa.
Syria’s “Barrel Bombs” Cause Human Devastation, Says Rights Group
The warring parties in the brutal four-year-old military conflict in Syria, which has claimed the lives of over 200,000 civilians and triggered “the greatest refugee crisis in modern times,” continue to break every single pledge held out to the United Nations.
Sexist Laws Still Thrive Worldwide
A rash of sex discriminatory laws – including the legalisation of polygamy, marital rape, abduction and the justification of violence against women – remains in statute books around the world.
Sri Lanka Gets Temporary Reprieve Over U.N. Report on War Crimes Charges
The 47-member Human Rights Council (HRC), responding to a request by the newly-elected government in Colombo, has deferred the release of a key U.N. report on human rights violations and war crimes charges against the Sri Lankan armed forces and Tamil separatists who fought a devastating decades-long battle which ended in 2009.
Israel’s Obsession for Monopoly on Middle East Nuclear Power
As the Iranian nuclear talks hurtle towards a Mar. 24 deadline, there is renewed debate among activists about the blatant Western double standards underlying the politically-heated issue, and more importantly, the resurrection of a longstanding proposal for a Middle East free from weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
U.N. Touts 2015 as Milestone Year for World Body
The United Nations, in a sustained political hype, is touting 2015 as a likely breakthrough year for several key issues on its agenda - primarily development financing, climate change, sustainable development, disaster risk-reduction and nuclear non-proliferation.
Sri Lanka Seeks U.S.-U.N. Backing for Domestic Probe of War Crimes Charges
Sri Lanka’s newly-installed government, which has pledged to set up its own domestic tribunal to investigate war crimes charges, is seeking political and moral support both from the United States and the United Nations to stall a possible international investigation.
Battling Terrorism Shouldn’t Justify Torture, Spying or Hangings, Says U.N. Rights Chief
The United Nations, which is the legal guardian of scores of human rights treaties banning torture, unlawful imprisonment, degrading treatment of prisoners of war and enforced disappearances, is troubled that an increasing number of countries are justifying violations of U.N. conventions on grounds of fighting terrorism in conflict zones.
U.S. Ally Yemen in Danger of Splitting into Two – Again
When North and South Yemen merged into a single country under the banner Yemen Arab Republic back in May 1990, a British newspaper remarked with a tinge of sarcasm: "Two poor countries have now become one poor country."
After Nine Years of Foot-Dragging, U.N. Ready for Talks on High Seas Treaty
After four days of intense negotiations - preceded by nine years of dilly-dallying - the United Nations has agreed to convene an intergovernmental conference aimed at drafting a legally binding treaty to conserve marine life and govern the mostly lawless high seas beyond national jurisdiction.
U.S. May Soon Stand Alone Opposing Children’s Treaty
When the East African nation of Somalia, once described as a "lawless state", ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) early this week, it left two countries in splendid isolation from the rest of the world: South Sudan and the United States.
Final Push to Launch U.N. Negotiations on High Seas Treaty
The United Nations will make its third - and perhaps final - attempt at reaching an agreement to launch negotiations for an international biodiversity treaty governing the high seas.
U.N. Helpless as Saudi Flogging Flouts Torture Convention
Flogging a dead horse, as the old idiom goes, is far removed from flogging a live Saudi blogger.
U.N. Field Operations Deadlier Every Year
The widespread field operations of the United Nations – primarily in conflict zones in Africa, Asia and the Middle East – continue to be some of the world’s deadliest.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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