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Friday, October 2, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Is the 2030 Goal for Hunger Eradication Realistic?
With less than three years before a 2015 deadline, the developing world is largely expected to miss one of the U.N.'s key Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): halving the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger.
Q&A: U.N. Looks to High Seas to Alleviate Food Crisis
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is convinced there is sufficient global capacity to produce enough food to adequately feed the world's seven billion people.
Q&A: Women Hardest Hit by Growing Austerity Measures
The widespread financial crisis in Europe, and its negative fallout in the developing world, has triggered severe austerity measures worldwide.
Battle Against Hunger Lost Without Gender Empowerment
When the United Nations launched its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) back in 2001, two of its primary objectives were to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 and promote gender empowerment worldwide.
Rice Replaces Donilon as Obama’s Top Foreign Policy Adviser
In a reshuffle of top foreign policy posts in his second term, U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday announced that his controversial and blunt-spoken U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, will replace Tom Donilon as his national security adviser.
U.N. GA Cold Shoulders International Day Against Homophobia
The 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), in its supreme wisdom, has declared over 100 commemorative "days" dedicated to peacekeepers, refugees, children, migrants, girl children, rural women and indigenous people, among others.U.N. Can Help Devalue Nukes as Geopolitical Currency
When the 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) holds is first-ever high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament next September, there is little or no hope that any of the nuclear powers will make a firm commitment to gradually phase out or abandon their lethal arsenals.
U.N. Panel Projects a Poverty-Free World by 2030
A U.N.-commissioned high-level panel of eminent persons, led by three world leaders, has moved the goal posts for the halving of extreme poverty and hunger: from the current 2015 deadline to a new targeted date of 2030.
U.S. Accused of Politicising Weapons of Mass Destruction
When the United States invaded Iraq back in March 2003, one of its primary objectives was to track down and destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) reportedly stockpiled by the regime of President Saddam Hussein.
The Long March Towards Abolition of War
Slavery. Colonialism. Apartheid. Gender discrimination in voting. All were abolished in most places after longstanding battles - largely in bygone eras.
UNFPA Focuses on Contraception for 222 Million in Developing World
When thousands of participants from around the world gather in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur next week, the primary focus will be on health and empowerment of girls and women.
U.N. General Assembly Condemns Syria as Sceptics Multiply
When the 193-member General Assembly voted Wednesday to condemn the beleaguered government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, there was an increase in the number of sceptics who neither supported nor opposed the tottering regime in Damascus.U.N., Fluent in Anglo-French, Seeks to Go Multilingual
When Egypt's onetime Foreign Minister Boutros Boutros-Ghali was running for the post of U.N. secretary-general in late 1991, he had to contend with the candidature of Bernard Chidzero, then foreign minister of Zimbabwe.
Israeli Attacks on Syria Escape Security Council Scrutiny
Israel, which has launched three air strikes inside Syria since January this year, has escaped scrutiny or condemnation by a Security Council which remains sharply divided.
Scolding with One Hand and Bribing with the Other
When a Southeast Asian country was riddled with corruption in a bygone era, there were rumours that government officials routinely offered receipts every time they accepted a bribe.
U.N. Accused of Playing Down Nuke Disarmament Conference
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is one of the most vociferous advocates of a world free of nuclear weapons.
U.N. Harnesses Social Media to Reach Outside World
As the world continues to turn digital, so does the United Nations - slowly but steadily.
Over 100 Million Women Lead Migrant Workers Worldwide
The face of migration is changing dramatically as women and girls now represent about half of the over 214 million migrants worldwide.
Cell Phones Yes, Toilets No, World Body Laments
Speaking of the widespread sanitation crisis, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson was quick to produce staggering numbers: of the world's seven billion people, about six billion have mobile phones but only about 4.5 billion have access to toilets.
China Outranks West to Grab Top Spot in Global Tourism
China, which has outranked Japan as the world's second largest economy and moved ahead of Russia as the world's second largest military spender, has hit the top spot in global tourism.Global Campaign to Ban Killer Robots Models Landmine Treaty
When international human rights groups launch a global campaign next week to ban "fully autonomous weapons", they will follow in the footsteps of the highly-successful 1990s collective worldwide effort to ban anti-personnel landmines and blinding lasers.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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