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Monday, October 12, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
‘Sustainable Development Must Start with People’
When world leaders meet in Brazil next June for a U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, the third since the landmark 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the question lingering in the minds of many is: what really is "sustainable development" in the context of a fast-changing world of growing poverty, hunger, pollution, political repression and social unrest?Mega Cities Could Trigger Water Shortages and Social Unrest
The rapid growth of urban population - described as one of the world’s major demographic trends - has triggered an explosion of "mega cities" in Asia, Latin America and Africa, causing a breakdown in basic services, including water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Too Much Water As Dangerous As Too Little
The international community is running the risk of losing the battle for water and sanitation in many cities around the world.Brazil Revs Up South-South Cooperation
As one of the world's emerging economic powerhouses, Brazil is vigourously pursuing one of the key economic objectives on the U.N.'s development agenda: South-South Cooperation.
Q&A: Water Will Be Lifeblood of Smart Urban Expansion
The world's water map is being significantly redrawn due primarily to the mass migration of people into urban centres, threatening one of life's vital resources.Eurozone Crisis Could Spill Over into Developing World
When the global economy was hit by a severe recession in 2008- 2009, the negative fallout impacted heavily on the world's developing nations, hindering the U.N.'s key development goals, including plans for the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger worldwide by 2015.NGOs Cry “Sabotage” Over U.N. Meeting on Racism
A coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is accusing the U.N. Secretariat of "sabotaging" an upcoming high-level meeting on racism by upstaging it with a nuclear security summit scheduled for the same day.
Dutch Court Opens Door to Legal Accountability for Peacekeepers
A landmark ruling by a Dutch court last month holding the Netherlands government liable for the failings of its soldiers on a U.N. peacekeeping mission may be used as a precedent for criminal liability involving sexual violence, according to human rights groups.IBSA Coalition an Emerging Player in Global Diplomacy
The beleaguered government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has so far defied the Security Council, ignored appeals by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, rejected pleas from neighbouring Turkey and the Arab world, and summarily dismissed the threats and sanctions by Western powers.South Summit of World Leaders in Search of a Venue
The ongoing political turmoil in Libya has derailed plans for a major summit meeting of developing nations scheduled to take place in Tripoli in October.Water as Basic Human Right Has a Market Price, Says U.N. Chief
As the 193-member General Assembly commemorates the first anniversary of its landmark resolution pronouncing water and sanitation to be a basic human right, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon triggered a political controversy last week when he implicitly declared that even human rights have a market price.Libya Paralyses Security Council on Syria
The U.N. Security Council has continued to remain politically paralysed on the indiscriminate killings of civilians in Syria, and that paralysis, according to U.N. diplomats, has been triggered ironically by the ongoing turmoil in another Arab nation - Libya.
U.N. Rights Committee Breaks 43-Year Israeli Taboo on Gaza
When the United Nations General Assembly created a three- member special committee to investigate Israeli human rights violations in occupied territories back in December 1968, the Jewish state reacted with obvious anger.U.N. Agency Slams Nuclear Rogue Nations
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Wednesday identified three U.N. member states - Iran, North Korea and Syria - as virtual nuclear rogue nations for their continued refusal to comply with international obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Haiti’s Reconstruction Still an Uphill Battle
As Haiti struggles to recover from the deadly January 2010 earthquake that killed over 200,000 people and forced nearly 1.5 million into camps, international funding is failing to keep pace with the generous pledges made last year, and in- fighting in Haiti's new government is hindering the disbursement of aid.Right to Water Still a Political Mirage
When the international community commemorates the first anniversary of a historic General Assembly resolution recognising the right to water and sanitation as a basic human right, there will be no joyous celebrations in the corridors of the United Nations, come Jul. 28.Arms Trade Treaty May Bypass Anti-Riot Weapons
When weeklong negotiations on the control and regulation of the global arms trade were concluded last week, there was one missing link in the proposed treaty: riot control equipment used recently against peaceful demonstrators in the streets of Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and Jordan.Arms Trade Treaty Stumbles Towards a Grand Finale
After six years of protracted negotiations, a largely sceptical international community is moving towards readying a long outstanding global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) for signature by July next year.
World Population to Hit Seven Billion by October
The United Nations commemorates World Population Day next week against the backdrop of an upcoming landmark event: global population hitting the seven billion mark by late October this year.Private Security Industry Booming, Says Small Arms Survey
A booming private security industry - triggered mostly by terrorist threats, domestic insurgencies and drug wars - deploys some 20 million armed personnel worldwide: twice the number of police officers, according to the annual 2011 Small Arms Survey released here.UNDP Calls for Reforms to Deter Violence, Fraud in Asian Polls
When the longtime dictatorial president of an authoritarian regime in Southeast Asia eventually agreed to hold nationwide elections, he ensured the polls were rigged favouring his ruling party's victory.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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