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Tuesday, October 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
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.
U.N. Women’s Agency Being “Strangled at Birth”
When the United Nations inaugurated a landmark special agency for women last January, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon set an initial target of 500 million dollars as the proposed annual budget for the new gender-empowered body.
UNICEF Leads ‘Back to School’ Initiative in Cote d’Ivoire
When the five-month-old political standoff in Cote d'Ivoire came to an end in early April, the strife-torn West African nation was expected to return to normal - later than sooner.U.N. Chief Quashes Reports of Run for President of Korea
Ban Ki-moon, who has been re-elected Secretary-General of the United Nations for a second five-year term beginning next January, dismissed longstanding speculation that he plans to run for the office of president in his home country, South Korea.Africa Faces Explosive Population Growth
The African continent, which is projected to make significant economic gains over the next decade, is in danger of being weighed down by a dramatic explosion in population growth.U.N. Political Body Digresses into “Non-Security” Issues
When the U.N. Security Council, the only political body empowered to declare war and peace, decided to include climate change on its agenda back in 2007, the 131-member Group of 77 (G77) launched a vociferous protest.U.N. Still Lags Far Behind on Gay, Lesbian Rights
The United Nations is lagging far behind some of its own member states in recognising the rights of gays and lesbians who remain closeted in an institution that does not always practice what it preaches to the outside world.Russia, China Shield Syria from Possible U.N. Sanctions
A resolution inspired by Western nations critical of civilian killings in politically-beleaguered Syria is facing threats from two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council: Russia and China.Nukes Decline, But Disarmament Still a Distant Horizon
The world's eight nuclear states - the United States, Britain, Russia, France, China, India, Pakistan and Israel - collectively possess more than 20,500 nuclear weapons - a decline of over 2,000 since 2009.
U.N. Chief Seeks Second Five-Year Term from 2012
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who completes his five- year term by the end of this year, offered himself "for consideration" for a second five-year term as chief administrative officer of the world body.World’s Energy Poor See Receding Light at End of Tunnel
As the world continues to marvel at the widespread progress in modern technology and home electronics, there are still about 2.5 billion people - out of a global population of nearly 6.9 billion - who have little or no access to electricity.U.S. Veto Could Derail Palestine as New U.N. Member State
If the General Assembly is called upon to recognise Palestine as a new sovereign nation state, the resolution is expected to garner the required two-thirds majority among the 192 members in the world body, come September.Politics Could Dominate G8 Summit of World Leaders
When leaders of the Group of 8 (G8) industrialised nations meet in Deauville, France later this week, there is a strong possibility that politics will take precedence over traditional socioeconomic issues like food security and development aid, which are being overshadowed by the Arab revolution and Palestinian statehood.Global Campaign to Bestow Legal Rights on Mother Earth
An international coalition of academics and environmental activists has launched a global campaign for the creation of a new U.N. convention to protect "mother earth".
Europe Holds Tight to IMF Monopoly
Since the election of Camille Gutt of Belgium as the first managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) back in 1946, the Europeans have continued to claim that job as their political and intellectual birthright.U.N. to Launch International Year of Cooperatives
When the United Nations commemorates the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) in 2012, the world body will recognise the contributions made by cooperatives to socioeconomic development, including poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.World in the Throes of a Human Rights Revolution, Says Amnesty
The growing demands for democratic reforms spreading across the Middle East and North Africa - along with the dramatic rise of social media networks - have triggered "a human rights revolution on the threshold of a historic change", says Amnesty International (AI).
Armed Conflicts Claim Unprecedented Number of Civilians
Afghanistan, once described as the graveyard of empires, is ranked number one as the country with the most "significant rise" in civilian deaths last year, turning it into a veritable killing field, according to a new report by the London-based Minority Rights Group International (MRG).U.N. to Host World Summit on Nuclear Safety
The severity of the recent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan has prompted U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to convene a high-level meeting of world leaders on a politically-sensitive issue: nuclear security.U.N. Experts Push for Details on Bin Laden Operation
Was last week's killing of an unarmed Osama bin Laden in his hideout in Pakistan legitimate self-defence, justified homicide or extra-judicial execution?U.N. Predicts 9.3 Billion Population by 2050
The United Nations is predicting that come Oct. 31, the world population will hit the seven billion mark - and keep expanding till it reaches 9.3 billion by the year 2050.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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