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Monday, November 2, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
POLITICS: U.N. Assembly Head Hailed for Blasting Israel
The president of the General Assembly, Father Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, dropped a political bombshell last week when he lashed out at Israel for its repressive actions in the occupied territories, including the recent blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Q&A: “Less Funding Could Lead to Millions of AIDS Deaths”
The global economic crisis is threatening to undermine yet another key development goal set by the United Nations: reversing by 2015 the AIDS epidemic still devastating millions of people worldwide.POLITICS: World Bank, IMF Heads Under Fire for Skipping Summit
The chief executive officers of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two financial institutions based in Washington, have come under heavy fire for their decision to skip a major U.N. conference on Financing for Development (FfD), scheduled to take place in the Qatari capital Doha over the weekend.
Q&A: Will Nuclear Disarmament Be on Obama’s Agenda?
As President-elect Barack Obama marshals his transition team before he takes office on Jan. 20, some of his political supporters are wondering how much of his campaign promises will receive priority during his first hundred days in the White House.CLIMATE CHANGE: Talks Could Learn From Indigenous Groups
As the United Nations readies for a key climate change meeting in Poland next month, a London-based human rights group warns that any new deal on global warming would be seriously compromised if the most vulnerable groups, specifically indigenous peoples, are shut out of the negotiations.POLITICS: U.N. Seeks Large Military Force to Restrain Congo
The 15-member Security Council decided Thursday to bolster the 17,000-strong U.N. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) with an additional 3,000 troops, strengthening further its claim as the largest single peacekeeping force deployed by the United Nations.DEVELOPMENT: U.N. Looks to Doha Summit for Answers
As the spreading global financial crisis threatens to cripple banks, stock markets and manufacturing industries in the developing world, the United Nations is now focusing on the outcome of a major international conference on Financing for Development (FfD) scheduled to take place in Doha next week.
Q&A: "Wanted: A New Global Deal"
A United Nations conference on Financing for Development (FfD) is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, next week against the backdrop of a devastating global economic crisis that has threatened to undermine the basic foundations of Anglo-Saxon capitalism.DEVELOPMENT: U.N. Seeks Bailout Package for World’s Poorest
The buzzword in the international community these days is "bailout" - the multi-billion-dollar economic rescue packages aimed at helping a rash of faltering investment banks and insurance companies, mostly in the United States and Western Europe.
DEVELOPMENT: UNFPA Battles “Norm” of Gender Inequality
Despite a slew of U.N. conventions and international agreements against discrimination of women, gender inequality is widespread and remains deeply rooted in many cultures, according to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA).DEVELOPMENT: Two Summits to Focus on Financial Crisis
As the financial meltdown continues to spread to the far corners of the globe, over 30 world leaders are scheduled to participate in two key international conferences aimed at seeking short- and long-term solutions to the economic crisis worldwide.POLITICS: World Leaders Seek Culture of Peace
When more than a dozen world leaders meet in New York next week to discuss "the culture of peace", the primary focus will be the growing misperception of religion, specifically Islam, and the increase in racism, xenophobia and intolerance worldwide.DISARMAMENT: Arab Nations Insist on WMDs in UN Arms Register
When the General Assembly decided to create a United Nations Register of Conventional Arms back in December 1991, one of the primary reasons was to promote transparency in one of the most secretive aspects of governmental operations: arms trade and domestic military holdings.FINANCE: Meltdown Could Derail U.N. Development Agenda
When Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was asked by reporters whether the U.N.'s cash-strapped development agenda would survive the global financial crisis, he pointed out that only last month world leaders meeting at the United Nations had pledged about 16 billion dollars towards fighting poverty and hunger, as spelled out in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).DEVELOPMENT: U.N. Prods Drug Firms to Cut Prices for Poorest
The world's poorest nations continue to suffer from high prices for life-saving drugs and a shortage of generics - specifically to treat HIV/AIDS - despite assurances by the some of the major pharmaceutical companies to help lower costs.ENVIRONMENT: Crises Likely to Spur Mass Migrations
As climate change, sea-level rise, earthquakes and floods threaten countries such as Bangladesh, Tuvalu, Vietnam and Tajikistan, the Tokyo-based U.N. University (UNU) warns that by 2050, some 200 million people will be displaced by environmental problems.
DEVELOPMENT: Is a Food Bank Answer to the Crisis?
Bangladesh, one of the world's 49 least developed countries (LDCs) described as the poorest of the poor, is calling for the creation of a global food bank.
RIGHTS: U.N. Report Castigates Israel for Harassing Journalists
A new United Nations report on the human rights situation in Palestinian territories blasts the Israeli government for its heavy-handed treatment of journalists reporting on the military occupation.DEVELOPMENT: No "Bailout" for the World's Poorest
As a spreading financial crisis threatens to deepen the economic recession in the United States, the news of an unprecedented 700-billion-dollar bailout package reverberated through the corridors of the United Nations last week as over 100 world leaders gathered in New York for the annual talk-fest: the 63rd session of the General Assembly.DEVELOPMENT: Home Stretch for MDGs Looks Bumpier Than Ever
At a time when the world's cash-strapped developing nations, particularly in Africa, have admitted their inability to meet most of the U.N.'s eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one Latin American country stands apart - confident it could even beat the deadline set by the United Nations.DEVELOPMENT: Poverty Reduction Claims Under Scrutiny
The World Bank's recent estimates on global poverty, particularly in relation to China, are being challenged by an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) which monitors poverty eradication and gender equality.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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