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Friday, November 6, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
POLITICS: Tibet Bypasses Security Council Scrutiny
When the Security Council is called upon to deal with a crisis that threatens the political, military or economic interests of any of its five permanent members, the U.N.'s most powerful body acts predictably: it does nothing.DEVELOPMENT: Women Seek to Put Equality at Core of Doha
When the second international conference on Financing for Development (FfD) takes place in Qatar come November, women activists are planning to pitch their tents in the capital of Doha in an attempt to demand concrete commitments for "gender equality" and "gender empowerment" from the 192 U.N. member states.
CLIMATE CHANGE: Most Vulnerable Left to Sink or Swim
The world's minorities and indigenous groups are the "silent victims" of the potentially disastrous effects of climate change, says a new study by Minority Rights Group (MRG) International.
AFRICA: Caught Between Peacekeeping and Development
The beleaguered U.N. peacekeeping mission in Sudan, handicapped by lack of troops and helicopters, has come under fire for its unusually high costs.RIGHTS: Fund to Fight Gender Violence Puts Donors to the Test
The U.N. "Trust Fund to End Violence against Women" has risen significantly over the last year: from 3.5 million dollars in 2006 to over 15 million dollars in 2007.RIGHTS: U.N.’s Main Women’s Body Remains Leaderless
When women activists lash out against gender discrimination, one of their longstanding complaints is also directed at the U.N. Secretariat, where senior level posts are still largely a virtual monopoly of men.
RIGHTS: Women Out in the Cold at Peace Talks
As the United Nations continues its two-week long discussions on the status of women worldwide, there is one nagging fact hovering around the conference rooms in the Secretariat: peacemaking is still largely in the hands of "men in suits, puffing on cigars".
RIGHTS: U.N. Inaction Threatens "Mass Killings" in Africa, Asia
The international failure to respond aggressively to the killings in Sudan, and more recently in Kenya, is threatening the spread of genocide and ethnic cleansing in other parts of Africa, a London-based human rights organisation warns.RIGHTS: U.N. Takes Lead on Ending Gender Violence
The United Nations has launched a multi-year global campaign to intensify its efforts to help eliminate violence against women, which has long remained hidden in a "culture of silence".POLITICS: U.N. Plans to Resume Capital Punishment Debate
The contentious debate on the death penalty - which split the 192-member U.N. General Assembly last December - is refusing to die.RIGHTS: Gender Equality Gets a Drop of the Funding Bucket
The United Nations has never run out of statistics to reinforce its arguments against one of the most troubling issues the world over: gender discrimination.RIGHTS: U.N. Budgeting Bypasses Women
When the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) holds a two-week session beginning next Monday, one of the lingering issues high on the agenda will be the continued under-funding of women’s activities at the United Nations.POLITICS: Security Council Deadlocked Over Kosovo
When the United States and some of the members of the European Union (EU) expressed admiration for Kosovo’s "patience" in its longstanding quest for a new nation state in the Balkans, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin dismissed their "naivety" with a degree of political sarcasm.RIGHTS: U.N. Sees Progress in Ending Female Genital Mutilation
After nearly 30 years of intense campaigning against female genital mutilation (FGM), the United Nations says that several countries, including Canada, Belgium, Spain and Italy, have passed legislation criminalising the practice, prevalent mostly among immigrant communities.RIGHTS: Hiroshima Forum to Focus on Children Under Siege
The world's 2.2 billion children are under siege - battling poverty, hunger, military conscription, sexual abuse, labour exploitation and HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations.POLITICS: U.N. Challenges Sudan on All-African Force for Darfur
The U.N. Secretariat is challenging an implicit demand by the government of Sudan for an all-African peacekeeping force in politically-troubled Darfur.POLITICS: U.N. Peacekeeping in Eritrea Grinds to a Halt
A dispute between the United Nations and the government of Eritrea over fuel supplies has virtually grounded the eight-year-old U.N. Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).POLITICS: Kenya, Chad New Danger Zones for U.N. Workers
The United Nations, which recently expressed serious concern over the safety of its staff in Algeria and Sudan, is grappling with security issues in two new danger zones: Kenya and Chad.POLITICS: U.N. Grapples With Suicide Attacks by Children
The United Nations is expressing "serious concern" over the growing number of suicide attacks involving children, specifically in Afghanistan and Iraq.POLITICS: Security Council Loses Credibility Over Iran, Israel
The 15-member U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is set to lose its credibility once again as it prepares to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran while failing to pass any strictures on Israel for its continued heavy-handed repression of Palestinians in Gaza.DEVELOPMENT: Migrant Earnings to Be Counted as Foreign Aid?
As the flow of migrant earnings to developing nations continue to rise - with an estimated high of over 300 billion dollars this year - should these remittances be counted as part of development aid from the rich to the poor?« Previous Page — Next Page »
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