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Saturday, June 13, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse
Knowledge is Power. Gaza War Supporters Don’t Want Students to Have Both
With nearly 18 million students on U.S. college campuses this fall, defenders of the war on Gaza don’t want to hear any backtalk. Silence is complicity, and that’s the way Israel’s allies like it.
Climate Action Greatest Economic Opportunity of this Century, Says UN Climate Chief
With fewer than 100 days to go to COP29, the highest decision-making body on climate issues under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the need for creative and innovative solutions to protect lives and livelihoods is now extremely urgent.
The Time to End Nuclear Tests is Now
Today, the General Assembly convenes – for the fifteenth consecutive occasion – to observe the International Day Against Nuclear Tests, which is commemorated annually on 29 August.
UN Expert Says Impunity for Israel Must End as ‘Genocidal Violence’ Spreads to West Bank
An independent United Nations expert has warned that "Israel's genocidal violence risks leaking out of Gaza and into the occupied Palestinian territory as a whole" as Western governments, corporations, and other institutions keep up their support for the Israeli military, which stands accused of grave war crimes in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Israel’s Goal: Smashing Palestinian Legitimacy
Most people think that Israel’s main goal in Gaza is to recover the hostages seized by HAMAS on October 7, 2023 with an announced follow-up mission to eliminate HAMAS as a threat. If you thought that, you would be wrong. Substantial evidence reveals a different strategic aim—destroying every shred of Palestinian legitimacy as a nation.
World Leaders Who Opted to Skip the United Nations
When the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly took place last September, there were several key world leaders missing in action (MIAs)—including, most importantly, leaders of the four of the five permanent members of the Security Council, the most powerful political body at the United Nations.
US Support of UN Organizations Must Remain Unabated
During Donald Trump's presidency, the United States withdrew from several international organizations. These include the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
In Tonga the UN Secretary-General Declares a Global Climate Emergency
Three months ahead of the COP29 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called for an emergency response from the international community as new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reveals a critical deterioration in the state of the climate.
Enough is Enough: End Nuclear Testing Once and For All
In 2009 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 29 August the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. This date recalled the official closing of the Semipalatinsk nuclear weapons testing site in today’s Kazakhstan on 29 August 1991; that one site alone having seen 456 nuclear test explosions between 1949 and 1989.
Signs of Progress on Peace-Positive Climate Adaptation
The consequences of climate change are disproportionately impacting fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCS). Climate shocks can exacerbate security risks in FCS, conflict and instability compromise a region’s ability to adapt to climate change, leaving its population ever more vulnerable to future climate shocks.
Is the UN Ready for a Second Trump Presidency?
The Communist Manifesto of a bygone era, authored by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, begins with an implicit warning: "A specter is haunting Europe—the specter of Communism." And today another specter is haunting-- this time at the United Nations — the specter of a second Trump presidency.
Nicaragua, China, India among 55 Nations Restricting Freedom of Movement
At least 55 governments in the past decade have restricted the freedom of movement for people they deem as threats, including journalists, according to a Freedom House report published last Thursday.
Conditions Grow Dire in Myanmar
On August 21st, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric spoke at a press briefing at the United Nations Headquarters about the ongoing Rohingya genocide taking place in Myanmar. Dujarric detailed high levels of hostility and displacement in the Shan, Mandalay, and Rakhine regions, which have significantly intensified since late June of this year.
Gaza War: Displaced Palestinian Families Struggle to Access Basic Services
The latest Israeli evacuation order on August 17 led to the displacement of over 13,000 individuals, Secretary General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told a press conference at the UN headquarters.
Conditions In Zimbabwe Worsen From El Niño Drought
Half of Zimbabwe's crops were destroyed and about 7.6 million people are at risk of acute hunger as a result of the El Niño weather phenomenon.
Bridging the Gap: How Self-Awareness Can Unleash Youth Potential
Imagine a world where every young person has the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their age, area of residence, ethnicity, college name, or the title on their resume. It’s a world where dreams are limitless, and potential knows no bounds.
Biden’s Convention Speech Made Absurd Claims About His Gaza Policy
An observation from George Orwell -- “those who control the present, control the past and those who control the past control the future” -- is acutely relevant to how President Biden talked about Gaza during his speech at the Democratic convention Monday night.
Mauritania Pilots Digital ID App
Governments are increasingly adopting the digital public infrastructure (DPI) approach to deliver public services. An essential component of this is digital identity. Digital identities are often designed to provide a seamless experience for users which ought to be secure, user-friendly, and preserve privacy.
Kazakhstan Takes Lead in Global Push for Nuclear Disarmament Amid Heightened Tensions
In a world increasingly shadowed by the threat of nuclear conflict, Kazakhstan is stepping up its efforts in the global disarmament movement. On August 27-28, 2024, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Kazakhstan will host a critical workshop in Astana. This gathering, the first of its kind in five years, is set to reinvigorate the five existing Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs) and enhance cooperation and consultation among them.
How Extreme Heat Intensifies Health Problems and Hunger
In May, temperatures soared above 52° Celsius (125.6° Fahrenheit) in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh. To cope, Samina Kanwal, a community health worker with Action Against Hunger, began work at 7:00 am — the earliest time possible given neighborhood security protocols — to travel door-to-door helping vulnerable with the health consequences of extreme heat including heatstroke, difficulties with brain function, and even hunger.
2023 Deadliest Year for Aid Workers– & 2024 Could be Even Worse, Predicts UN
Back in August 2003, the United Nations faced one of its violent tragedies when a terrorist attack on the UN headquarters in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad claimed the lives of 22 people. Among those killed was Sergio Vieira de Mello of Brazil, the UN envoy in Iraq and High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had a long and distinguished UN career stretching over 30 years.« Previous Page — Next Page »
It was dubbed "The Glass House" by U.S. ambassador James Wadsworth in 1966. Half a century later, the United Nations has gradually expanded its role as agent of peace and protector of the world's vulnerable populations, while simultaneously facing internal pressures to become more inclusive, increase transparency and maintain legitimacy in the post-Cold War political and economic order. Highlighting the local impacts of global policies on economic development, environment, health and human rights, IPS's coverage goes beyond the edicts of the Security Council to illuminate the power struggles, successes and shortcomings of the 193-member institution as it grapples with crises like climate change, armed conflict, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
The Week with IPS
