IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Archives

Mercury Contamination Threat Gravitates into Outer Space

The dangers of mercury contamination have escalated from the dental chair to the realm of outer space. First, it was the hazardous use of mercury in dentistry, then in cosmetics, particularly skin-lightening creams, and now it is threatening to make its way into satellite propulsion systems.

Global Pact Gives Dignity and Rights to Latin American Migrants

By Orlando Milesi

A landmark global migration pact provides dignity and rights to migrants in every situation and context, stressed representatives of non-governmental organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean, where some 30 million people live outside their countries, forced by economic, social, security, political and now also climatic reasons.

Is it Time to End Cheque Book Diplomacy at the UN?

By Thalif Deen

The UN’s major donors – led by the United States – have long been accused of influence-peddling and misusing their financial clout not only to grab some of the high ranking jobs in the world body but also threaten funding cuts to push their own domestic agendas.

Women’s Resistance, Inequality Marks 2018

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage

Despite the rise in women’s resistance, women’s rights continue to be sidelined and increasingly face blatant attacks, Amnesty International said.

Indonesia Commits to Low Carbon Development and a Green Economy at COP24

By Sohara Mehroze Shachi

Although Indonesia has attained decent economic growth of over five percent in the last decade, in order to ensure sustainable growth in the future the switch to renewable energy (RE) will be critical, says the country’s government.

Morocco’s Migrant Workers Struggle to Send Money Home

By Danielle Engolo

Morocco may be hosting the United Nation’s historic Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) conference. But when it comes to remittances—migrant employees, entrepreneurs and business owners all face the same challenge in Morocco: sending money legally to their home countries.

Global Compact for Migration Backed by Most of the World

By Steven Nsamaza

Safe, orderly and regular migration received support today, Dec. 10, with the adoption by 164 countries of the first-ever inter-governmentally negotiated agreement to cover all dimensions of international migration.

Is Africa Ready for Nuclear Energy?

By Laura Gil

Years back, nuclear energy was a fancy option limited to the industrialized world. In due course, nuclear could be an energy source for much of Africa, where only South Africa currently has a nuclear power plant.

Looking Beyond Fossil Fuels To Reduce Emissions

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage

In midst of the 24th United Nations climate change conference (COP24), many are trying to double down in the search for practical, actionable solutions to the climate crisis: land itself.

Will Member States Help Offset US Funding Cuts to UN?

By Thalif Deen

The speculation that the Trump administration plans to reduce its mandatory assessed financial contributions to the UN’s regular budget was implicitly confirmed when the US president told delegates last September that Washington “is working to shift more of our funding, from assessed contributions to voluntary contributions, so that we can target American resources to the programs with the best record of success.”

South Sudan Faces one of the World’s Worst Displacement Crises

By Daniel Sullivan

South Sudan is facing one of the worst displacement crises in the world today. More than half of the population is food insecure and, if not for international humanitarian aid, the country would almost certainly have already faced famine.

Breaking Bread with Violence: Connecting the Dots Between Conflict & Hunger

By Hervé Verhoosel

Last week I met with Aamir, a 29-year-old Yemenite, living in Geneva since October 2018 and waiting for his application for asylum to be finalized.

Mobile Phones Exposed to Growing Cyber Threats

By Paul Makin

Mobile phones are helping millions of low-income customers to access financial services for the first time, but they are also exposing them to new cyber threats they could never have imagined.

Re-Defining Poverty in its Many Dimensions

By Carolina Rivera and Monica Jahangir

Poverty has many dimensions beyond a lack of money. The need for a better understanding of the multiple ways people experience poverty is gaining momentum, as is the importance of measuring the often - overlapping deprivations people face. Understanding both is vital for better decision making.

Indigenous Leaders are Calling for New Global Agreement to Protect Amazon

By Rabiya Jaffery

Leaders of Amazon’s indigenous groups are calling for a new global agreement to protect and restore at least half of the world’s natural habitats.

Climate Change Drives Up Rural Poverty in Latin America

By Daniel Gutman

Only 18 percent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean live in rural areas, but these are increasingly hotbeds of poverty, and climate change is playing a major role in this phenomenon.

Thailand First Asian Nation to Join Global Efforts to Control Tobacco

By Wendell C Balderas

Thailand is set to become the first Asian country to introduce standardized packaging of tobacco. On 14 November 2018, the Thai National Committee on Tobacco Control approved the Ministry of Health Regulation that requires cigarettes in Thailand to be sold in packaging stripped of the fancy, colorful and unique cigarette branding.

E-Commerce Giants Under Fire for Retailing Hazardous Mercury-Based Cosmetics

By Thalif Deen

A coalition of over 50 civil society organizations (CSOs), from more than 20 countries, have urged two of the world’s largest multi-billion dollar E-commerce retailers – Amazon and eBay – to stop marketing “dangerous and illegal mercury-based skin lightening creams.”