 GLOBAL EVENTS
Conferences
28 June –
23 July 2010
Economic and Social
Council The 54 members of ECOSOC will gather in New York for the Substantive Session, and will participate in the High-level Segment, 28 June-2 July; the Coordination Segment 6-8 July; the Operational Activities Segment, 9-13 July;, the Humanitarian Affairs Segment, 14-15 July; the General Segment, 16-22 July.
12 – 30 July 2010, UN Headquarters Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, 46th session
12 – 23 July 2010, UN Headquarters Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty, first session
19 – 21 July 2010, UN Headquarters United Nations Board of Auditors, sixty-fourth regular session
19 – 21 July 2010, UN Headquarters Independent Audit Advisory Committee, eleventh session
12 – 30 July 2010, Geneva Human Rights Committee, ninety-ninth session
5 July – 6 August 2010, Geneva International Law Commission, sixty-second session, second part
3 – 28 May 2010, UN Headquarters
The 2010 Review Conference is expected to consider a number of key issues, including: universality of the Treaty; nuclear disarmament, including specific practical measures; nuclear non-proliferation, including the promoting and strengthening of safeguards; measures to advance the peaceful use of nuclear energy, safety and security; regional disarmament and non-proliferation; implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East; measures to address withdrawal from the Treaty; measures to further strengthen the review process; and ways to promote engagement with civil society in strengthening NPT norms and in promoting disarmament education. Past Conferences, Meetings and Events
Meetings and Events UN Headquarters
General Assembly - 64th session
Plenary meetings, events,
and major thematic debates from the 64th session of the UN General
Assembly.
Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues The theme of this year's session is Indigenous peoples: development with culture and identity; articles 3 and 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
26 April – 7 May 2010, UN Headquarters Committee on Information, 32nd Session In its resolution 34/182 of 18 December 1979, the General Assembly decided to maintain the Committee to Review UN Public Information Policies and Activities, to be known as the Committee on Information.
3 – 14 May 2010, UN Headquarters
Commission
on Sustainable Development The 18th session of the Commission will include a high-level segment, from 12-14 May 2010, and parallel interactive round tables on 12 May, on “Sustainable production and consumption patterns” and “Managing mining for sustainable development”; and on 13 May, on “Meeting the challenge of transportation needs in the twenty-first century” and “Strategies for sustainable chemicals and waste management”.
17 – 19 May 2010, UN Headquarters Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development On 24 December 2009 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/64/236, agreeing to hold the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 - also referred to as 'Rio+20' or 'Rio 20'. The first meeting of the Preparatory Committee will discuss the substantive themes of the Conference and pending procedural matters, and will also elect the Bureau.
14 – 15 June 2010, UN Headquarters On 20-22 September 2010, the General Assembly will hold, in New York, a High-level Plenary Meeting, also referred to as the "MDG Summit". As a part of the process leading to the Summit, the General Assembly will also convene interactive hearings with representatives of NGOs, civil society and the private sector from 14-15 June 2010.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009
The
Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for
2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his
extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and
cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special
importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear
weapons. - Oslo, October 9, 2009
GLOBAL FINANCIAL COLLAPSE: UN REMEMBRANCE OF SLAVE TRADE The powerful sounds of musicians, drummers and steel bands echoed through the United Nations complex in New York today in a celebration of the world’s common humanity and in commemoration of the victims of the African slave trade. Read more
WHAT IS THAT WORLD WATER FORUM? Activists from the People's Water Forum, an alternative formation representing rural poor, the environment and organized labor, slammed the official event as a non-inclusive, corporate-driven fraud pushing for water privatization and called for a more open, democratic and transparent forum. The forum, which is organized every three years by the French-based World Water Council, is funded in large part by the water industry. Read more
TROUBLED WATERS HARD TO BRIDGE The fifth World Water Forum ended with wide-ranging differences among governments and groups with an interest in water. The forum adopted a declaration calling for "new and adequate resources" for the water sector. It also stressed the need for increased vigilance against corruption, and for preparedness for climate change. Read more WATER - THE GLOBAL SECURITY FACTOR Water -- whether saltwater, drinking water or freshwater -- is crucial for global security because it is essential for the survival of human and other forms of life. It covers 71 percent of the Earth's surface, mostly in oceans and other large water bodies. Saltwater oceans hold 97 percent of surface water. Read more |
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Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations has joined the Advisory Board of Global Cooperation Council. Accepting the invitation, he writes: "I look forward to supporting and contributing to the efforts of the Global Cooperation Council to promote genuine international cooperation based on equality and fairness as essential elements of an increasingly globalizing world." #
Mr. Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, has accepted the invitation of the Executive Committee of the Global Cooperation Council to join the Council's Advisory Board. UNCCD is along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) the outcome of the Earth Summit June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. #
Mr. Toshiki Kaifu, who served as Prime Minister of Japan from August 1989 to November 1991, has accepted our invitation to join the Advisory Board of Global Cooperation Council. Other members of the Board include Dr. Roberto Savio, Chair World Social Forum's Commission for Communication, President Emeritus of Inter Press Service - Italy, and Dr. Inge Kaul who served at the UNDP from 1981 to 2005 in different capacities. Mr. Toshiki Kaifu, assumed the office of the President of the World Federalist Movement of Japan on April 6, 2010. JAPAN: PRIDE AND CAUTION
NEWS - FEATURES - ANALYSES
on issues that impact the world
Corporate Social Responsibility
Overcoming Hazards - Striving for greater Safety Nowadays they are trucking hazardous cargo. They carry fine chemicals and ethanols, imported by trading companies, to client factories in Tokyo and surrounding five prefectures, known as the Kanto area. But there is a long and exciting human story behind todays Gosho Transportation Company. The short of the long story is that before Yoshio Emori founded Gosho in 1969, its predecessor Emori Oil Co. Ltd was running 27 gas stations in Saitama and Tokyo.
Trucking Safe with
Ecology in the Pouch Like the kangaroo pouch pocket that provides a place of shelter for the young after they are born, the truckers of Tokyo’s legendary Nagai Transportation Company move their cargo with great care. No surprise therefore that the kangaroo is the logo of the company that celebrates “60 years of good faith and gratitude”. Read in Japanese at http://www.polyglot.indepthnews.net
Redefine Japan-U.S. Alliance for Global Denuclearization
’Japan Has the Potential to Be a Constructive Global Player' TARO ICHIKAWA INTERVIEWS NEW KOMEI PARTY CHIEF NATSUO YAMAGUCHI – Japan should play an active role in supporting efforts toward a nuclear weapons free world, without jeopardizing its close and trusted relations with the United States, says Natsuo Yamaguchi, president of the New Komei Party, the country's third largest political party that has promoted and pursued initiatives to enhance peace and protect the vulnerable in Japanese society since 1964. Against the backdrop of its close and "vital" relations with the U.S. and growing understanding with China, dating back to more than three decades, Japan has the potential to act as a bridge between the United States and China as the two countries move towards confidence-building, avers the 57-year old Yamaguchi.
Who Is Afraid of ‘Hunger Reports’? Hunger is far from ‘sexy’ -- and yet it is the central theme of two new reports published two days ahead of the World Food Day Oct. 16 when conforming to the “same procedure as every year” the well-fed of planet earth juggle statistics as if these were crystal balls predicting ways toward a hunger-free world.
'Let Us Make Nuclear Abolition a Reality'
Obama Seeks UN Backing for Nuke-Free World
When Barack Obama chaired a summit meeting of the Security Council Sept. 24 - a historic first for a U.S. president - his primary motive was to push for his ambitious, long-term agenda for "a world without nuclear weapons". A resolution adopted unanimously by the 15 members of the U.N.'s most powerful political body expressed grave concern about the threat of nuclear proliferation and the need for international action to prevent it. READ MORE | SPANISH
WHY SHOULD WE ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS Hiromichi Umebayashi, Founder and Special Advisor of Peace Depot, Inc. Japan writes in this column that in Japan there is a deep-rooted desire for nuclear abolition that derives from its first-hand experience of the appalling damage caused by nuclear weapons. Yet this does not seem to be enough to constitute a successful argument for "a world free of nuclear weapons". The effort to bring about a nuclear abolition must be indivisibly and essentially integrated with the challenge of creating a more equitable, just, and humane global society. READ MORE | ITALIAN | SPANISH
Nuclear Weapons Free World by 2020? If Tadatoshi Akiba, the mayor of Hiroshima, had his way, the special UN Security Council session to be chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama on Sep. 24 would decide to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons by 2020 -- a year that would mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the terrible destruction caused by U.S. atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. READ MORE
LATIN AMERICA: 'The More Guns, the More Violence' Traffic in light weapons and small arms is one of Latin America's major disarmament concerns, because they fuel urban violence, especially in countries like Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil. This was one of the issues on the agenda of the 62nd Annual Conference for Non-Governmental Organisations associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI/NGO), under the banner "For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!" READ MORE | ARABIC | SPANISH
SGI President Issues Five-Point Plan toward Nuclear Abolition Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist association, issued a proposal Sept. 8 outlining concrete steps toward the abolition of nuclear weapons. A vocal opponent of these inhumane weapons for more than 50 years, he stresses that we now have a unique opportunity to build grassroots solidarity, propel political processes and break out of the stagnation which has dogged nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation efforts. SUMMARY | FULL TEXT
UN Conference Mulls Over Nuclear Abolition If a world without nuclear weapons is not to remain distant and just a dream, the nuclear haves must demonstrate political will, leadership and flexibility at the landmark Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference slated for May next year in New York. READ MORE Stalemate Stalls UN Conference on Disarmament The UN Conference on Disarmament (CD) is faced with a deadlock again, only three months after it ended 12 years of stalemate. The Conference adopted a consensus document on May 29 that contains a work plan in run up to the crucial nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference next year.
Africa Becomes World's Largest Nuclear Free Continent Africa, the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent after Asia has now become the world's largest nuclear free zone comprising 53 countries with about one billion people.
Egypt Rejects U.S. Nuclear Umbrella A spectre haunted the U.S.-Egyptian summit -- the spectre of a U.S. nuclear umbrella for the Middle East. In run-up to President Hosni Mubarak's first Washington visit in five years, both the Egyptian leader and his senior aides categorically rejected an undeclared U.S. offer to guarantee defence of the region against atomic weapons as part of a comprehensive Middle East peace plan.
TOWARD A NUCLEAR FREE WORLD VISIT www.nuclearabolition.net for articles about this and related issues.
U.S. Army troops in Kunar province.
Yet Another 'Enduring Freedom’ Fraud IN AFGHANISTAN? ‘Enduring Freedom’ is how the U.S. names its invasion and occupation of countries. ‘Fraud’ is the most recurrent single word in relation to U.S.-sponsored elections in those countries. ‘Fraud’ was suspected in some U.S. presidential elections: John F. Kennedy's in 1960 -- when also dead people allegedly ‘voted’ -- and George W Bush's in 2000, with its controversial vote count.
Survivors of Cyclone Nargis in the
aftermath of the disaster. Rising Attacks on UN Humanitarian Aid Workers Six years ago, the UN offices in Baghdad were blown up by a truck bomb. Twenty-two humanitarian workers and dedicated professionals lost their lives, among them Sergio Vieira de Mello, a lifelong humanitarian who had saved lives and reduced suffering in some of the toughest places on earth.
The East Tops in Free Flow of Goods East Asian economies -- Singapore and Hong Kong SAR –- occupy the top two positions among countries that facilitate the free flow of goods across national borders and to destination. They are followed by Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden in the Enabling Trade Index (ETI) ranking; Canada, Norway, Finland, Austria and the Netherlands complete the top-10 list, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum.
No 'Divine Rights' of the Industrial Rich "What we're talking about is a profound change of industrial civilisation. It would be surprising if there weren't stumbling blocks," said Sweden's lead climate negotiator and chairman of the EU working group, Anders Turesson, wrapping up the latest round of informal negotiations in Bonn.
G20: WHERE IS THE MONEY, AND WHO IS THE MONEYLENDER LONDON - It seemed like a lot of money at the time. The leaders of the group of eight richest countries, the G8, met in Gleneagles in Scotland and announced 50 billion dollars in new aid, half of that for Africa and half for the rest of the world. That was 2005, the word recession was buried in a dictionary somewhere, governments and companies were on a high, with many of the financial figures inflated by financial jugglery that no one then had seen through, and by a debt that would repay itself because how could this club of wealth and power ever go wrong. Read more
G20: LAUDABLE,
YET GENUINE TRANSPARENCY REQUIRED PROSPERITY IS INDIVISIBLE DECLARATION ON
STRENGTHENING THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM DECLARATION ON
DELIVERING RESOURCES THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL
INSTITUTIONS – LONDON, 2 APRIL 2009
G20: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
G20: 'USE CRISIS AS OPPORTUNITY TO FIX INEQUITY' ADDIS ABABA - The daunting task of making Africa the centre of attention awaits Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi when the Group of 20 (G20) rich and emerging economies meet in London April 1. Read more
G20: NEXT TIME, PERHAPS ... LONDON - If the draft declaration of the G20 meeting in London is anything to go by, the most specific outcome of this summit is that there will be another one later in the year. Several governments have begun to lobby already to host the next G20, in apparent confidence that this one is not going to take care of the problems that the leaders are gathering to address, if not resolve. Read more
G20: JAPAN CARRIES AFRICAN CONCERNS TO LONDON BERLIN (IDN) - Japan, the world's second largest economy, is calling for global initiatives to reactivate financial flows to Africa, including government grants, concessional loans and lines of credit. Read more
G20: POOR COUNTRIES IN DIRE NEED OF FUNDS BERLIN (IDN) - There is no longer a question that developing countries are being hit severely by the global crisis. Instead, there is the very distinct possibility that they end up as the worst-hit victims, while already being the most vulnerable, said Eckhard Deutscher, Chair of OECDs Development Assistance Committee (DAC) March 30. Read more
CONSENSUS GROWING OVER NEED FOR ACTION, DECLARES BROWN IN NEW YORK The communiqué from the London Summit of world leaders on 2 April will show a 'determination to do what is necessary' to restore economic growth, mend the financial markets and tighten regulation, Gordon Brown said in New York. He was speaking on the second day of a global tour to meet world leaders ahead of the Summit that takes in Brazil and Chile.
THE LONDON SUMMIT 2009 > Visit http://www.londonsummit.gov.uk/en/ for news and background.
ECONOMIC CRISIS THREATENS CHINA’S RURAL STRATEGY China should speed up investment in rural services and infrastructure and create jobs in non-agricultural sectors for returning migrants, according to a new OECD report. This will help offset the fast-rising impact of the economic slowdown on the rural economy. OECD Rural Policy Review: China says that the country’s rural development strategy is on the right track and the impact on rural areas of broader economic reforms positive. But the recent increase in return migration and subsequent fall in remittances could threaten the important progress made in raising rural living standards. Read more
PRISON OF NATIONS The EU “government" is exposed as worse than useless, a rubber stamp for this Thatcherite mania, fooling Europeans into thinking there was someone controlling the private chaos. Riots swept across Eastern Europe this winter. In Latvia 100 were arrested when they attacked the Finance Ministry with cobblestones from the quaintly restored tourist area protesting unemployment, budget and wage cuts. In Lithuania, riot police fired rubber-bullets and tear gas on a trade union march. A demonstration in the Bulgarian capital turned violent leading to the arrest of 150 protesters. These three states are all members of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2), the euro’s pre-detention cell. They must join. Read more
MIDDLDE EAST: A CONVENIENT WAR This modest attempt to quickly analyze the first apparent consequences of the Israeli war on Gaza departs from a personal sad conclusion that human kind is walking too speedily, too steadily, and too far away from all known principles of rationality. Rather, it seems that such principles have never been rooted nor were they born from natural-instinctive conviction. Otherwise no war would ever take place; no weapons would be produced, nor sold or used. Read more |
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Confronting the Bliss of Ignorance about Africa Somalia hit the top of the chart for the third consecutive year when the 2010 Failed States Index was recently unveiled by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace. Several African states followed Somalia in the first 20 listed. They are considered the worst failures. The index was compiled on the basis of 12 criteria: demographics, refugees, illegitimate governance, brain drain, public services, inequality, group grievances, human rights, economic decline, security forces, factionalised elites, and external intervention.
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. And we all have a rendezvous with Planet Earth this year. In order that as many of us as possible feel encouraged to make it to the venue at the right point in time, the United Nations has launched some of the most innovative initiatives.
The Brave New World of Robert Zoellick Thirty-three years after the World Bank president Robert McNamara proposed the establishment of an international commission to break the deadlock in North-South relations, his successor Robert B. Zoellick has proclaimed that in the new system triggered by a multi-polar world, North and South are only points on a compass, not economic destinies.
Aid
Beyond Prejudice and Pride By Eckhard Deutscher* IDN-InDepth NewsSpecial – Part 1 PARIS (IDN) – "Africa is drowning in aid money." "Too much aid goes to the private pockets of corrupt regimes and towards a bloated development industry, when much more should be spent on the private sector." "Aid is a useless distraction given the impact of issues like trade, investment etc on development." "Aid is not nearly growing quickly enough." These are some examples of arguments put forward in a critical political and public debate of development co-operation that has intensified as we approach the reference date for substantial aid commitments and get closer to the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.
You Don't 'Do' or 'Deliver' Development By Eckhard Deutscher* IDN-InDepth NewsSpecial – Part 2 PARIS (IDN) – The ‘aid effectiveness agenda’ provides a framework for 'donors' and developing countries to work together in the most effective way possible. There are essentially two dimensions to do so. First, the donor-recipient dimension.
‘Climate Change Kills People in Drylands’ - UN Assistant Secretary General Luc Gnacadja (IDN) - “Enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere,” says UN’s top official Luc Gnacadja, who is tasked with combating land degradation and drought – not only in Africa, the most vulnerable continent, but all along the drylands belt running from Latin America through Sahel and Asia. Read more
‘Agriculture Key To Food Security And Climate Change’ - IFAD President Kanayo F Nwanze. “Agriculture is the vital link between the two burning issues of feeding a growing population and preserving the planet we live on.” says IFAD president Kanayo F Nwanze. It is crucial, therefore, that the deal expected to emerge from the landmark climate change conference in Copenhagen recognises that connect, Nwanze says in an e-mail interview with IDN-InDepthNews and Global Perspectives – a journal for international cooperation.
Parliamentarians Urge Greater Efforts on Land Degradation BY UWE HOLTZ - IDN-InDepthNews | Global Perspectives
TOWARD A NEW DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Beyond the headlines about the agreement among most developed G20 countries on growth-friendly plans to reduce deficits, though at different speeds in different countries, the Toronto Summit Declaration contains what could become a new development agenda, focusing on support for growth in low income countries. This means that there is much work to do before the G-20 summit in Seoul in November. READ MORE
Africa is taking a growing role in the world, its population is increasing fast and so too is its need for finance to build for the future. To achieve the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and close the gap between its infrastructure and the rest of the world’s, the continent requires an annual investment of $93 billion over the next decade, says a landmark new study. READ MORE
Two acronyms in the alphabet soup of world affairs received heightened attention in mid-April when IBSA and BRIC met in Brasilia to review past performance, assess present needs, and work out their plans for the future. These two important events for the ‘Global South’ will have great resonance for the future shape of South-South cooperation and help bring about new power equations. READ MORE
While preparations begin for a midterm review of the Second International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (2005-2014), a critical evaluation of human rights initiatives, including the 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has begun. A two-day gathering of Asia-Pacific parliamentarians in Manila, provided an opportunity to cast a close look at what has been achieved and what still needs to be done.
Nearly two decades after the Cold War ended, the Barack Obama administration is carrying out the third subsequent assessment of the roles and missions for the U.S. nuclear forces and the associated production and maintenance infrastructure. It is viewed by many as an opportunity for significant progress on nuclear disarmament, energized by President Obama's joint commitment with his Russian counterpart, President Dmitriy Medvedev, to work toward a "nuclear-free world". READ MORE
FROM COPENHAGEN TO BONN & MEXICO Big expectations on the climate change conference last month in Copenhagen were belied. Will the forthcoming meeting in June in Bonn and the global conference end of the year in Mexico lead to legally binding agreements? UN's top climate official Yvo de Boer prefers not to commit himself. READ MORE
Several initiatives are under way to move toward a global green economy, most of these associated with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and supported, among others, by Germany and the EU Commission. But private investors from industrialized and emerging economies are also actively involved. Read more
Developing nations are faced with huge economic and financial problems and need funds and technical cooperation from Europe and the United States. But this is only one aspect of reality. They have meanwhile acquired a high profile in world economy and in global decision-making - thanks due to increasing South-South cooperation. Read more
A new report finds that Germany's overall commitment to development is fair to middling. Europe's economic powerhouse ranks 12th among the 22 'donor nations' in the Commitment to Development Index (CDI) 2009, authored by the Washington-based 'Center for Global Development'. The Index is designed to encourage donor countries to adopt policies that are more likely to promote development across a broad range of issues, which define their relationships with poor countries. Read more
Since U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to usher in a nuclear free world this April in Prague, the movement for abolishing atomic weapons has gathered momentum. The UN Security Council's special session on Sep. 24 is not only historic but also a milestone on the long road toward the ambitious goal. Read more
Whether Europe and the United States like it or not, negotiations in run up to the UN climate change conference this December in Copenhagen leave no doubt that the only global deal developing countries are prepared to consider must include commitments from developed nations to immediate emissions mitigation, more financial assistance, and to giving developing nations greater control of global climate institutions. Read more
Brazil, China, India and Russia -- backed by France -- have all questioned the dollar's future as a global reserve currency, a status it has enjoyed since inheriting it from sterling last century. China's central bank earlier this year laid out an alternative to the dollar in the form of a special international reserve currency administered by the International Monetary Fund. However, most experts believe it will take years for the dollar to be eclipsed. Read more
Has the 'unachievable' been achieved at the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development June 24-26 at the headquarters of the world organisation? Ask the General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann. His reply is: "Definitely yes". Is a global organisation like the UN really an appropriate body to solve the economic crisis the world is confronting now? Ask the German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. Her reply is: "I would say, yes." However, going by reactions of non-governmental organisations and other development policy activists and experts, not everybody would agree with D’Escoto or Wieczorek-Zeul. Read more
The financial crisis threatens a new debt crisis in many developing countries. However, this issue is not high on the EU's agenda, the European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad) says. This is indicated by the outcome of the development ministers' meeting at the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council on May 18. Read more
WANTED 2ND 'DELIVERING AS ONE' INITIATIVE The international discourse on foreign aid has in recent years been dominated by the theme of harmonization and coordination of aid efforts sometimes also referred to as 'Delivering as One'. Read more
TOWARD A BRIGHTER FUTURE In a globalized world undergoing rapid transformation, transatlantic relations are of central importance. However, the transatlantic cooperation needs to be renewed and the common agenda reformulated in the light of current global challenges, write Gunilla Carlson and Jim Kolbe, Co-Chairs of the Transatlantic Taskforce on Development. Read more THE GLOBAL GREEN NEW DEAL When UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a Green New Deal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznañ last December, the uninitiated thought he was presenting a new concept that would work for all nations, rich as well as poor, in the face of both climate change and the global economy. RENEWABLES GO GLOBAL Renewables have indeed gone global. The newlyfounded world-organisation International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) already represents over two and a half billion people, over a third of the global population. After India joined IRENA as its 76th member, the number of people living in its member states and thus directly impacted by the agency rose to more than 2.5 billion. Read more
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By
Masayoshi Hamada* IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint TOKYO (IDN) – Japan is
serving in the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in
April, ahead of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons scheduled for May 2010.
Amidst growing momentum toward a world free of nuclear weapons I
believe Japan has the moral responsibility to spread word about the
harrowing effect of nuclear weapons as the only sufferer of nuclear
attacks .
A world free of nuclear
weapons is no longer a utopia. There is more than one reason to
believe that it is a concrete possibility, says Daisaku Ikeda,
president of the Buddhist association, Soka Gokkai International (SGI).
"In recent years, we have seen important, groundbreaking examples of
humanitarian ideals surmounting military logic and narrowly defined
national interests to bring new disarmament accords into existence,"
says Ikeda explaining the rationale behind his optimism.
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