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Reporting the underreported about the plan of action for People, Planet and Prosperity, and efforts to make the promise of the SDGs a reality.
A project of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate Group with IDN as the Flagship Agency in partnership with Soka Gakkai International in consultative status with ECOSOC.


SGI Soka Gakkai International

 

Image: Three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The most comprehensive report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a dire warning to countries in the Pacific region where rising sea levels and increasing temperatures could wipe out island nations and make dry habitats uninhabitable. But the two major powers in the region—Australia and New Zealand—have reacted to the report with defensive rhetoric rather than moving to implement immediate action to save the region. (P12) HINDI | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | SWAHILI

Project Articles

Photo: Ms. Shefali Ghosh from Savar, near Dhaka, teaches her daugher in the kitchen. Credit: The World Bank

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — In the Asia-Pacific region which is home to about 60 percent of the global population, some 1.6 billion people primarily rely on open fires or simple stoves fueled by kerosene, coal, or biomass such as wood, dung and agricultural residues for their daily cooking needs, that impacts on climatic change and health hazards. (P11) GERMAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | THAI

Project Articles

Image: Screenshot from 'Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids'.

Viewpoint by Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — In 2020, 3.6 million kids in the United States used electronic cigarettes, including 1 in 5 high school students. A growing percentage of them did so frequently or daily, a sure sign of addiction.

With 83% of youth e-cigarette users using flavored products, the evidence is clear that flavored e-cigarettes have driven this epidemic.

Goal 3

Photo: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The COVID pandemic has pushed no less than 124 million more people into extreme poverty. "Many millions" have been left vulnerable to the scourge. Half of victims in low-income countries are children, noted UN Secretary General António Guterres noted just ahead of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. adding that Most are trafficked for forced labour, added the UN Chief.

Goal 3

Photo: Ambassador Chen Xu. UN human rights council passes China's resolution calling for people-centered development for human rights. Source: Global Times.

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY | GENEVA (IDN) — China came out with its guns blazing at the recently concluded 47th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) pointing out western hypocrisy on human rights, by particularly targeting Canada and Australia. China was supported on this counterattack by over 60 developing country members of the UN body.

Goal 16

Image: Conflicts in Africa by ethnic region. Source: Good Governance Africa

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Just before he died at the end of the twentieth century, the great philosopher Isaiah Berlin said, "It was the worst century that Europe ever had. Worse, I suspect, even than the days of the Huns. And why? Because in our modern age nationalism is not resurgent; it never died. Neither did racism. They are the most powerful movements in the world today cutting across many social systems”.

Goal 16

Photo: A view of Morocco. Source: High Atlas Foundation.

Viewpoint by Max Berengaut*

MARRAKECH (IDN) —  Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to enter Europe without any problems. Unfortunately, many will have neither, forcing them into dangerous and irregular means of entry into Europe, or at times leading them to stay in Morocco.

Goal 8

Photo: A young market vendor sells peanuts in Urozgan, a central province of Afghanistan. © UNICEF/Omid Fazel

By Radwan Jakeen

NEW YORK (IDN) — Nearly 18 million Afghans or half the population of the South Asian country require assistance. A third of the country is malnourished, while half of all children under five are experiencing acute malnutrition.

In view of this critical situation, Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, has urged donors to step up support for the country. He said a $1.3 billion appeal, launched earlier this year, is less than 40 per cent funded. The $450 million received so far, half of which came from the United States, falls far short of what is needed.

Goal 16

Photo: "We are learning how to manage our crops better,” say farmers Malvin Ortiz and Felipe Martínez, “and we are teaching our children how to do it, too.” Now, the future is looking more hopeful." Credit: Oxfam International

By Fermin Koop*

LONDON (IDN) — Protecting and restoring natural areas in Latin America, home to 50% of the planet’s biodiversity and over a quarter of its forests, could help the region achieve a ‘green’ post-pandemic recovery and meet biodiversity conservation targets, experts say. Doing so could even create thousands of jobs in key economic sectors such as agriculture.

Goal 13+14+15

  1. Digitalization and Regional Cooperation Are Key to Combating COVID and Ensuring No One is Left Behind
  2. Australia’s Early Success In Controlling Covid Turns Sour
  3. Is Australia Sabotaging China's Vaccination Program in the South Pacific?
  4. The Realpolitik of Vaccine Nationalism and How it Impacts Countries like Nepal
  5. Historic 'Visva-Bharati' University Adopts 'Communication from Within' Strategy to Fight the Pandemic

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