NOTE! This site uses cookies and similar technologies.

If you do not change browser settings, you agree to the use of cookies.

I understand
IDN-InDepthNews

 

Racism UN INSIDER WORK WITH US
COVID-19

 

COVID-19

Photo: Hu Wei (4th R), charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy, attends a ceremony with Sri Lankan Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi (4th left front) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 1, 2020. China has handed over its first donation of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Sri Lanka to strengthen the solidarity between the two countries as Sri Lanka fights the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Xinhua/Tang Lu

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary.

Henry Kissinger, in one of his infrequent statements said, "When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, many countries' institutions will be perceived as having failed. Whether this judgment is objectively fair is irrelevant. The reality is the world will never be the same after the coronavirus. To argue now about the past only makes it harder to do what has to be done". Countries must adjust and adapt and also move with the times. Responding proactively to the challenge of COVID-19 is key.

OPINION

Photo credit: Logan Abassi | UN Photo

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – New research published by the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) warns that the economic fallout from the global pandemic could increase global poverty by as much as half a billion people, or 8% of the total human population. This would be the first time that poverty has increased globally in thirty years, since 1990.

The authors of the UNU-WIDER study – Andy Sumner and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez of King’s College London and Chris Hoy from Australian National University – find that a setback of this size would reverse a decade of global progress on poverty reduction.

SUSTAINABILITY
Poverty

Photo: Police across the world have been given new powers. Credit: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA

Viewpoint by Kate Guy*

OXFORD (IDN) – How might a single threat, even one deemed unlikely, spiral into an evolving global crisis which challenges the foundations of global security, economic stability and democratic governance, all in the matter of a few weeks?

My research on threats to national security, governance and geopolitics has focused on exactly this question, albeit with a focus on the disruptive potential of climate change, rather than a novel coronavirus. In recent work alongside intelligence and defence experts at the think-tank Center for Climate and Security,

OPINION

Collage with map of Brazilian states by population (from Wikimedia Commons) and Basic Income card (from Vox).

By Pedro Telles

The writer is 2018-19 Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity at the International Inequalities Institute, London School of Economics.

SÃO PAULO (IDN) – Tens of millions of Brazilians have begun receiving basic income payments aimed at addressing the economic impact of COVID-19, following Congress' approval of a bill prompted by a country-wide grassroots campaign that began just three weeks ago.

SUSTAINABILITY
Health & Well Being

Photo source: European Commissiom

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a potential "second wave" of COVID-19 infections. The warning comes as some European countries have begun to relax lockdown measures following weeks of confinement introduced to halt the spread of the new coronavirus. In an update to strategic advice to Governments, the UN health agency called for greater support for health services.

UN INSIDER

The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is an historic monument and home to art from around the world, including the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's most famous masterpiece. Source: UN News © Eric Ganz

By Jaya Ramachandran

PARIS (IDN) – As billions of people find themselves either in lockdown or on the front lines combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the first celebration of World Art Day on April 15 is a timely reminder that "art has the power to unite and connect in times of crisis", the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said.

"Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic", Audrey Azoulay said in her message.

UN INSIDER

Photo: IOM Libya staff assist migrants at a disembarkation point in Tripoli, Libya. Credit: IOM.

By Jaya Ramachandran with IOM Press Release

GENEVA (IDN) – In the face of the number of rising new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has expanded the scope of its Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) to include far-reaching interventions that aim to mitigate the dire health and socio-economic impacts of the pandemic. A revised appeal was launched on April 15 for $499 million to support vital preparedness, response and recovery activities in over 140 countries.

UN INSIDER

Photo: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus briefs virtually on the COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – While upholding the importance of international solidarity in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, a "dangerous enemy" to all humanity, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has regretted "the decision of the President of the United States to order a halt in funding" to the UN health agency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking to journalists on April 15, one day after President Donald Trump announced that it was cutting funding to the UN health agency, pending a review of how the agency responded to the initial outbreak in China that first surfaced at the very end of December.

UN INSIDER

Image: Image: Hand joining in a circle. Credit: IMF

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Funds for 19 strapped African countries have been approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in light of the impact of COVID-19 on economies and livelihoods.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on April 13 the funds will be applied to the most vulnerable members to cover their debt obligations.

The list includes: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Sierra Leone and Togo.

THE WORLD
Africa

Image: EU-BREXIT courtesy Live Trading News

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn *

NEW DELHI (IDN) – While reading observations of Douglas Webber, Professor of Political Science at INSEAD in his article "Why Brexit Has Not and Will Not Trigger EU Disintegration," made one speculate on whether if one had applied the principle of Co-evolution to the EU, the conclusion would have been different.

The fundamental premise of Co-evolution is that organizations evolve in relation to their environments while at the same time these environments evolve in relation to them. And events like COVID-19 have enormous impacts that dwarf everything else.

OPINION

  1. Coronavirus Puts Class Dimension of Mobility into Sharp Focus
  2. Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism and Remittances – Insights from Egypt
  3. COVID-19: UN Joins Kenya in $267.5 million Flash Appeal
  4. The Pandemic of Fear Haunts Moscow
  5. Welcome to the Viral Desert – Coronavirus and the Reinvention of Communism

Page 42 of 49

About IDN

IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.

more >>>