UN Insider

Photo: The Port of Salvador on All Saints Bay, Bahia, Brazil. As one of the bigger, emerging economies reliant on commodity exports, Brazil can expect some economic improvement, according to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report. Credit: World Bank/Mariana Ceratti

Foreign Direct Investment on Decline, Leaves Developing Countries Unaffected

By Ronald Joshua

GENEVA (IDN) – Foreign direct investment is critical for developing and emerging market countries. Their companies need the multinationals' funding and expertise to expand their international sales. The countries need private investment in infrastructure, energy, and water to increase jobs and wages. In fact the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 2017 report warned that climate change would hit them the hardest.

The UNCTAD says in its report on October 15 that global foreign direct investment (FDI) tumbled by 41 percent in January-June 2018, to an estimated USD470 billion from USD800 billion in the first half of 2017. Though the decline was noticed mainly in wealthy, industrialized nations, especially in North America and Western Europe, developing economies saw FDI flows declining “only slightly” in the first half of the year by four per cent, to $310 billion, compared with 2017.

: Ronald Joshua; UN INSIDER; 15 October 2018

Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the IMF Development Committee meeting in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Grant Ellis/World Bank

Trust Deficit Disorder Jeopardising Sustainable Development

By António Guterres

The following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to finance ministers and central bank governors at the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) in Bali, Indonesia, on October 13, 2018. Stressing that the meeting was taking place "at a time of enormous uncertainty", he cautioned that high debts in many countries are limiting fiscal space and taking away much needed resources vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). – The Editor

BALI (IDN-INPS) – As Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, you are accustomed to dealing with deficits every day.

But the biggest deficit the world faces today is not in budget plan or accounting chart. It’s the deficit of trust, a bad case of what I called in the UN General Assembly Trust Deficit Disorder.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; OPINION; 15 October 2018

Image: The flag of Saudi Arabia (centre) flying at United Nations headquarters in New York. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

UN Urges Saudi Arabia to Release All Incarcerated Women Human Rights Defenders

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) – For the second time since July 31, UN human rights experts are calling on Saudi Arabia to "immediately and unconditionally" release all women human rights defenders, including six imprisoned on charges relating to their peaceful defence of human rights.

The detained have been charged for being involved in pro-democracy demonstrations, and previously campaigning for the right of women to vote and drive. In late June 2018, a long-standing ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia, was lifted by royal decree, UN News reports.

: Jamshed Baruah; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 14 October 2018

Photo: Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri | IDN-INPS Multimedia Director

World Religious Leaders' Astana Congress Pledges 'Unity in Diversity'

By Ramesh Jaura

ASTANA (IDN) – At a critical point in time when religious tolerance is being consigned to oblivion, an international conference has appealed "to all people of faith and goodwill" to unite, and called for "ensuring peace and harmony on our planet".

The appeal emerged from the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, the Kazakh city founded on the principle of "unity in diversity". The Congress concluded with a 'peace concert' in which 500 choir singers from five continents of the world took part.

: Ramesh Jaura; CENTRAL ASIA; 14 October 2018

Photo: Hirotsugu Terasaki, Vice President, Director General of International Bureau, Peace and Global Issues, United Nations Liaison Offices, Soka Gakkai, addressing the opening session of the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri, IDN-INPS Multimedia director.

Faith Communities Play A Vital Role in Ensuring Human Security

Viewpoint by Hirotsugu Terasaki

The author is Vice President, Director General of International Bureau, Peace and Global Issues, United Nations Liaison Offices, Soka Gakkai. The following is the text of his remarks at the opening session of the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – First of all, I would like to thank the Republic of Kazakhstan for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of the members of Soka Gakkai, as well as for organizing this truly meaningful meeting dedicated to interfaith dialogue.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; OPINION; 11 October 2018

Photo: Kazakh President Nazarbayev urges religious leaders to appeal to world community to support peace and security. Credit: KazInform

Kazakh President Urges Religious Leaders to Help Resolve 'Civilizational' Problems

Viewpoint by Nursultan Nazarbayev

The author is the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Following are extensive excerpts from his opening address to the two-day Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions on October 10, 2018 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. He shared with religious leaders "a vision of the areas that we can focus on together" in the interest of global peace and security. – The Editor

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – Fifteen years have passed since the first historic Congress was held here. Today we are gathering for the sixth time.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 10 October 2018

Photo: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Credit: The Astana Times.

Leaders of World and Traditional Religions Gather in Astana for Inclusive Dialogue

Viewpoint by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

The author, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. This opinion article first appeared on The Astana Times on October 5, 2018, and is being reproduced courtesy the prestigious Kazakh newspaper. IDN-INPS are providing a special coverage of the conference, including videos interviews and features. – The Editor.

ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is a unique interfaith forum, convened every three years in Astana at the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. For 15 years, this forum has played an important role in the rapprochement of cultures and civilisations, in searching for answers to the key challenges of our time. “Religious Leaders for a Safe World” is the main topic of the Sixth Congress, which will be held October 10-11 in the capital of Kazakhstan.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 08 October 2018

Photo credit: Peter Miller © Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

India Needs to Reify its Global Nuclear Disarmament Policy

Viewpoint by Pulkit Mohan

India's challenge in asserting its stance on global nuclear disarmament requires a precise articulation of its goals and plans, writes Pulkit Mohan, a Research Intern at India's prestigious Observer Research Foundation. The article first appeared on 28 September 2018, and is being reproduced courtesy the Foundation.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – For India, non-proliferation challenges have warranted special attention both from regional and global contexts for several decades. India's tumultuous relationship with its neighbours and its desire to be a regional and global power has continually shaped the tenets of its nuclear weapons programme and policy.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; OPINION; 08 October 2018

Photo: The two Nobel Peace laureates: and Denis Mukwege. Credit: Amnesty International. Nadia Murad and

UN Hails Nobel Peace Prize Seeking to End Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations has extended an enthusiastic welcome to The Norwegian Nobel Committee's announcement that it has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2017 was awarded to ICAN, the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons "for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition on such weapons."

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 06 October 2018

Photo: Mike Pompeo, then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, meets with North Korea dictator Kim Jong-un over the Easter weekend (March 30 to April 1, 2018). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Pompeo Heads to Pyongyang in Quest of Denuclearization

By Kelsey Davenport & Alicia Sanders-Zakre

Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy and Alicia Sanders-Zakre is research assistant at the Arms Control Association. This article first appeared in the Inaugural Issue: The North Korea Denuclearization Digest on October 3, 2018. It is being reproduced courtesy Arms Control Association. – The Editor

WASHIGTON, D.C. (IDN-INPS) – After a long pause in U.S.-North Korea talks on denuclearization and peace, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Japan, China, North Korea, and South Korea October 6-8. He will visit Pyongyang October 7 and is expected to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un.