SUSTAINABILITY

Photo: Two Australian soldiers during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in Afghanistan. CC BY 2.0

Allegations of War Crimes by Australian Forces in Afghanistan Shock the Nation

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) – The release of a report into a landmark four-year investigation into the behaviour of Australians special forces known as the SAS (Special Air Service) in Afghanistan, seem to have shocked the nation, judging from newspaper headlines on November 20. Yet, for many who opposed Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan war, this is not surprising and such a report came too late. A whistle blower who leaked information to the media in 2018 of these atrocities is facing criminal charges for stealing state secrets.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 20 November 2020

New Report Sparks Anxiety About COVID-19 Wrecking UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | GENEVA (IDN) – UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has stressed the need to address the frailties of globalization that led to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its uneven economic impacts, gravely wounding the world economy with serious consequences for everyone. He hopes that the situation would prove to be 'course-altering' and a catalyst for change. "We need to reshape global production networks and reset multilateral cooperation for the better," he says.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 20 November 2020

UNAI Celebrates 10th Anniversary Stressing Partnership with Universities Worldwide

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) – United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), launched in 2010 as an initiative to align colleges and universities with the work of the United Nations, celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 18. The program has more than 1500 members in 147 countries, all applying their academic inquiry, research and innovation to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges while educating the next generation of global leaders.

: Caroline Mwanga; UN INSIDER; 19 November 2020

Australia: Environmentalists' Market 40 Years on Going Strong

By Kalinga Seneviratne

CHANNON (IDN) – At the peak of the hippie movement in the West, in 1976, the traditional farming village here in this scenic setting was a battleground between loggers and environmentalists who had travelled from across Australia, to stop the clear-felling of the rainforest at Terania Creek close by. This was the first direct action protest in Australia.

Many of the environmentalists decided to settle in the region, buying cheap agricultural land and setting up communities with a "back to the land" philosophy.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 17 November 2020

Photo: Maxwell Matewere, addresses a local community in Malawi about the threat of human trafficking. Credit: UNODC

How I am Combating Human Trafficking in Malawi

By Maxwell Matewere

A Malawian crime prevention expert with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Maxwell Matewere, has been active in the anti-human trafficking field for more than two decades. The following is being republished from UN News,

LILONGWE (IDN) – I was a young, recent law graduate when I first experienced the horrors of human trafficking. It was in 1998. I was working for a human rights NGO and attending a workshop in South Africa. A taxi driver told me about two girls from my home country who worked in a bar in Johannesburg. He was very concerned about them.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 16 November 2020

Photo: A girl stands outside her home in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Credit: UNICEF/Tanya Bindra

World Future Council Joins the UN in Calling for an End to Fighting in Ethiopia

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – With the Ethiopia domestic conflict further escalating, the World Future Council has called upon conflicting parties to "end the devastating infighting, to respect international humanitarian law and provide safety for all the country citizens, specifically children, women and the elderly".

The call comes in the wake of the United Nations reporting a considerable concern about military operations and airstrikes that have taken place in Tigray and Eritrea impacting on civilians, including women and children.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 16 November 2020

Photo: Fire at Kilimanjaro National Park, United Republic of Tanzania. Credit: TANAPA/TANAPA

Kilimanjaro Threatened by Fires Which Shaped It

Viewpoint by Andreas Hemp*

BAYREUTH (IDN) – In October 2020, firefighters in Tanzania had to tackle a number of fires on Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain and the largest free-standing mountain in the world. The mountain and surrounding forests fall into Kilimanjaro National Park, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Andreas Hemp provides a glimpse into the mountain’s natural environment and the challenges it faces.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 15 November 2020

Why Cybersecurity for Small Businesses is More Necessary Now Than Ever Before

By J W Jackie

RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Nearly one-fifth of small businesses experienced either a hack, virus or data breach in 2019, according to data from B2B site The Manifest. While this proves that small businesses are indeed vulnerable to cyber attacks, it also serves as a warning to others that makes proper security precautions a necessity in 2020 and beyond. From the consequences that being unprepared can bring to the reasons behind why small businesses are such a target, prioritizing cybersecurity is critical as hackers continue to get smarter.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Industrialisation; 15 November 2020

Photo: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left), US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (centre), and then-tourism minister Yariv Levin (right) during a meeting to discuss mapping extension of Israeli sovereignty to areas of the West Bank, held in the Ariel settlement, February 24, 2020. Credit: David Azagury/US Embassy Jerusalem.

Biden Administration Will Help Stem the Slide into A De Facto Bi-National State Reality

Viewpoint by Avi Gil

The writer is a former diplomat, who served under Shimon Peres for almost 30 years in various capacities. Ambassador Gil has been closely involved in Israel's policy-making and peace efforts, including the negotiations that led to the Oslo Accords. This article is being republished from The Blogs in the Times of Israel.

JERUSALEM (IDN) – Trump’s defeat marks the end of the Israeli right’s four-year celebration. At the global level, Trump has significantly intensified the erosion of the liberal world order. In a world where human rights are underrated, the on-going Israeli occupation provokes less condemnation, and the Palestinian plight has been pushed off the agenda.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 14 November 2020

Photo: A deadly shipwreck off the coast of Senegal have taken at least 414 lives in 2020, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Source: UNDP

Shipwreck Off Senegalese Coast Prods UN to Call for Dismantling Trafficking and Smuggling Networks

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Migrants around the world are continuing their desperate flights for survival even though rescue efforts have slowed, and rich countries are building higher walls against the asylum seekers.

The deadliest shipwreck of the year occurred most recently off the coast of Senegal where at least 140 people drowned after a boat carrying around 200 migrants sank, according to the UN migration agency (IOM).