The world is suffering from multiple challenges that are setting back our collective push to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030 as planned. Most significant today is the ongoing atrocities happening in Gaza. There’s no shortage of recommendations to jump-start progress. But one key ingredient is missing: robust measurement of
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US presidential candidates rally behind ‘defund the UN’ campaign
In a November campaign stop in Keene, New Hampshire, last year, Ron DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor and U.S. presidential candidate, told voters that it was time to stop spending American taxpayer money on the United Nations. It also provided an opportunity to take a catchy liberal political slogan — “defund
Ukraine war increasingly seen as ‘fought by the poor,’ as Zelensky raises taxes
After the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, Kyiv finds itself at a major crossroads and with no easy options. The demand late last year by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, for the mobilisation of an additional 500,000 troops over the next few months signals both resolve and desperation. It will likely
Is it time for Palestine to be voted UN member state?
The atrocities against Palestinians in a ruthlessly devastated Gaza — with over 21,000 mostly civilian deaths in retaliation to the killings of 1,200 inside Israel —have resurrected a longstanding question: is it time for Palestine to be recognized as a full-fledged UN member state? The question has also been triggered by
How the visionaries of Silicon Valley prioritised profits over technological progress
Extrajudicial deaths fall in Bangladesh, deaths in custody rise
International human rights organisations have been intermittently blaming Bangladesh authorities for appalling human rights abuses and the culture of impunity the perpetrators enjoy for their political clouts. The perpetrators usually do not have to listen to the music of justice, because of their political links, rubbing shoulders in the corridors with
We must mobilize climate finance for fragile states
Climate change is one of the defining existential challenges of our time. According to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, we have crossed the threshold from an era of global warming to one of global boiling; people across the world are suffering from the dramatic consequences of intense heatwaves, droughts,
Tackling global online harms for children and young people
2023 has been a rollercoaster ride for technology enthusiasts and futurists alike. Each passing day brings us stories of artificial intelligence painting vivid pictures in realms previously dominated by human creativity, solving complex equations that would stump many, or even setting up new ventures in the digital marketplace. It’s been
3 keys to deliver on the $2.2b Global Refugee Forum pledges
Israel accused of using white phosphorous violating int’l law?
Israel’s military is accused of using white phosphorous in an October attack on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which allegedly injured at least nine civilians. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said this week the Biden administration was “concerned” about the possible use of white phosphorus munitions and that