Among a set of proposals that Katoikos’ parent institution, the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability (FOGGS) has put forward for a “modern, effective, ethical and people-centred United Nations”, is the introduction of a global holiday. Over the past several decades, 21 September has been celebrated by the United Nations as International Day of Peace….
The first signs are quite worrisome. The US Administration is talking about “Maduro regime” and using its dominance of the financial transaction system to orchestrate a change of government in Venezuela. President Trump and his team support the claims of National Assembly leader Juan Guiado, who has declared himself Interim President. Several Latin American countries…
1.3 bln people are economically, socially, politically or culturally poor. In too many cases, decades of development aid couldn’t stop the rising inequality.
In a context of global temperature increase, the Secretary–General of the United Nations António Guterres warns: “We cannot afford to fail in Katowice”
UN’s accomplishments aren’t yet sufficient for the challenge of climate change. The time for lip service and negotiations is over – full mobilization is needed.
International finger-pointing exacerbates rising tensions. Only a thorough investigation can reveal those responsible for the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoum.
The UN’s 22n climate change conference, or COP22 as it is broadly known, ended in Marrakech, Morocco. Trump’s election cast a shadow over its relative successes.
Antonio Guterres, former socialist Prime Minister of Portugal and until last year head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has emerged as the broadly accepted choice to replace UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, whose term ends on 31 December 2016. Mr. Guterres has been the frontrunner in all six informal votes held at the 15-member Security Council of the United Nations in New York in the recent months. Before that he had presented his vision for the United Nations to the 193 members of the UN General Assembly and had participated in debates and other events, as did the other declared candidates for the job.
This year’s summit of the G20 took place from 4 to 5 September in Hangzhou, China. The agenda once again went beyond the classical economic issues of growth, trade and investment, and covered climate change, the 2030 Agenda or Sustainable Development, Brexit and even terrorism and health issues. These summits are gradually turning into sessions of some kind of a Global Economic Security Council, if not of a Global Directorate bringing together the most important established and emerging world powers. Should the G20 remain a stage for those preferring the freedom of ad hoc actions than global multilateral scrutiny, or should it be integrated into the more legitimate UN structures, revitalizing them at the same time?
UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, caused a stir a few days ago when he admitted publicly that he had agreed to remove a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia from a list of armies attacking civilians, because the Saudi government and its allies had threatened to stop funding UN humanitarian activities in Palestine and elsewhere.
