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Photo: United Nations Headquarters in New York City, view from Roosevelt Island. CC BY-SA 3.0

Support for Abolishing First-Class Tickets for Senior UN Staff

By J Nastranis

UNITED NATIONS (IDN) – UN Secretary-General António Guterres' proposal that high-ranking officials fly business class rather than first class – to help rein in one of the most expensive aspects of the Organization's budget – is finding support in the Administrative and Budgetary Committee, also known as the Fifth Committee.

Next to staff costs, travel accounts for one of the largest budget components of the United Nations system, making it one of the largest consumers of travel services among international organizations. From 2012 to 2015, air travel and related expenses totalled $4.01 billion, according to the Joint Inspection Unit report.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 19 March 2018

Photo: Central Asian Presidents meeting in Astana on 15 March 2018. Credit: The Astana Times

Central Asian Leaders Follow Up on Discussions During Kazakh Security Council Presidency

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – When Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev spoke at a high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on 'non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: confidence-building measures' on January 18, the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian countries attended the event. Kazakhstan convened the briefing in its capacity as the Council President for the month of January.

: Santo D. Banerjee; CENTRAL ASIA; 19 March 2018

Economic Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region and the One Belt One Road Initiative: A Threat or an Opportunity?

Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona

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

COLOMBO (IDN) – The Indian Ocean region is experiencing a fondly anticipated luxury. Almost every one of the economies of the region is expanding at a rate that gives hope to the entire region, especially to its poor and marginalised. The promise of prosperity enthusiastically proclaimed at independence from colonial rule, so many decades ago, may at last become a reality. India is powering ahead with an anticipated growth rate of 7.3% and now is ahead of China.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 19 March 2018

Photo: Boy stands in front of debris as hurricane Irma moves off from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Credit: UNICEF

Caribbean Faith Leaders Call for Debt Relief and More

By J C Suresh

TORONTO (IDN) – Ahead of the next hurricane season in the Caribbean, faith leaders are calling for action from government leaders, the United Nations system, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and regional development institutions.

A statement signed and endorsed by 22 religious leaders from Grenada to Saint Lucia is urging the establishment of debt relief as an instrument for emergency support and reconstruction.

"Across the Caribbean, we still see immense suffering from the hurricanes that landed last year," said Jubilee USA Executive Director Eric LeCompte who endorsed the statement. "Islands that are struggling to recover after natural disasters and meet basic needs of their people should not be making debt payments."

: J C Suresh; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 18 March 2018

Photo: ITB Berlin 2018 - Opening Gala. Credit: Messe Berlin.

World's Major Tourism Fair Underlines the Significance of Sustainable Development

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN (IDN) – The number of tourists around the world grew in 2017 to an all-time record of 7 percent to reach 1.3 billion. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), 10 percent of the world’s jobs, and 7 percent of the world’s total exports.

The need to turn these figures into benefits for all people and all communities, "leaving no one behind" – as required by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in September 2015 – was also the subject of ITB 2018, the Berlin travel trade fair in March.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 18 March 2018

Photo: A glimpse of the conference. Credit: WUNABN

Under-representation of Women in UN System is Mendable

By Fausia Abdoel*

VIENNA (IDN) – Women are under-represented at the managerial and leadership levels within the United Nations system. The world body intends to mend this situation and achieve gender parity at all levels by 2028.

But indications are that it's going be an uphill task. Statistics published by UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, show that at the current average annual increment from the P-3 to upper-managerial levels it would take on average 22 years to achieve gender parity in all United Nations agencies. In line with the status of gender parity at a global scale it will take 217 years.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 17 March 2018

Photo: Opening session of 61st Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on March 12, 2018 in Vienna by UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov (fourth from left). Credit: UNODC

UN Achieves Consensus on Addressing the Drug Menace

By Jaya Ramachandran

VIENNA (IDN) – Enhancing international cooperation to combat the synthetic opioid crisis, removing stigma as a barrier to the availability and delivery of health care and social services for people who use drugs is part of eleven resolutions the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) has endorsed. The five-day gathering from March 12-16 in Vienna also started preparations for the CND's ministerial segment at the 2019 session.

Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message at the opening session of the 61st Commission on Narcotic Drugs: "With the UN General Assembly special session consensus as our blueprint, we can promote efforts to stop organized crime while protecting human rights, enabling development and ensuring rights-based treatment and support."

: Jaya Ramachandran; UN INSIDER; 17 March 2018

Photo: John Bob Ranck, Chief Executive Officer and President at Orbis International. Credit: Naimul Haq | IDN-INPS

Why Eye Care is Important – for Bangladesh and Other Countries

By Naimul Haq

DHAKA (IDN) – John Bob Ranck, also known as Bob, Chief Executive Officer and President at Orbis International, recently visited Bangladesh on a special mission. He travelled to some of the hospitals where Orbis as a partner has been supporting Bangladesh’s efforts in addressing avoidable blindness.

Bob, a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General, came to Bangladesh a few weeks after the memorable visit of the teaching hospital or better known as the Flying Eye Hospital’s (FEH) training programme in Bangladesh.

: Naimul Haq; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 16 March 2018

Obama Foundation To Launch Leaders Africa Program in July

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Obama Foundation, which aims "to inspire and empower people to change their world", is launching a 'Leaders Africa Program', and is seeking to identify a group of emerging African leaders from all sectors – government, civil society, and the private sector.

They should have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the common good, reports New York based africa.com. "The objective of the program is to build a growing network of innovative and ethical changemakers, who seek to drive positive change in their communities."

: Santo D. Banerjee; NEWSBRIEFS; 16 March 2018

– 15 March 2018] Photo: Some of the shops that were set on fire at Katugastota near Sri Lanka’s Kandy city on March 7, 2018. Credit: Meera Srinivasan | The Hindu

Sri Lankan Academics Abroad Condemn Violence Against Muslim Community

By Shanta Roy

NEW YORK (IDN) – A group of Sri Lankan academics teaching in educational institutions abroad – and numbering about 50 – has written to condemn ongoing violence against Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, especially the “brutal attacks” perpetrated early March.

In a letter published by 'Groundviews', they say: “We are outraged that the government has failed to act speedily and decisively to stop the violence and bring those responsible to justice. The government must act firmly to prevent more destruction and bloodshed.”