28 July 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Jeffrey Sachs
• Source: The Edge Malaysia

The G8 Summit in Japan earlier this month was a painful demonstration of the pitiful state of global cooperation. The world is in deepening crisis. Food prices are soaring. Oil prices are at historic highs. The leading economies are entering a recession. Climate change negotiations are going around in circles. Aid to the poorest countries is stagnant, despite years of promised increases. And yet, in this gathering storm, it was hard to find a single real accomplishment by the world’s leaders. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Development, The Environment, United Nations Reform

27 July 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Author: K. Z. Islam
• Source: The Daily Star

WHAT is the yardstick and rationale for forming an international organisation? Is it military might? Is it financial strength? Is it the level of GDP? Or is it population? There can be various combinations for forming an international organisation. (more…)

Filed by Ivana Jankovic under United Nations Reform

9 July 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Eric Talmadge
• Source: Associated Press Newswires

RUSUTSU, Japan (AP) - Despite its name, this year’s Group of Eight summit had a cast of more than two dozen — and leaders said they will keep inviting heads of state from all over the world to give a global spin to its annual meetings.

Giving others equal status, however, is another matter. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Multilateral Trade, Development, United Nations Reform

1 July 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Source: Jiji Press English News Service

As chair of this year’s Group of Eight summit, Japan is uneasy about a French proposal to enlarge the G-8 forum to include emerging economies, fearing a possible decline in the country’s international influence.

Japanese officials are worried that if China and India were admitted to the annual summit, Japan’s presence as Asia’s only representative would be diminished. (more…)

Filed by Ozlem Yucel under Other, United Nations Reform

28 June 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Source: Kyodo News

TOKYO, June 28 — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will arrive Saturday afternoon in Japan, the first leg of his two-week Asia tour that will also take him to South Korea and China and include attendance at the Group of Eight summit in Japan’s Hokkaido.

In Japan, Ban will hold talks with Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and other officials. (more…)

Filed by Marina Garbutt under United Nations Reform

25 May 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Keya Acharya
• Source: Inter Press Service

India is missing out on an opportunity to represent developing countries’ interests in the ongoing debate over how to fortify the United Nations Environment Program, according to a leading expert on international environment law.
(more…)

Filed by Nicole Cargill under The Environment, United Nations Reform

12 March 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Source: States News Service

Given the evolution of the situation in Afghanistan over the past two years — an insurgency that had proven to be more resilient and more ruthless than anyone had imagined, still fragile Afghan governmental institutions susceptible to corrosive corruption and a massive illegal drug economy thriving in the vacuum of State authority and abetting the insurgency — there was a need to confront those challenges and make some course corrections, the Security Council was told today. (more…)

Filed by Nicole Cargill under Development, Transnational Crime, Terrorism, Arms Control, Proliferation and WMD, Democratization and Human Rights, United Nations Reform

28 February 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Source: UNI (United News of India)

Kolkata, Feb. 28 — French ambassador in India Jerome Bonnafont today said India should be made a permanent member in the UN Security Council and advocated for expansion of G-8 to accomodate India and other developing countries like China and Brazil to make it meaningful existence.

Supporting India’s quest for civilian nuclear facility for energy sector, Mr Bonnafont said France would continue to support India for producing clean energy. (more…)

Filed by Keenan Dixon under United Nations Reform

25 February 2008
For Personal Use Only

• Source: States News Service

The following information was released by the United Nations:
Opening the current session of the Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly resolution 51/210, Chairman Roham Perera ( Sri Lanka) said substantial work had been accomplished in furthering the Committee’s mandate to negotiate a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
During the session, Mr. Perera said the Committee could contribute to strengthening the legal framework of instruments to combat terrorism by making progress in negotiations and achieving a compromise solution on the text of the draft comprehensive convention. In the coming weeks, delegations would have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment through engaging in informal consultations and bilateral contacts.

(more…)

Filed by Anita Li under Terrorism, United Nations Reform

20 December 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Source: UNI (United News of India)

Report from UNI brought to you by HT Syndication.

New Delhi, Dec. 21 — France today said it wanted India in the UN Security Council and the G-8 grouping to challenge the old process where the US was the main player.

‘’We want to see India on the UN Security Council'’ to challenge the old process of the US dominating it, visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told a press conference. (more…)

Filed by Catherine Tsalikis under United Nations Reform

10 November 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Chuang Peck Ming
• Source: Business Times Singapore

POLICYMAKERS must live and cope with two key issues today: the large scale and fast pace of change; and global inter-dependence, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday.

There is no escape from them, he said at a public lecture in Singapore hosted by The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS). (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under Other, Development, Climate Change, Terrorism, United Nations Reform

24 October 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Source: Jiji Press English News Service

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–The top leaders of Japan and Germany on Wednesday confirmed close cooperation in the fight against global warming.

In telephone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said it is necessary to build an effective international framework on climate change. (more…)

Filed by Amadeus Domaradzki under The Environment, Climate Change, United Nations Reform

25 September 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Source: Financial Times

Angela Merkel, German chancellor, will today seek to build on her success as a climate change powerbroker by calling on members of the United Nations to take”concerted action” on the issue by the end of this year, her aides said yesterday.

The German leader, who won international praise in June for finding consensus with the US on global warming at the G8 rich nations’ summit in northern Germany, will tell the UN General Assembly that unity with emerging economies is needed to limit greenhouse emissions by mid-century.

Yet Ms Merkel’s speech - her first appearance as chancellor before the UN - is also being seen in Berlin as reinforcing her strong domestic standing, at a time of increasing political strains within her ruling coalition on security and other issues. (more…)

Filed by Ivana Jankovic under The Environment, Climate Change, United Nations Reform

3 August 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
• Source: Inter Press Service

(c) 2007 Global Information Network

NEW DELHI–Brazil’s Foreign Minister believes that cooperation among developing countries can change the way people perceive the world.

The foreign minister, Celso Amorim, also heads his country’s delegation in multilateral trade negotiations. He said that cooperation among developing countries can make developed countries become more responsive to the aspirations of developing and least-developed nations. (more…)

Filed by Maria Robson under Multilateral Trade, Investment and Competition Policy, Development, Energy and Nuclear Safety, United Nations Reform

17 July 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Source: Asian News International

© Copyright 2007. Hindustan Times Media Limited. All rights reserved.

New Delhi, July 17 — India today sought civil nuclear energy cooperation from Brazil and South Africa, ahead of talks on a landmark deal with the U.S.

Brazil and South Africa on Tuesday agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of atomic energy with India at a trilateral meeting at Hyderabad House here. (more…)

Filed by Maria Robson under Multilateral Trade, Development, Climate Change, Energy and Nuclear Safety, Terrorism, United Nations Reform

3 July 2007
For Personal Use Only

• Author: Barry Hatton
• Source: Associated Press Newswires

LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Brazil’s growing international stature has persuaded the European Union to offer Latin America’s largest country a political and economic alliance at a summit Wednesday.

The 27-nation bloc wants to make Brazil one of its “strategic partners” alongside China, India and Russia, the world’s three other major developing economies. (more…)

Filed by Maria Robson under Multilateral Trade, Development, Climate Change, Energy and Nuclear Safety, Democratization and Human Rights, United Nations Reform