Trade : MAI at WTO under new avatar of MIF? (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Russia, China, and Brazil appear to have intensified efforts to resurrect the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) under a new avatar called Multilateral Investment Facilitation (MIF) rules at the World Trade Organization.

United Nations : Positive signs as Asia-Pacific moves towards SDGs (PRIV)
(IPS, Bangkok)
With just over a year since the adoption of a historic blueprint to end poverty and protect the planet, positive signs have already started to emerge among countries in the Asia-Pacific region as they push ahead with the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

United Nations : A transformational moment in nuclear & international affairs? (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
Is a paradigm shift now underway on nuclear weapons at the United Nations?

Bangladesh : Autism - reducing discrimination through innovation (PRIV)
(IPS, Dhaka)
Within the last 5 years, thanks to political support and national education, autism awareness in Bangladesh has grown immensely.

Nicaragua : Journalism under siege (PRIV)
(IPS, Managua)
During the 161st session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an empty chair across from the OAS Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Edison Lanzas, sums up the Nicaraguan government's relationship with this issue in the country: absence.