by Carl Baudenbacher,* Zurich/Luxembourg
(16 January 2026) The idea of a framework agreement was originally a Swiss invention. The dispute settlement model, on the other hand, is inspired by EU’s agreements with former Soviet republics. The chronicle of a capitulation.
by Joe Lauria,* Special to Consortium News
(9 January 2026) The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a criminal complaint in Sweden to block the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize and $1.18 million to Maria Corina Machado. On Wednesday [17 December] WikiLeaks said:
Hans Köchler,* Austria
I
(24 October 2025) The General Assembly of the United Nations, in its resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986, defined the right to development as an “inalienable human right” in the individual and collective sense. According to Paragraph 2 of Article 1 of the Declaration, this implies that all peoples enjoy the “inalienable right to full sovereignty over all their natural wealth and resources.”
by Hans Köchler*
(12 September 2025) “The time for debate and hesitation has passed …” These were the introductory words chosen by the IPC1 formally declaring famine in Gaza.2 This entirely avoidable, man-made disaster should give us pause. How could the international community – that has been propagating the universal values of humanity in virtually thousands of solemn proclamations and declarations – let this happen, after the unspeakable horrors of the Second World War?
«United Nations Human Rights», Office of the High Commissioner
(11 July 2025) Geneva (3 July 2025) – Israel’s genocide against Palestinians is being sustained by a system of exploitative occupation and profit, a UN expert warned today in a new report to the Human Rights Council that reveals how corporate profiteering and monetary gain has enabled and legitimised Israel’s illegal presence and actions.
Text of speech of Dr. Hans Köchler, President of the International Progress Organization, Vienna
At a special meeting on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, chaired by Vasco M. Samupofu, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia, representatives of UN Member States, of the League of Arab States and other international organizations delivered statements in support of a just settlement of the Palestine problem on the basis of a two-state solution.