Trade : Switzerland to host virtual ministerial meeting on 29 January (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
Switzerland has decided not to convene the annual informal trade ministerial meeting "for once, on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos" due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

United Nations : Shifting conversations in multi-faceted policymaking (PRIV)
(IPS, Bangkok)
As the people of Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga gear up as the first nations to welcome 2021, communities around the Asia-Pacific region and beyond look forward to bidding farewell to the most tumultuous year in recent decades.

PNG : Mining giant Rio Tinto faces environmental, human rights complaint (PRIV)
(IPS, Canberra)
Local communities in the vicinity of the abandoned Panguna copper mine, have taken decisive action to hold the global mining multinational, Rio Tinto, accountable for alleged environmental and human rights violations during the mine's operations between 1972 and 1989.

Rights : How women-centred digital platforms can enhance empowerment (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
A cherished snapshot of a happy mother and a smiling grandmother is universally associated with a good childhood.