Geoffrey P. Johnston
The Whig-Standard
Ontario, Canada
Contact Geoffrey
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Past articles by Geoffrey:
Pandemic reverses progress on hunger and malnutrition
According to a joint report issued by five international humanitarian agencies, the world is not making headway in the global campaign to achieve zero hunger… → Read More
It's time to free the ‘two Michaels’ now
Earlier this week, Canada hosted the virtual launch of an international human rights campaign against the arbitrary arrest and detention of innocent foreign… → Read More
Syrian kids face challenges
In Canada, we take it for granted that our children will attend school, acquire knowledge and skills, and prepare for a productive future. But for Syrian refugee kids living in Lebanon, the reality is very different--and heartbreaking. → Read More
Syrian refugee children suffering
Syrian refugee children continue to suffer. But do you even care? → Read More
Lead NATO, not destroy it
Next week, leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will gather at the western alliance's new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss matters of common defence, but the summit will likely be a tense and acrimonious event, possibly ending in a flurry of angry tweets from U.S. President Donald Trump. → Read More
Helen Clark offers advice
Helen Clark is a trailblazer. She overcame sexism in New Zealand, making history by becoming the first woman to be elected prime minister of the island nation, serving from 1999 to 2008. And after a successful stint as head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Clark was considered to be the frontrunner to become UN secretary general → Read More
Helen Clark challenged sexism
Earlier this month, former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark was in Ottawa to receive an honorary doctorate from Carleton University and to attend a screening of the documentary film My Year with Helen, which chronicles her inspiring but ultimately unsuccessful 2016 campaign for the position of UN secretary general. → Read More
Canadian-American relations
Donald Trump, the American president, needs a lesson in Canadian-American interdependence, because he clearly does not understand or appreciate how mutually dependent Canada and the United States are on bilateral trade. → Read More
Legal regimes fail to protect
We are constantly bombarded with news stories and images of children under siege from brutal regimes, blood-thirsty insurgents and religious extremists. → Read More
Laws need to be implemented
The many conflicts and wars raging around the world have different underlying causes and defy easy comparisons. However, in every conflict and war, children find themselves under siege. → Read More
Talk cheap on girls education
When it comes to protecting the right of every girl to receive an education even in times of conflict and war, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talks a good game. But when it comes to actually addressing attacks on schools and schoolchildren, talk is cheap. → Read More
Violence imperils schoolchildren
Going to school should not expose children to deadly violence, abduction by soldiers and/or insurgent groups, or sexual violence at the hands of combatants. But for many schoolchildren around the world, simply attending classes is a living nightmare and a test of courage. → Read More
Is Trump-Kim summit a trap?
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet in Singapore on June 12 to discuss peace on the Korean Peninsula and the possible de-nuclearization of the rogue state that threatens the security of South Korea, Japan, and the United States. → Read More
Sexual violence used as a weapon
It is an infuriating and tragic reality that sexual violence -- most often in the form of sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse -- permeates every society. It is a scourge that afflicts every race, creed, colour and economic class around the globe. → Read More
Women, children suffer most
The mass exodus of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has created a major humanitarian crisis in the densely populated refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, where women and children tend to suffer the most. → Read More
Rohingya refugees endure misery
Last summer, Myanmar's powerful military launched a brutal campaign in the country's restive Rakhine State, targeting the Rohingya, a distinct ethnic group that embraces Islam. → Read More
Challenging conventional wisdom
Just because an idea enjoys widespread acceptance in society does not make it correct. Nor should the popularity of an idea make it unassailable. → Read More
Defending liberty in 21st century
Freedom should never be taken for granted. Liberty is precious and must always be protected and nourished. → Read More
Humanitarian sector needs new protocol
Editor’s note: This is the final instalment of an investigative series examining sexual misconduct perpetrated by staff members of various humanitarian organizations. → Read More
Sex abuse plagues United Nations
Editor’s note: This multiple-part investigative series examines sexual misconduct perpetrated by staff members of various humanitarian organizations. → Read More