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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
Using the ‘F’ Word
If 2016 has reminded us of anything, it is that not only do we not learn from our mistakes but we keep repeating them. For a species that is constantly challenging scientific, medical and technological boundaries, we seem incapable of moving forward on a social and moral level. 'Never again' is a phrase we use to appease ourselves, showing that we have acknowledged or condemned an incident, a group of people or whatever the latest outrage or media sensation might be. But here we are witnessing countries being ravaged by war, cities decimated, millions displaced and killed – in the name of religion and in service of greed and political ambition. To commit an act of evil, as they say, only requires good people to do nothing. Whether it is at the level of governments or wider society, we need both to understand and to take responsibility for the consequences of our (in)actions. In a world where truth and accountability have taken a backseat, however, this seems highly unlikely.
No More Mass Deaths from Drought in Northeast Brazil
The drought that has plagued Brazil’s semiarid Northeast region since 2012 is already more severe than the 1979-1983 drought, the longest in the 20th century. But prolonged dry spells no longer cause the tragedies of the past.
G77 Expresses “Deep Appreciation” to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
The Group of 77 has expressed its “deepest appreciation” to outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “for his service and dedication to the United Nations over the past ten years.”
Politics of Urban Water
It was sadly ironic that on Dec 27, 2016, while the political leadership of Sindh was busy taking a dig at their political rivals, the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry was constituting a judicial commission to investigate the poor state of drinking water in Pakistan’s largest city. The two-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, asked the Sindh High Court chief justice to nominate a serving high court judge to head the commission.
Immunisation and Inequality in 2016
Childhood immunisation is one of the safest and most cost-effective health interventions available, yet many of the world's most vulnerable children continue to miss out. A World Health Organisation report entitled State of inequality: childhood immunisation was released last week. While the report is mostly good news, immunisation rates are up and many countries have eradicated diseases entirely, a large population of children remain unimmunised.
Battle Lines Drawn Over Indian Mega Mine
Among those leading the fight against the massive Indian-owned Carmichael coal project in Australia’s Queensland state is 21-year-old Murrawah Johnson of the Wangan and Jagalingou aboriginal people, the traditional owners of the land where the proposed mine is to be located.
More Than 50 Internet Shutdowns in 2016
Governments around the world shut down the internet more than 50 times in 2016 - suppressing elections, slowing economies and limiting free speech.
Reporting from Inside a Refugee Detention Centre
Despite being locked up in an Australian detention centre on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani has continued reporting - gaining bylines and media attention around the world. Journalism is the reason Boochani was forced to flee his home country of Iran, and - like the other 900 men detained indefinitely on Manus Island - seek refuge in Australia.
How the US Government Subsidizes Obesity
Until the turn of the century, the United States of America (US) was the country with the highest share of overweight and obese people. Soon after the former president of Coca-Cola Mexico became the new president of his country, Mexico overtook the US.
Islamic Nations to Host Pledging Conference on Aid to Yemen
While the international community remains intensely pre-occupied with the six-year-old civil war ravaging Syria, the ongoing military conflict in Yemen has triggered a relatively neglected humanitarian crises threatening to explode.
Family Planning in the Philippines: Stalled Again
With the landslide victory of the tough talking city mayor of Davao City, Roberto Duterte to the Presidency of the Philippines in May 2016, news reports of the South-East Asian country have been dominated by the President's often controversial statements and policies, especially toward those involved in the illegal drug trade. One such notable event, which slipped below the radar was the granting of a second temporary restraining order in 2016 by the country's Supreme Court on the distribution of most contraceptives.
The Wrong Man
It was the week before Christmas and, like all cities in the Western world, Berlin was lit up, the air was cold and the mood festive. At the Christmas market near the Zoologischer Garten train station, people milled about shopping and enjoying themselves.
Violence: An Inevitable Outcome of a World Unequal
What do you think about when you think about violence against women? Do you think about sexual harassment on the streets? Or on public transportation, like buses? Do you think about the criminal justice system? Do you think of incarcerated women? Do you think about workplace harassment of women? Do you think of violence taking place within institutions – schools, hospitals, universities, churches, and mosques? Or do you think about domestic violence? Marital rape? Wife-beating?
Managing Bangladesh’s Dwindling Water Resources
Experts at Bangladesh’s National Water Convention 2016 in Dhaka urged the sustainable management and conservation of water as the country braces for a water crisis due to wastage, river pollution, declining groundwater tables and intrusion of salinity.
Bringing South Africa’s Small-Scale Miners Out of the Shadows
In a country with unemployment rising above 25 percent, South Africans are increasingly looking for job creation in small-scale mining, an often-informal industry that provides a living for millions across the continent.
Quality Water for All a Life and Death Issue in Bangladesh
There is no exaggerating how crucial water is for human survival, particularly in countries like Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by rivers. The level of water in a river here directly affects the lifestyles and livelihoods of the people living on its two sides, so much so that rivers and water bodies of varied sizes are an inseparable part of Bengali culture and heritage.
Arms Trade Treaty Falling Down in Yemen
Two years after the UN Arms Trade Treaty entered into force many of the governments which championed the treaty are failing to uphold it, especially when it comes to the conflict in Yemen.
US Heads for Political Showdown with UN
The United States has had a longstanding love-hate relationship with the United Nations ever since 1952 when the world body began operations in New York city on an 18-acre piece of land which housed an abattoir where cattle was being trucked daily for slaughter.
Bio-Product Targeting Deadly Toxin Holds Hope for Africa’s Food
As food contaminants, aflatoxins are amongst the deadliest. Between 2004 and 2007, contaminated maize killed nearly 200 people in Kenya, left hundreds hospitalised and rendered millions of bags of maize unfit for consumption.
Threats to Freedom of Expression in the Social Networks
Email surveillance, blocking of websites with content that is awkward for governments, or the interruption of services such as WhatsApp are symptoms of the threat to freedom of expression online, according to Latin American activists.
A “Selective” Concern for Universal Human Rights?
As Human Rights Day approached this Dec. 10, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) issued a statement urging all governments to join in the fight for universal equality and justice.Next Page »
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
