Development & Aid

2017 World Water Week: ‘Water and Waste: Reduce and Reuse’

By IPS World Desk
With a growing global population, a rise in energy and industrial production, the demand for water is reaching new levels.

Jordan Abolishes Law Allowing Rapists to Avoid Prosecution

By IPS World Desk
In just three weeks time, two Arab countries adopted major steps to combat violence against women, with Jordan abolishing a law allowing rapists to avoid prosecution by marrying their victims, while Tunisia adopting its first national law to prevent gender-based violence and provide support to survivors.

Buffalo Revive Local Economy in Remote Bay of Bengal Islands

By Shahiduzzaman
Visitors might be confused after arriving in Char Chatkimarai, a tiny island of eight square miles situated in the extreme south of Bangladesh close to the Bay of Bengal. Many might think they have just landed in an amazing part of a big national park of buffalo.

Who is Latin America and the Caribbean leaving behind?

By Jessica Faieta
Last month at the High Level Political Forum in New York, more than 40 countries - 11 from Latin America and the Caribbean - shared their progress in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), within the new 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Union Conflict Rages on in South Africa

By Linda Flood
It was two thirty at night. Inside his home, the telephone rang. Sibongile Nota’s brother’s life drew nearer its end. A few minutes passed, the telephone rang again. His brother was now dead.

Climate Migrants Might Reach One Billion by 2050

By Baher Kamal
Imagine a world with as many as one billion people facing harsh climate change impacts resulting in devastating droughts and/or floods, extreme weather, destruction of natural resources, in particular lands, soils and water, and the consequence of severe livelihoods conditions, famine and starvation.

South Asia Faces Fury of Floods

By Farid Ahmed
Aid agencies warn of a serious unfolding humanitarian crisis as floodwaters continue to inundate new areas of three South Asian countries, forcing millions of people to flee their homes for shelters.

Civilians Increasingly Bearing Burden of Armed Conflicts in Arab Region

By Dr. Hanif Hassan Al Qassim
The war in Syria has now entered its 6th year and is becoming the world’s worst man-made disaster.

Women Slowly Break Barriers in Bangladesh

By Mahfuzur Rahman
When one thinks of Bangladesh, its political leadership naturally comes to mind as the leaders of the country’s major parties are women, including the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and the Speaker of the National Parliament.

Soy Changes Map of Brazil, Set to Become World’s Leading Producer

By Mario Osava
“Our wealth lies in the climate, not in the land,” said Antonio Galván, president of the Rural Union of Sinop, a municipality created just 37 years ago, which has prospered due to the continued expansion of soy in Brazil.

When Policies Speak the Same Language, Africa’s Trade and Investment Will Listen

By Busani Bafana
The rising Maputo-Catembe Bridge is a hard-to-miss addition to Mozambique’s shoreline.

Minamata Convention, Curbing Mercury Use, is Now Legally Binding

By IPS World Desk
The Minamata Convention -- a legally-binding landmark treaty, described as the first new environmental agreement in over a decade – entered into force August 16.

Wonder Woman Should STILL be a UN Ambassador

By Felix Dodds
I realize it’s a lot easier saying this now after the film of the same name has come out and has taken over $400 million in US box office receipts. It is at present taken the 8th most revenue for a super hero comic book ever.

Population Aging: Hallmark of the 21st Century

By Joseph Chamie
While rapid population growth may be the defining feature of the 20th century, with world population nearly quadrupling from 1.6 to 6.1 billion, the hallmark of the 21st century is likely to be population aging.

What Does “Climate-Smart Agriculture” Really Mean? New Tool Breaks It Down

By Desmond Brown
A Trinidadian scientist has developed a mechanism for determining the degree of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) compliance with respect to projects, processes and products.

Will Renewable Energies Finally Get Their Chance in Argentina?

By Daniel Gutman
The first thing anyone who looks at any official document this year in Argentina will read is: “2017, the year of renewable energies.” This indicates the importance that the government gives to the issue, although translating the slogan into reality does not seem as easy as putting it in the headings of public documents.

Yemen: African Migrants Beaten, Starved, Sexually Violated by Criminal Groups

By Baher Kamal
African migrants who arrive on Yemen’s shores --that’s if they are not forced into the sea to drown—risk to fall in the hands of criminal networks who hold them captive for several days to extort money in exchange for their “freedom,” according to UN sources.

One in 10 Displaced Syrians Returned Home

By IPS World Desk
This year alone, between January and July, 602,759 displaced Syrians returned home, according to reports from the UN Migration Agency and implementing partners on the ground. Around 6 million Syrians currently remain displaced within their own country.

Women Build Rural Infrastructure in Bangladesh

By Shahiduzzaman
Breaking all the social barriers and taboos, poor women in Bangladesh are now engaged in rural development works across the country as labourers.

Promise or Peril? Africa’s 830 Million Young People by 2050

By John Dramani Mahama and Siddharth Chatterjee
Last month, Spanish charity workers rescued 167 migrants arriving from Africa aboard a small boat.

Smugglers Throw Hundreds of African Migrants Off Boats Headed to Yemen

By IPS World Desk
A total of 300 migrants have reportedly been forced from boats over the past two days by smugglers off the coast of Yemen – many feared dead or missing, the United Nations migration agency has reported.
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