Development & Aid

America First as a Threat to Mulitlateralism

By Jan Lundius
On 25 April, Joseph Biden announced his candidacy for the US presidency, declaring that his decision was based on fears of Trump being re-elected:

Internal Displacement “Deserves Visibility”

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
More people are displaced inside their own countries than ever before, and only higher figures can be expected without urgent long-term action, a new report found.

An Urgent Need to Advance Peace

By Dr Marina Caparini
Let us be blunt: the world is in crisis. Peace, human rights, our planetary ecosystem, and our systems of conflict management and global governance are under enormous strain.

As Fathers Die, Kashmir’s Children Become Breadwinners

By Umar Manzoor Shah
Mubeen Ahmad was nine years old when his mother sold him into service to a mechanic for the petty sum of few thousand Indian rupees. His mother had found it hard to support the family after his father, a labourer, was killed during one of the anti-India protests in Jammu and Kashmir in 2008.

Aid Organisations Welcome New Development Chief

By Roger Hamilton-Martin
International aid organisations have reacted positively to the appointment of new UK International Secretary of State for Development, Rory Stewart.

Is UAE Leading the Way for Concentrated Solar Power in GCC?

By Sania Aziz Rahman
In April 2019, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published a report on a “roadmap to 2050” in terms of renewable energy.

From Sanctioning Iran to War?

By Haider A. Khan
With the recent military moves announced uncharacteristically by the White House first, the world is witnessing with grim fascination what could turn out to be the early moves towards a war against Iran. How plausible is this scenario and what is likely to happen geopolitically if and when the US belligerence leads to an actual military confrontation with Iran?

Campaign to Whitewash Saudi Arabia’s Image Does Little for Women in the Kingdom

By Uma Mishra-Newbery and Kristina Stockwood
Amid a high-profile public relations campaign to convince the world just how much the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is modernising – highlighted in last year’s lifting of the ban on women driving – Saudi authorities continue their relentless persecution of women human rights defenders.

Leaving No One Behind: Young People’s Participation at UN

By Dumiso Gatsha
Walking down 44th street towards UNICEF House was a poignant moment for me: having sought out resources, gone through strenuous immigration processes and having had my assumptions unraveled with the realities of New York City (NYC). This was it.

Neoliberal Reforms Strengthening Monopoly Power and Abuses

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury
Over the last four decades, growing concentration of market power in the hands of oligopolies, if not monopolies, has been greatly enabled by ostensibly neo-liberal reforms, worsening wealth concentration and gross inequalities in the world.

Loss of Biodiversity Puts Current and Future Generations at Risk

By A. D. McKenzie
An alarming report about the massive loss of biodiversity around the world warns that future generations will be at risk if urgent action isn’t taken to protect the more than one million species of plants and animals threatened with extinction.

Building a More Energy-Efficient Neighbourhood in Dubai

By Karishma Asarpota
Dubai is an Emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a population of about 3 million. The discovery of oil in the 1960’s transformed Dubai from a sleepy port town to a global metropolis. The recent shift to address environmental sustainability in Dubai draws attention to energy issues in the city.

The Ethiopian City Lost in the Shadow of South Sudan’s War

By James Jeffrey
Right up against the border with South Sudan, the western Gambella region of Ethiopia has become a watchword for trouble and no-go areas as its neighbour’s troubles have spilled over. But now there may be reason for optimism on either side of the border.

The Burning of Notre Dame and the Spirit of Place

By Jan Lundius
The catastrophic fire in Notre Dame produced a massive emotional reaction. In a Paris famous for its secularism tearful people knelt on the pavement, sang the Ave Maria and prayed to God to save their cathedral. Several stated that it was not only a church burning, but the soul of Paris passing away. What did they mean to say?

Sustainable Development Goals: One of the Greatest Fun Things in the World!?

By Inge Kaul
This year’s annual “SDG Global Festival of Action” was held in Bonn, Germany, from May 2–4, 2019. The festival’s overall aim is to gather campaigners and multiple stakeholders from around the world at one place for interaction with each other; furthermore, it seeks to inspire them to scale up action in support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth in the 2030 Agenda adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.

Rural Education: Moving Past “Poor Solutions for Poor People”

By Sachin Sachdeva
Communities are treated as passive recipients, giving them no say in the functioning of their schools. Here's why this needs to change.

West Africa’s Fine Line Between Cultural Norms and Child Trafficking

By Issa Sikiti da Silva
On a bus in Cotonou, Benin’s commercial capital, four Nigerian girls aged between 15 and 16 sit closely together as they are about to embark on the last part of their journey to Mali, where they are told that their new husbands, whom they never have met, await them.

LGBTQI Rights in the Balkans: A Perpetual Struggle

By Mawethu Nkosana
Romanian Adrian Coman and his American-born partner Clai Hamilton had two major reasons to celebrate when they tied the knot last June.

Women, Peace and Security: Let’s Turn Words into Action

By Dr. Denis Mukwege
To be able to tackle a problem we must first recognize that it exists. When I first spoke at the United Nations Security Council in 2009, I was asked why the issue of sexual violence was even relevant to peace and security. At that time, it was not generally accepted that rape is in fact a weapon of war. Today, that statement is both widely accepted and central to the international community’s understanding of this crucial issue.

Want Social Change? Give Communities More Agency

By Ashif Shaikh
No external force can bring about real change in society. Only the community itself can.

Sierra Leone’s Journalists Demand Justice for “Murdered” Colleague and Call for Law Reform

By Lahai J. Samboma
Ibrahim Samura, erstwhile editor and publisher of New Age, an independent Freetown newspaper, was beaten up with “heavy-duty metal chains and sticks” during Sierra Leone's presidential run-off election in March 2018—in front of the police and army. He died from his injuries three months later. But more than a year since the assault the perpetrators are yet to be brought to book.
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