World

UNITED NATIONS

Q&A: “I Feel Indigenous No Matter Where I Am and Where I’m Going”

Aboriginal youth are making their mark at the two-week United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. And this year, the gathering's twelfth, 24-year-old Angela Landry, whose Anishinaabe name is Eagle Heart Woman, is representing them.

Obama Narrows Scope of Terror War

Responding to growing criticism by human rights groups and foreign governments, U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday announced potentially significant shifts in what his predecessor called the “global war on terror”.

Advocates Cheer Tightening of Extractives Transparency Standards

Development groups and corruption watchdogs are applauding landmark new standards adopted Wednesday by an international initiative focused on ensuring greater transparency among oil and mining companies operating particularly in developing countries.

OP-ED: The Nexus Between Women and Development

Every three years since 2007, a global advocacy organisation called Women Deliver has convened an international conference to talk about issues relating to the health and well-being of girls and women.

OP-ED: A Global Goal on Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Women’s Empowerment

Hardly a day goes by without a news story on some violation of women’s rights. In recent months, appalling incidents of violence against women and girls, from Delhi to Johannesburg to Cleveland, have sparked public outrage and demands to tackle these horrific abuses.

New Effort Targets the Leading Killers of Children

PATH, a Seattle-based global health development organisation, is aiming to save two million lives by 2015 by jointly tackling diarrhea and pneumonia, the leading killers of children globally.

Q&A: AIDS-Free Future Means Fighting Homophobia

The global fight against HIV/AIDS has seen recent hard-won breakthroughs, including the discovery of the genetic hiding place of the virus by doctors in Australia, a 50-percent drop in new infections across 25 low- and middle-income countries, and an increase of 63 percent in the number of people with access to HIV medication.

U.S. Strategy on Water, Development a “Major Advance”

U.S. officials Tuesday formally unveiled the government’s first comprehensive strategy aimed at integrating water into all U.S. development funding and programmes, a step long urged by advocates and development experts.

Stressed Ecosystems Leaving Humanity High and Dry

Everyone knows water is life. Far too few understand the role of trees, plants and other living things in ensuring we have clean, fresh water.

Tackling Crime Takes on Import As Urban Populations Rise

As people around the world continue to migrate into cities, swelling urban populations, they have sparked growth in another area: crime and security issues.

UNFPA Focuses on Contraception for 222 Million in Developing World

When thousands of participants from around the world gather in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur next week, the primary focus will be on health and empowerment of girls and women.

Q&A: “Video Puts the Human into Human Rights”

“We live in a world where billions of citizen witnesses have cameras in their pockets. The opportunities are endless to document human rights violations,” Chris Michael, head of training and partnerships at WITNESS, tells IPS.

Has Caribbean Diplomacy Lost Its Mojo?

Whether by accident or coincidence, recent days have seen a variety of Caribbean leaders and journalists question whether the region is failing to pursue leadership roles within international organisations - and thus losing its voice in global issues like trade, climate change, and peace and security.

U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arsenals Cling to Bygone Era

In the late 19th century, Russian playwright Anton Chekhov famously touted one golden rule for dramatic productions: if you show your audience a loaded gun in the first act, that gun must go off by the last.

Migratory “Flyways” Decimated by Human Expansion

Migratory birds, which play an important role in the complex web of life known as ecosystem services, are under threat as never before, with some species facing extinction within the next decade.

Next Page »