The Frightening Scenario of the Nuclear War

Soon after President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, hundreds of leaders of the global medical community wrote an open letter to him, and to newly elected Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, urging them to make the abolition of nuclear weapons their highest priority:

Women Fight Climate Battles

From Zimbabwe to El Salvador, women in poor countries suffer the brunt of climate change, but also learn to recover from disasters, to adapt and even to find opportunities in the new weather conditions.

Bolivia’s Ayoreo Indians, Devoured by the City

No one knows exactly when they will show up, but when they do, it’s impossible not to notice them. In one of the busiest street markets in this bustling city in eastern Bolivia, a handful of members of the Ayoreo indigenous community periodically take over a portion of the sidewalk.

Detained at the Eastern Border – Part 2

Twenty-two years ago today, on Dec. 18, 1990, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

Women and Activists Lament Japan’s Election Outcome

The return to power of Japan’s conservative and hard-line Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sunday indicates that voters traded urgently needed social and environmental reforms for traditional male-led leadership, according to analysts here.

China is Opening a Confrontation on the Sea

The victory of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the recent Japanese elections, with Shinzo Abe coming back as prime minister after five years, will probably mean an escalation of tensions with China. Both countries are embarking on a fresh burst of nationalism, but for different reasons.

Migrant Movement Linked to Population Growth

Sally and I wanted to respond to your excellent piece on migration, which you certainly correctly identify as a "political hot potato" . https://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/despite-crises-migration-still-a-political-hot-potato/

Migrant women as sources of change, decisions and progress

Commemorating International Migration Day, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) organised a workshop which centralised the “effects of migration on the education and empowerment of women.”  The workshop was organised in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Farmers Need to Grow Climate Smart

Farmers cannot wait much longer for negotiators to reach an agreement on including a work programme on agriculture in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. And until one is approved, “it will continue to be difficult for farmers to produce the food needed, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Financial Crimes Cost Developing World At Least a Trillion Dollars

The developing world lost nearly one trillion dollars in 2010 as a result of corruption, tax evasion, and other financial crimes not involving cash transactions, according to a new report released here Monday by Global Financial Integrity (GFI).

Q&A: Documentary Tackles Child Abuse in Cuba

“Child abuse merits a different, in-depth approach. The objective of this film is to make the problem visible and promote debate and reflection,” says Eric Corvalán, director of a documentary that required “breaking through walls.”

Rate of U.S., Russian Nuclear Disarmament “Slowing”

Although the United States and Russia have massively reduced their collective number of nuclear weapons since the heyday of the Cold War, the rate of that reduction is slowing, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) warned Monday.

In Dominica, Diminished Rivers Among Climate Change’s Effects

Eighty-year-old Rupert Lawrence has been living in the Dominica capital, Roseau, for nearly 60 years. Like visitors to the island, he too is fascinated by the fact that the town square has a river running right through its centre.

Big Landowners Block Rural Development Law in Guatemala

An “integral rural development law” to promote access to land, employment and other rights for small farmers is bogged down in the Guatemalan Congress due to opposition from large landowners, who see it as an attempt at land reform.

Environmental Uncertainties Halt Deep Sea Mining

The world’s first deep sea mineral (DSM) mining venture in the Bismarck Sea off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea in the southwest Pacific has come to a halt after two years of development.

Frolic Barefoot, But Don’t Leave a Carbon Footprint

As the world’s most tourism-dependent region, with the sector accounting for one in every eight jobs, the Caribbean has much to fear from climate change.

At the Edge of the Carbon Cliff

The most important number in history is now the annual measure of carbon emissions. That number reveals humanity's steady billion-tonne by billion-tonne march to the edge of the carbon cliff, beyond which scientists warn lies a fateful fall to catastrophic climate change.

Deforestation Wreaks Havoc in Guatemala’s Caribbean Region

"Many tourists come to this area for bird watching, but the terrible deforestation is leading to the disappearance of so much of our flora and fauna. The cleared land is used for cattle ranching,” said Haroldo Figueroa, who works as a guide in nature reserves along Guatemala’s Caribbean coast.

Ceasefire Means ‘Nothing’ to Gaza Fishers

Shortly after Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement on Nov. 21, the Israeli navy abducted 30 Palestinian fishers from Gaza's waters, destroyed and sank a Palestinian fishing vessel, and confiscated nine fishing boats in the space of four days.

Zimbabwe’s Education Sector on Slow Road to Recovery

Zimbabwe's education sector, once rated amongst the best in Africa, came close to collapse during the country's economic crisis. A programme launched when the coalition government came into power in 2009 has seen the beginnings of recovery for the sector.

Social Media & Political Participation: Setting a Democratic Agenda

“To engage with emerging forms of civic behaviour, governments need to adopt strategies and use technologies that respond to citizens’ demands,” said Massimo Tommasoli, Permanent Observer for the  Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)  at a workshop Monday on “Social Media and Democratic Governance.” The meeting was co-organised by the New York office of the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Estoril Conferences.