Task Force Urges Joint U.S.-Mexico Approach to Border

A group of business executives, civil society leaders, policy experts and former government officials from Mexico and the United States are recommending that the two countries expand cooperative law-enforcement efforts along the border.

Former Haitian Dictator Denies Abuses at Historic Hearing

For the first time ever, on Thursday Haiti’s former dictator faced his accusers, answering questions about corruption and human rights abuses during his brutal 15-year regime (1971-1986).

Inter-American Human Rights System Reform Faces Deadline

March will be a key month for defining the future of the Inter-American human rights system, which has come under fire from a number of countries in the region.

“Eco-Reconstruction” Still an Impossible Dream for Chilean Village

The reconstruction of the fishing village of Boyeruca, destroyed by the tsunami that swept over central-south Chile on Feb. 27, 2010, was meant to serve as a model of ecological and sustainable reconstruction.

Q&A: ‘Alliance of Civilisations, a Need and a Challenge’

The fifth global forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), founded to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue to bring civilisations closer, came to a close Thursday after two days of talks, at which world leaders restated their commitment to the Alliance’s ideals and pledged to build on the foundations it had laid to expand its work.

Water – A Blessing and a Curse in Mozambique

As Mozambique tries to recover from the worst flooding here since 2000, experts have called for a national discussion on water management and how to maximise its usage in favour of long-term sustainable development.

Protests in Portugal Get Creative

Indignation in Portugal over rampant joblessness and cuts in wages, pensions and unemployment benefits, together with a growing tax burden, has given rise to innovative forms of protest capable of drawing large crowds.

To Walk Down The Street

Molotov cocktails, clouds of teargas, live gunfire, ambulance sirens wailing as they ferried the wounded, and round after round of rubber-coated metal bullets exploding in the street…these were familiar scenes in Palestinian protest.

Argentina’s Deal with Iran Could Carry Political Price

Despite the government's insistence that the purpose of the agreement struck with Iran is merely to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Jewish institution AMIA, as the Argentine parliament voted its ratification, discussions focused on geopolitics and the country's position in the changing international scenario.

U.S. Finally Passes Stronger Protections for Women against Abuse

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday ended more than a year of stonewalling a piece of legislation that for two decades has offered legal protections for women against sexual violence, harassment and abuse.

Ahead of March Iran Talks, U.S. Urged to Back Possible Israeli Strike

In the same week that talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) concluded in Kazakhstan with rare positive Iranian feedback, a joint resolution declaring U.S. support for Israel in the event of an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear programme was brought before Congress.

Notorious Former Super-Lobbyist Urges Ethics Reform

Notorious former Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who spent more than three years in federal prison for tax evasion, conspiracy to bribe public officials and fraud, is now touring the U.S. urging ethics reform at the federal level.

‘Media Needs an Alliance With Minorities’

Amid calls from world leaders for media diversity and plurality to be strengthened to combat a rising tide of extremism and intolerance, media experts have warned that change should not be expected overnight and that governments and states have a crucial role to play in the process.

Q&A: No “Us” and “Them” in Fight for Women’s Rights

As the earthquake in Haiti has proven, even more important than a recognised name or robust physical presence is the quality of services delivered by humanitarian relief organisations.

China Maps Out Venezuela’s Valuable Mining Resources

An agreement signed by the government of Venezuela and the Chinese state-owned company Citic Group for prospecting and mapping the country's mining reserves is being challenged by both the opposition and experts who argue that it will leave valuable natural resources dangerously exposed.

Give a Voice to Children and Young People

“The protocol should help give voice to children,” said Octavio Errázuriz , permanent representative of Chile to the United Nations, referring to the Third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. He was addressing a meeting Thursday sponsored by the International Coalition for the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Women Struggle for a Place in the Pacific

Women face greater odds in achieving equal political representation in the Pacific Islands than in any other region of the world, holding just 3 percent of seats in national parliaments, compared to 20 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 18.5 percent in South East Asia.

Ahead of March Iran Talks, U.S. Urged to Back Possible Israeli Strike

In the same week that talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) concluded in Kazakhstan with rare positive Iranian feedback, a joint resolution declaring U.S. support for Israel in the event of an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear programme was brought before Congress.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Fights to Eradicate Polio

A multifaceted organisation with the goal of providing solutions for the issues facing our global community, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is prepared to tackle 2013 with a renewed focus on its four initiatives.  With a budget of over four billion dollars a year, the Gates Foundation devotes its energies to the divisions of Global Policy & Advocacy, Education in the United States, Global Development and Global Health.

Aid Hurting Palestinians

Local food for local people. That’s the idea behind Sharaka (‘partnership’, in Arabic), an entirely volunteer-run, Palestinian organisation that aims to bring locally grown products directly to Palestinian dinner tables.

Women Struggle for a Place in the Pacific

Women face greater odds in achieving equal political representation in the Pacific Islands than in any other region of the world, holding just 3 percent of seats in national parliaments, compared to 20 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 18.5 percent in South East Asia.