Making Local People Stewards of the Earth

The lack of land rights is a crisis not just for local people but for all of humanity, warned organisers at an international conference here.

Kenya Forces Mount Assault to End Mall Siege

Heavy and sustained gunfire has been heard from the Nairobi mall where the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali Islamist rebel group Al Shabab are holed up, holding an unknown number of civilians hostage.

Gambia Media Crackdown Continues

Last July marked 19 years of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s inordinately long rule. His legacy during this time is to mark his country as one of the most unapologetically repressive states in Africa.

Trinidad’s Farmers Outpaced by Climate Change

Dalchan Singh, a root crop farmer and board member of the Agricultural Society of Trinidad and Tobago, says the past year has seen drastic changes in the weather of this twin-island Caribbean nation.

Foreign Aid Study Posits Path to Ending Extreme Poverty

The number of people living in extreme poverty, subsisting on 1.25 dollars a day or less, has fallen from 43 percent of the world’s population in 1990 to 21% percent today. A new report on foreign aid and investment makes the case for a figure of zero by 2030.

Disability Linked to U.N.’s Development Agenda

Despite its well-intentioned fight against global poverty, the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  marginalizes  persons with disabilities.

Millions Still Awaiting Education in Conflict Zones

The warning came from world leaders, international organisations and civil society: that 28.5 million children in countries affected by conflict are still being denied access to learning – and that they must not be made to wait any longer for an education.

Israel Silent on Chemical Weapons

“Does Israel have chemical weapons too?” is the question posed by the U.S. publication Foreign Policy, citing a newly uncovered CIA document from 1983 which alleged that Israel is likely to have developed such weapons.

Philippines Struggles With Muslim Rebels

With the administration of Philippines President Benigno Aquino III devoting much of its political capital to resolving the conflict in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, which has claimed around 150,000 lives over decades, many came to believe in the genuine possibility of a new era of stability and economic prosperity in the region.

Boats of Hope Head for Australian Rocks

It was a decision based on simple sums. Ananda, 28, from Weligama in the southern Sri Lankan district Matara decided to risk it all boarding a boat to Australia last year because he never had enough money.

Robin Hood Activists Take Aim at Wall Street

Five years after the 2008 world financial crisis and two years after the Occupy movement it triggered, U.S. critics of the financial sector are coalescing around the idea of a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions.

It’s Afghanistan Again in a Turkish Town

People run back home at dusk, just when the shooting intensifies. To Sha Mehmed the experience is familiar. He was 11 when he left his native Afghan village to settle in this small Turkish town on the border with Syria.

Hard Times for Iran Hawks

Just three weeks ago, Washington’s hawks, particularly of the pro-Israel neo-conservative variety, were flying high, suddenly filled with hope.

U.S. Proposes Landmark Cap on CO2 from Power Plants

Regulators here have taken the first major step of President Barack Obama’s second term to scale back U.S. carbon emissions, proposing first-ever rules to dramatically reduce allowable greenhouse gas pollution for future power plants.

Cuban Athletes Score against Violence

It is unusual to see Cuban sports legends in public service announcements. However, a handful of champions and rising young stars are wearing messages or appearing in TV spots against violence among men or toward women.

Q&A: Faith Groups as Partners in Development

The United Nations is considered one of the world's most secular institutions, with 193 member states representing peoples of different faiths and cultures and professing religious and agnostic beliefs.

ODA Struggles as Post-2015 Draws Near

Millennium Development Goal Eight has become a big focus for the Secretary General and other United Nations officials as the deadline draws nearer.  In a press conference last week,  Secretary General Ban Ki-moon launched the Millennium Development Goals Gap Task Force Report 2013.

Asian-Pacific Countries Adopt Ground Breaking Agenda on Population, Development and Rights

A regional ministerial meeting of Asian and Pacific governments last week declared that gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights are indispensable to sustainable development and must be a key part of the post-2015 development framework.

It’s the Day to Buy Votes in Swaziland

As Swaziland goes to the polls for the second and final round of voting in its general elections on Sept. 20, giveaways have become the order of the day in this southern African nation.

Rising Seas Not the Only Culprit Behind Kiribati’s Woes

Scientists say dredging, building causeways and natural climate variations are largely responsible for the flooding events that many officials here point to as evidence that climate change-induced sea-level rise is shrinking and destroying their tropical Pacific island.

Headed Somewhere in Europe, Somehow

While the relentless war in Syria continuously adds to the number of refugees travelling west to Europe, Greece is fast becoming a nation they are choosing to avoid.