Communications Key to Successful Development Projects

Pumping money into development projects and rolling them out without having a good communications policy in place makes it unlikely the programmes will achieve their desired goals, as communications is vital to connect with stakeholders.

Agroecology Booming in Argentina

Organic agriculture is rapidly expanding in Argentina, the leading agroecological producer in Latin America and second in the world after Australia, as part of a backlash against a model that has disappointed producers and is starting to worry consumers.

Historic UN Security Council Vote Condemns Israeli Settlements

A historic UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements received sustained applause within the security council chamber after it was adopted with 14 votes in favour and one abstention on Friday.

Poland’s Morbid Politics

Despite the pain to victims' families, critics say the Polish government is turning the Smolensk plane crash into a macabre reality show for political gain.

New Ebola Vaccine Trial Results Offer Hope

A new Ebola vaccine may be the first to successfully protect against one of the world’s most lethal pathogens, according to a trial involving over 11,000 participants in Guinea.

Security Council Vote on Israeli Settlements Postponed Indefinitely

The UN Security Council has indefinitely postponed a vote on a draft resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements.

Climate Change Needn’t Spell Doom for Uganda’s Coffee Farmers

Coffee production provides a quarter of Uganda’s foreign exchange earnings and supports some 1.7 million smallholder farmers, but crop yields are being undermined by disease, pests and inadequate services from agricultural extension officers, as well as climatic changes in the East African country.

PAKISTAN: Lady Health Workers’ struggle

HOW do you deal with deceit, dishonesty and debasement in your day-to-day life? Sounds like an existential question. Substitute the three D’s with a single word, ‘corruption’, and the question loses its dimensions and sounds almost clichéd.

A unique solution to three environmental problems

During a recent trip to Bermuda, what impressed me most about this island nation were the tidy pastel houses with stucco exteriors and artistically built brilliant white roofs with grooves perfectly placed amid the palm trees for which the island is famous. The white roofs – signature pattern of the island's architecture – are built not only for aesthetic reasons but also for some distinct purposes.

Outgoing UN Chief Yearns for Majority Rule in World Body

As he packs his bags to head home to South Korea, the outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been sharply critical of the decision-making process in the world body – specifically the veto powers in the Security Council and the increasing “consensus” rule in voting – where a single country can defy the rest of the 192 members, particularly on politically and financially sensitive issues.

Stop worrying about ‘Doing Business’ ranking

Without any hint of irony, the World Bank’s most recent Doing Business Report 2017 promises ‘Equal Opportunity for All’. Bangladesh ranked 176th among 190 economies, below civil war-ravaged Iraq and Syria! Bangladesh even slipped two places from 174 in the 2016 ranking and is three places below its 2015 ranking.

A Pivotal Moment for Biofortification

This year’s World Food Prize pays tribute to biofortification, an intervention that strengthens efforts to address one of the world’s most insidious and pervasive public health challenges—hidden hunger. That is good news for the majority of the two billion people globally who suffer from hidden hunger, and likewise for those fighting to end the epidemic.

Ethiopia Takes a Deep and Foreboding Breath

Smart phone users in the Ethiopian capital are rejoicing. After a two-month blackout the Ethiopian government has permitted the return of mobile data.

Time to Get Serious about Civilian Protection for Darfur

With the future of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Darfur now in jeopardy, the safety and security of the Sudanese region’s most vulnerable communities hangs in the balance.

Beyond Standing Rock: Extraction Harms Indigenous Water Sources

Since the decision by the U.S. army to suspend the Dakota Access pipeline on 4 December, many are still unsure of the controversial pipeline's future or its implications for other mega infrastructure projects affecting indigenous communities across North America.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi

2016 has been a dramatic year for the world, and for the media. Political dysfunction appears to be on the rise, putting social media under increasing critical scrutiny even as prestigious global commercial news brands capable of acting as the fourth estate are downsizing.

‘Complex’ Climate Fund Procedures Hindering Development

Though highly hopeful about achieving the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) well ahead of the 2030 deadline, Bangladesh is upset over the procedures to access the Green Climate Fund, calling them ‘ridiculously complex’ and warning that they may slow down its drive to achieve the SDGs.

General Assembly Resolution Bypasses Right to Self-Determination

The Group of 77, joined by China, has expressed disappointment that a key principle has been omitted from a draft resolution on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely, the recognition of the inalienable right to self-determination of countries and peoples living under colonialism and foreign occupation.

Feminism Helps Villagers Coexist with Drought in Northeast Brazil

“The vegetable garden changed my life,” said Rita Alexandre da Silva, in the village of Primeiro do Maio where 65 families have obtained land to grow crops since 1999, in this municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in Northeast Brazil.

A Crisis Only ‘Humanity’ Can Overcome

On December 18, as appointed by the United Nations General Assembly, the international community recognises and celebrates the rights of migrants around the world. This date was chosen because the General Assembly had adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (resolution 45/158) on December 18, 1990. Thus, by building on the rights of migrant workers, the UN, with the aid of other organisations, incorporated successfully, the idea of upholding the rights of all migrants.

Security Council Agrees to Send UN Monitors to Aleppo

The UN Security Council - which has long struggled to find common ground on Syria - has unanimously approved a resolution allowing the UN to monitor the evacuation of civilians from Aleppo.