Children and adults receive treatment at a cholera treatment centre in Tawila, North Darfur. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 25 2025 (IPS)

In Tawila, North Darfur State in Sudan, more than 1,180 cholera cases, including 300 cases in children, and at least 20 deaths have been reported since the first case was detected on June 21. Tawila has absorbed 500,000 internally displaced people who are escaping violence, many of them fleeing about seventy kilometers from the state capital of Al Fasher, making this rapid surge in cases a major health concern amidst worsening hygiene, medical, and food supply chain deteriorations.

Across all five of the Darfur States, the total cases have reached 2,140, with at least eighty deaths, as UNICEF reports as of July 30th. This, coupled with the intensifying conflict, now puts 640,000 children under age five at a heightened risk of violence, disease, and hunger. With largely exhausted food, clean water, medicine, and hygienic supplies, a deadly combination of lacking essential resources and lethal disease now create the perfect climate for an all-out epidemic. UNICEF now requires an additional 30.6 million USD to fund emergency cholera response operations to strengthen health, water, hygiene, and sanitation services.

Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative for Sudan said: “Despite being preventable and easily treatable, cholera is ripping through Tawila and elsewhere in Darfur, threatening children’s lives, especially the youngest and most vulnerable.” He added: “We are working tirelessly with our partners on the ground to do everything we can to curb the spread and save lives – but the relentless violence is increasing the needs faster than we can meet them. We have and we continue to appeal for safe unimpeded access to urgently turn the tide and reach these children in need. They cannot wait a day longer.”

Logistical Difficulties

UNICEF has been using Port Sudan as a central logistics hub, where procurement and prepositioning are being conducted. Stocks of oral rehydration salts, IV fluid, water purification products, and hygiene kits are carefully monitored and released as soon as access allows. Access has been cut off by physical terrain, poor infrastructure, damaged or destroyed roads and bridges, disrupted communication networks, lack of power and fuel infrastructure, and even obtaining the necessary permits for delivery of supplies.

In North Darfur, hospitals are being bombed and health facilities have had to close due to proximity of fighting, which has severely limited access to healthcare. Lifesaving supplies such as vaccines and ready-to-use therapeutic food have also been depleted, and efforts to replenish supplies are becoming increasingly difficult as humanitarian aid access has been almost completely cut off. Aid convoys which do come are being looted or attacked.

Continued bureaucratic impediments have also deteriorated supply lines and services, which is compounding the already dangerous situation. Despite this, UNICEF is working on all fronts to address the outbreak, delivering life-saving equipment across sanitation, hygiene, water, health, and are increasing community engagement for better cooperation and communication.

UNICEF continues to call on the government and all other concerned parties to ensure safe, sustained and unimpeded accesses to reach children in Tawila and across the Darfur State in their mission to prevent the further loss of young lives. “These bureaucratic delays do not allow us to deliver at the scale and urgency required.”

30,000 people now have access to safe, clean, and chlorinated water daily, through UNICEF-supported water trucking, repaired water yards, and new water storage systems. Hygiene supplies have also helped 150,000 people in Daba Naira, in addition to chlorine tablets which are helping families treat their water.

To stop the cholera outbreak before it worsens, UNICEF is now preparing to deliver over 1.4 million oral cholera vaccine doses. They are working alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and their other partners through the International Coordinating Group (ICG), to strengthen Cholera Treatment Centers and operations. Through these partnerships, UNICEF is managing vaccine procurement, cold chain logistics, and mobilization of local communities, while WHO and other partners are supporting technical guidance, surveillance, and campaign coordination, ensuring the most rapid and effective level of protection to the most vulnerable people. UNICEF has reported that these supplies would include cholera kits, soap, plastic sheeting and latrine slabs.

To support the large quantity of vaccines and medicine, UNICEF has supported the rehabilitation and the expansion of cold chain storage capacities. Such support includes the delivery of units of walk-in cold rooms, backup generators, and maintenance work on some of the cold chain structures. UNICEF has assured that this support has been provided on a national and state level, reaching the five Darfur states, in addition to the Kassala, Northern, Red Sea, and River Nile States.

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The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. Credit: Unsplash/Youssef Abdelwahab

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 18 2025 (IPS)

In the Arab region, a thought-to-be oil oasis, green jobs constitute 29 percent of energy sector roles, and 23 percent of the oil and gas sector. These numbers signify a push towards sustainable business and practices, with the Arab region striving to get away from oil, in their advancement towards the completion of the SDGs on time for 2030.

New primary data from the UNESCWA Skills Monitor shows that the entire region is on a steady upward trajectory in terms of the share of green jobs in the online job market space. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asis (UNESCWA), these postings only consist of 5.06 percent of postings as of 2024, but it represents significant growth from just around 3.5 percent in 2021.

The total share of green jobs by country in the Arab region, and the United States by comparison. Credit: Maximilian Malawista

Saudi Arabia has led this shift in sustainable energy roles with green jobs accounting for 6.22 percent of their job market. This movement reflects their significant investment into economic diversification and green initiatives in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which closely mirrors the UN 2030 agenda.

In Qatar and Oman the rates are lower, with green jobs comprising 4.59 percent and 3.53 percent of their respective job markets, followed by the rest of the region shortly behind. In contrast, a leading share of green jobs globally, the United States, features 11.40 percent, which is 7.55 percent higher than the average of 3.85 percent set by the Arab region. These numbers appear not to be linked by wealth as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt are below Qatar in energy roles, while the UAE has a 514 billion nominal GDP followed by Egypt with a 396 billion nominal GDP compared to Qatar’s 213 billion nominal GDP.

Green job integration

In the oil and gas sectors, Saudi Arabia leads again with 28 percent of their roles being green, followed by Oman (22.5 percent), Qatar (16 percent) and the UAE (15 percent). Data from UNESCWA shows that managerial and engineering positions account for the majority of occupations with the highest green demand in the Arab region. The top six jobs leading with the highest green shares are: project managers, health and safety engineers, health safety and environmental managers, electrical engineers, construction engineers, and civil engineers. The presence of engineering jobs with the highest combined share of green demand represents the Arab region’s full push to turn its infrastructure into a green oasis.

In the United States, the composition across specific industries is different, with technician roles for energy production and the environment being much higher in share than that of engineering roles. As UNESCWA noted in their brief: “These differences reflect diverse national approaches to sustainability, shaped by energy policies and strategic investments in green technologies.”

From only one year ago, green jobs within the energy sector in the Arab region represented 23.26 percent of the entire market of energy, however this number jumped up to 29.10 percent, marking a 5.93 percent jump in a very short amount of time.

The Arab region, as the report reiterates, leads in energy transformation across the oil and gas sectors. This push represents multiple nations — mostly Gulf Cooperation Council members — pushing for economic diversification away from majority oil-dominated economies, especially in Saudi Arabia. In these countries’ pursuits of further economic diversification, the result will be the creation of massive quantities of green energy roles, which will only increase at a faster rate to the point of a near carbon-zero future.

UNESCWA proposed four policy recommendations which seek to encourage green job growth:

• • Boost green investments and corporate sustainability – by expanding green bonds, medium and small sized enterprise funding, and sustainability linked loans for clean technology and renewable energy.

• • Enhance education and workforce development for green jobs – integrating sustainability into national curriculums, expand vocational and technical education and training programs, provide re-skilling initiatives for workers within high-carbon industries.

• • Integrate green jobs into national development strategies – strengthen regional cooperations for green job creation, climate action plans, economic recovery programs which align workforce planning with sustainability goals, and embedded green employment targets within industrial policies.

• Strengthen data and monitoring for green job growth – make data publicly available to help policymakers, businesses, and education institutions in shaping the green workforces.

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In Sudan, women-led households are three times more likely to deal with serious food insecurity compared to male-led households. Credit: UN Women Sudan

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 12 2025 (IPS)

The food crisis in Sudan is starving more day by day, yet it is affecting women and girls at double the rate compared to men in the same areas. New findings from UN-Women reveal that female-headed households (FHHs) are three times more likely to be food insecure than ones led by men.

Women and girls make up half of the starving in Sudan, at 15.3 million of the 30.4 million people currently in need. In the midst of the current humanitarian crisis brought on by the Sudanese civil war, women are increasingly seen to be leading households in the absence of men due to death, disappearances or displacement amidst the civil war, making simply living in a FHH a statistical predictor of hunger.

“With conditions now at near famine thresholds in several regions in the country, it is not just a food crisis, but a gender emergency caused by a failure of gender-responsive action,” said Salvator Nkuruniza, the UN-Women representative for Sudan.

Famine Risks for Sudan’s Women

This famine has left only 1.9 percent of FFHs food secure, compared to 5.9 percent of male-headed households (MHHs) reporting food security. 45 percent of the FHHs reported poor food consumption which was nearly double the rate as compared to MHHs at 25.7 percent. Considering this, only one third of FHHs have an acceptable diet in comparison to half of MHHs. In these worsening conditions 73.7 percent of women nationally are not meeting the minimum dietary diversity, which is limiting nutrient intake and thus endangering maternal and child health.

Rates of poor food consumption have doubled in one year across FHHs, meaning a longer drawn conflict will see even worse numbers leading to the ultimate starvation of many. Nearly 15 percent of FHHs are living in conditions that meet or are near famine thresholds compared to only 7 percent of MHHs meeting the same threshold.

With all available funding, the World Food Programme (WFP) has scaled assistance to support nearly 4 million people per month, leaving an additional 26 million people still in need of support. As one representative from the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told IPS, under these circumstances WFP has had to make tough calls, either shrinking assistance packages or reducing the amount of people who receive assistance. There have been cases where they have been forced to cut off all assistance in general.

Within Sudan’s civil society, women-led organizations (WLO) are playing a central role in delivering vital meals to affected groups across Sudan. Nkurunziza told IPS that “WLOS are the backbone of response in many areas,” who can access areas which the international system cannot reach. WLOs in West Kordofan are solarizing clinics, running nutrition outreach, managing mobile maternal health care, and operating informal shelters. In North Kordofan, WLOs. are running protection hotlines, distributing food, and helping displaced families find safety. Many times they are providing these services without institutional funding.

UN Women has been supporting 45 WLOs with institutional support, funding and technical assistance, which has allowed these organizations to operate across sixteen states. However, underfunding still remains a critical issue for WLOs. Nkurunziza explained how due to funding deficits, one WLO that operates across eight states was forced to shut down thirty-five of its sixty food kitchens. WLOs must also deal with serious logistical and digital constrains, making it nearly impossible to have any form of coordination meetings. Sudan is also facing the world’s largest displacement crisis, making a shrinking of operations among deteriorating consumption rates detrimental to attempts to elevate food security.

Aid Delivery Challenges

Amidst funding shortfalls, supply chains have struggled reaching critical locations due to Sudan’s size, lack of infrastructure, and weather difficulties. WFP shared that Sudan is “roughly the size of western Europe”, and as such they and other humanitarian actors are having to transport humanitarian items over 2500 kilometers across deserts and challenging terrain. They added that road infrastructure in remote areas such as Darfur and Kordofan has further increased the difficulty. The rainy season between April and October has also added further complications, which has made many roads completely flooded or impassable.

WFP said that the conflict has not only affected supply chains, but trade routes themselves. Among the besieged cities of El Fasher and Kadulgi, supplies remain limited and far and few. WFP is “extremely concerned about the catastrophic situation, especially in El Fasher and Kadulgi and urgently [needed] guarantees of safe passage to get supplies in – while we continue supporting with digital cash transfer”. This comes amidst not being able to deliver food and aid supplies by road.

Gender Disparities and Solutions

Nkurunziza told IPS that even before the conflict, women and girls “faced challenges in accessing their rights due to cultural norms and traditional practices”, adding that this conflict has only widened these gaps.

Food access is only one example of how gender inequality manifests during this crisis. Nkurunziza noted that food queues are often dominated by men compared to women from FHHs. He added that women have been “largely left out” of decision-making spaces, therefore their specific needs are “frequently overlooked”.

The search for food has caused an increase in harmful coping mechanisms like child marriage, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, and child labor. The nature of these harmful instances come from unchecked sexual exploitation and abuse due to the lack of law enforcement and government in many areas. Since April 2023, 1,138 cases of rape have been recorded, including 193 children. This number is expected to be even higher, as social and security fears may be preventing accurate reporting of gender-based violence crimes.

“The conflict has magnified every existing inequality,” Nkurunziza said, adding that this created the need for responsive action, moving beyond simple rhetoric.

In their report, UN Women outlined several measures that needed to be adopted in order to diminish famine conditions among women, including prioritizing food distribution and assistance planning to FHHs and establishing localized distribution sites, thus reducing movement-related risks for women. They also recommended increased representation in local aid committees and decision-making spaces by at least 40 percent. They called for increasing investment and funding to WLO’s, which are currently receiving less than 2 percent of humanitarian aid funds.

Despite these challenges, Nkurunziza said that WLOs are still working to feed families. “They are not waiting for permission — they are responding. The question is whether the system will finally recognize them as equal partners or continue to leave them behind.”

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Medicines contaminated by toxic excipients which are normally used as solvents or antifreeze have resulted in multiple deaths and health complications, as a new UN report finds. Credit: Unsplash/Mina Rad

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Aug 7 2025 (IPS)

The contamination of pharmaceutical medicines through toxic excipients is killing many and harming others. The UN agencies for health and drugs and crime warn that systemic vulnerabilities in the global supply chain have been exploited to introduce industrial-grade toxic chemicals into medicines, harming thousands of people, including children.

On July 24, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) released a 120-page report on the persistent, yet preventable threat of contaminated medicines that have claimed lives and compromised the health of many people. The report, titled “Contaminated Medicines and Integrity of the Pharmaceutical Excipients Supply Chain” reveals findings of illegal criminal substitutions on pharmaceutical grade substances like glycerin, propylene glycol, and sorbitol through toxic excipients. With industrial-grade toxic chemicals like diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG), these substances typically used as industrial solvents and antifreeze can cause detrimental health issues, even being fatal in small amounts. Yet they are making their way into pharmaceutical supply chains.

In the past 90 years, twenty-five documented incidents have revealed over 1300 deaths worldwide, many of them children, because of excipient contamination. More recently, incidents in The Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan that resulted in 334 deaths in total drew further attention to the issue and has prompted further investigations. These incidents have occurred far more commonly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where there has been little regulatory oversight and limited access to quality-assured medicine. In the report, case studies find that pharmaceutical manufacturers were “quick to produce the medicine, and market demand was very strong, outstripping the ability for oversight”.

The first reported case was in 1937 in the United States, where DEG was used as an excipient for sulfanilamide, killing 105 people. These once-considered “anomalies” have been reported up until 2022, with over 300 people in Africa dying just in October of that year. The highest reported deaths from one case were found in Bangladesh, where DEG was being used as an excipient for Paracetamol syrup, killing 339 people from 1990 to 1992.

The report revealed instances of criminal networks exploiting “market volatility and regulatory gaps” to introduce these toxic excipients into the supply chain, including:

• • The use of falsified labels and the substitution of toxic chemicals for illegitimate excipients,
• • Marketing of falsified excipients on online platforms,
• • Lack of regulatory oversight, including surveillance and enforcement, and
• • Inadequate coordination and capacity among regulatory devices, law enforcement and customs, hindering timely investigations and prosecutions.

The Problem

To regulate the entire pharmaceutical supply chain for development, production, distribution and inspection, principles collectively known as GxP (Good x Practice), or cGxP (current good x Practice) are used to currently set guidelines. These systems are supposed to ensure a set of principles implementing quality, safety, efficacy, and risk management in the full supply chain of medicine. But when they are lag in certain areas, this can increase the odds of failure.

Through these guidelines, WHO defines pharmaceutical excipients as: “A substance, other than the active ingredient, which has been appropriately evaluated for safety and is included in a medicine delivery system”. Their functions can include:

• · Aid in the processing of medical delivery systems during manufacturing.
• · Support, protect, or enhance stability, bioavailability, or patient acceptability.
• · Assist in product identification; or

· Enhance any other attribute of the overall effectiveness and safety of the medicine during use and storage.

The estimated size of the global market for pharmaceutical excipients in 2024 was at 9.4 billion USD, with at least one thousand different pharmaceutical excipients being used as “fillers, diluents, binders, solvents, suspension and viscosity agents, coatings, flavoring agents, disintegrants, colorants and preservatives”.

A main issue is the fact that excipient manufactures are not subject to regulatory oversight. But now WHO is calling for an “appropriate” level of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines to be present at the production, packaging, repackaging, labelling, quality control, release, storage, and distribution of an excipients intended for pharmaceutical use.

Recommendations

To remedy this growing issue, the report provided policy recommendations which could prevent these problems from any point of the supply chain, including:

• • Improved regulatory framework, including enforcement devices.
• • Greater compliance by distributors and manufacturers.
• • Enhanced traceability and transparency in the excipient supply chain.
• • Stronger collaboration between law enforcement, health authorities and the private sector.
• • Enhanced legal and operational frameworks to address deliberate falsification of labels, and certificates of analysis and excipient composition.
• • Greater post-market surveillance devices to detect and respond to incidents involving potential criminal activities.
• • Improved quality of investigations and prosecutorial capacity to address intentional criminal acts of contamination and falsification.

• Heightened enforcement of existing laws, including the implementation of sanctions in cases of critical non-compliance with regulations.

The report underscores the need for collaboration across all levels. That includes international organizations like WHO and UNODC, member states, national regulatory authorities, criminal justice components, law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, and excipient distributors to take the proper measures towards avoiding further harm. If not, pharmaceutical supply chains can be further manipulated to creating deficiencies and death, not efficiency and life.

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The closing plenary of INC-5.1 in Busan, Republic of Korea. Credit: UNEP/Duncan Moore

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Aug 5 2025 (IPS)

They are lightweight, cheap, and able to be used in every sector of every supply chain. Few materials have revolutionized manufacturing and the global economy as much as plastics have. They are essential in almost everything, however this comes at a cost. A cost of 1.5 trillion annually in environmental damage, and a 75 percent waste ratio of all plastic ever produced.

Even though there have been biodiversity protection agreements through the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), no comprehensive global agreement has responded to the challenges that plastic pollution presents. To bridge this gap, the focus of the International Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2), mandated by the United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 5/14 in 2022, was tasked with developing a legally binding instrument (ILBI) on plastic pollution. The latest rounds of these negotiations are scheduled to take place in Geneva this year from August 5-14.

During the previous year’s sessions, which were held in Busan, South Korea, INC-5.1 in Busan, Republic of Korea, INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso, the Ecuadorian ambassador to the United Kingdom remarked: “Our mandate has always been ambitious. But ambition takes time to land.” He added: “I call on all delegations to continue making paths, building bridges, and engaging in dialogue. Let us always remember that our purpose is noble and urgent: to reverse and remedy the severe effects of plastic pollution on ecosystems and human health.”

This kind of damage results in at least 1,400 wildlife species being negatively impacted annually. Plastic leaks into marine life, and disproportionate operational capacity to collect, reuse, and recycle plastics by developing countries, which are not the ones producing the waste in the first place. The reliance on fossil fuels for creating plastics which generate 1.96 gigaton (Gt) of C02 equivalent. These plastics create a triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

“We are choking on plastic,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “Plastic pollution is all around us and even inside us – from our seas to our blood, to our brains…Every year, people may ingest the equivalent of up to fifty plastic bags due to microplastics in food.”

The producer of plastic

The demand for plastic products is fulfilled through trade, making trade the propagator of most plastic pollution. Much of global plastic production is designed for single use, which has grown from two million metric tonnes (MMT) in 1950 to 436 MMT in 2022, a 217-fold increase. If trade practices resume as usual, this annual production of plastic is expected to increase to 884 MMt by 2050, meaning plastic production is growing at a rate 2.65 times faster than it did from 1950 to 2022, growing from 6.03 MMT per year to 16 MMT per year.

In 2022, over 78 percent — 323 MMT — of plastic produced was traded internationally in primary, intermediate, and embedded forms. The value of plastics trade grew more than double since 2005 to USD 1.13 trillion. Accounting for 5 percent of global merchandise trade that year, this was a display of its dominance across all sectors of trade.

A solution to the pollution

As trade dominates plastic production, integrated environmental trade policy becomes the number one priority in halting further environmental impacts and controlling plastic flows. This kind of policy can incentivize investment while also offering safer alternatives creating working environmental waste management.

A proven policy to reduce plastic use has been seen with tariff measures, which can reduce market competitiveness of plastic products. Establishing these measures would require a comprehensive value chain approach, analyzing how plastic is produced, moved, and disposed through its entire life span. The removal of tariff measures has been a main driver in increased plastic production. Over the past 30 years, tariffs on plastic and rubber have dropped from 34 percent to 7.2 percent, largely due to the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO), among numerous bilateral and regional free trade agreements leading to net zero tariffs on plastics and rubber products.

Plant-based plastic alternatives did not benefit from such free trade agreements, instead now averaging 14.4 percent, creating a lack of competitiveness for products with natural origins. Non-tariff measures (NTMs) have seen some levels of implementation across national levels. These are most commonly found as technical regulations on product specifications, and production methods and packaging requirements, of which 195 of the 299 notified measures by the WTO are.

Credit: Maximilian Malawista

To combat plastic pollution even further, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has identified promising replacing measures which would implement sustainable non-plastic substitutes and alternatives focusing on packaging, agriculture, and fishery applications.

UNCTAD’s database identified 274 traded products of plant, mineral or animal origin that could replace plastics across various sectors. These value chain swaps could involve using glass, aluminum paper, bamboo, seaweed, and natural fibers instead of plastics, due to their biodegradable, erodible, compostable, and recyclable natures. These materials have already been tried and tested to work, it is only a matter of implementation and market growth.

Currently, plastic alternatives such as compostable and bio-based plastics are available in many developed and developing country markets, with massive potential to grow as they currently represent 1.5 percent of global plastic production. In 2023, global exports of non-plastic substitutes reached USD 485 billion, down from 561 billion in 2022: mirroring a small drop in plastic trade. Developed countries made up 58 percent of exports, while developing countries held 42 percent, but with an observed 5.6 percent growth rate.

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Women and children attempting to obtain food at aid distribution centers. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 31 2025 (IPS)

Amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the risk of famine among rising need of consumption and nutrition have reached their worst levels since the start of the conflict. Without urgent analysis to latest report from the Food Security Classificat “IPC ALERT: Worst-case scenario of Famine unfolding in the Gaza Strip”.

A new analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has projected that the entire Gaza Strip will endure high levels of acute food insecurity, IPC Phase 3 or above, by September 2025. This includes half a million people in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), which is about one-quarter of the entire population. In North Gaza and Rafah, critical levels at IPC phase 4 are affecting 70,000 children under the age of five, including 17,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women. The data indicated that risk of famine is detected within all areas of the Gaza Strip, as lack of food, starvation, destruction, and death, intrudes on all areas of life.

These catastrophic, critical, and acute levels of famine have forced one in three people (39 percent) to go days at a time without eating a single morsel of food. Among low levels of food consumption comes unprecedented malnutrition rates, with children under the age of five quadrupling in rates only in two months, reaching 16.5 percent. Between April and mid-July, more than 20,000 children have been admitted to hospitals for treatment of acute malnutrition, with more than 3,000 being severely malnourished. In July, 320,000 children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition.

“Emaciated children and babies are dying from malnutrition in Gaza,” adding “We need immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access across Gaza to scale up the delivery of life-saving food, nutrition, water and medicine. Without that, mothers and fathers will continue to face a parent’s worst nightmare, powerless to save a starving child from a condition we are able to prevent,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

These conditions are expected to worsen even further as safe spaces in the Gaza Strip have shrunk to less than 12 percent. Due to this, there has been 762,500 displacements since March 18th, 2025. 88 percent of the Gaza Strip are under militarized zones or displacement orders, and 70 percent of all infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed. In places where people were attempting to get food, 1,000 people have been killed since May 27th, raising the death toll of the entire conflict to 59,500 people with 143,000 injured.

Bakeries and community kitchens remain closed, and humanitarian access remains blocked. What was described as a ‘trickle’ of aid has entered Gaza due to the easing of the blockade on May 19th. Yet the resources were vastly inadequate to meet the scale of current and future needs.

The blockade

Following the 80-day blockade prior to May 19th, aid has been able to partially resume, but at a scale far below needs. An estimated 62,000 metric tons (MT) of staple food is required per month to cover the most basic food needs of Gaza, which does not include fresh foods such as meat and vegetables. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit in the Israeli Ministry of defense, only 19,900 MT and 37,800 MT of food overall has entered Gaza between May and June, with zero aid entering between March 2nd and May 18th. This includes supplies from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Another hurdle prohibiting aid delivery is the presence of armed actors near convey routes and distribution points. The UN estimates that only 1,300 MT of the 14,900 MT of the official humanitarian aid, consisting of 97 percent food and 3 percent essential non-food items, reached the distribution sites.

All together these conditions have made it virtually impossible for the people of Gaza to receive any form of humanitarian aid. In late June, less than 1.5 percent of the population based in the south, or 25,000 people, were able to receive humanitarian food assistance from UN agencies and humanitarian groups for the first time in weeks. In the north, humanitarian access has been even further restrained by repeated closings of the Zikim Crossing. At this rate, current stocks of lifesaving and preventive nutrition supplies are expected to be completely depleted within next month. Though since then, Karem Shalom and Zikim crossings have been reopened for limited aid deliveries to pass through.

The GHF claimed that they have distributed over 89 million meals from four distribution sites, which are primarily in militarized zones along the Khan Younis-Rafah border, where less than a quarter of the Gaza population is located. The caveat is that most of the food items are not ready to eat, requiring water and fuel to cook which are currently vastly unavailable. The disproportionate access to supply distribution sites requires high-risk journeys and offers food on a first-come first-served basis, leaving the most vulnerable groups still unable to access food.

Within the past three months, aid at its peak in June was 37,843.34 metric tons, only 17 percent of what Gaza was receiving in February this year (216,075 MT), with a projected decrease from June in July.

“The unbearable suffering of the people of Gaza is already clear for the world to see,” said World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain. “Waiting for official confirmation of famine to provide life-saving food aid they desperately need is unconscionable.”
“We need to floor Gaza with large-scale food aid, immediately and without obstruction, and keep it flowing each and every day to prevent mass starvation. People are already dying of malnutrition and the longer we wait to act, the higher the death toll will rise.”

In light of the ongoing crisis, UN agencies have reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and the enablement of uninterrupted humanitarian operations. They have also called for investing in the recovery of local food systems by revitalizing bakeries and markets and rehabilitating local agriculture.

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Oil tankers entering and departing a busy port. Credit: Unsplash/Ramona Flwrs

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 28 2025 (IPS)

Two-thirds of the developing world, or ninety-five out of 143 economies, are dependent on commodities for export value, making up 60 percent of their merchandise exports. For the least developed world, this number rises to 80 percent, leaving entire nation’s revenue vulnerable to price swings, fiscal shocks, and evolving trade compositions. Hidden behind the numbers lies a deeper transformation, one disrupting fossil fuel trade, triggering a higher reliance on mineral exports, particularly on mining essential for green technologies.

In 2024, during a special climate panel, on critical energy transition minerals, UN Secretary-General António Guterres remarked, “A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals. For developing countries, critical minerals are a critical opportunity – to create jobs, diversify economies, and dramatically boost revenues. But only if they are managed properly.”

Guterres signaled a clear message that this change can indeed boost economies and create jobs, especially in the places which need it most, but only if those countries are then willing to invest in diversification strategies through proper economic management.

At this year’s UN High Level Political Forum Guterres reaffirmed his stance on July 22, stating: “Fossil fuels are outdated. The sun is rising on a new era − the era of clean energy.” Guterres present a six-point action plan forward, which would phase out fossil fuels and secure energy access to all, by outlining methods of financing green transition.

A shift in the tides: oil to ore

Between 2012-2014 and 2021-2023, the share of commodity exports in of global trade have slightly declined, from 35.5 percent to 32.7 percent. At the same time, overall merchandise trade grew by 25.6 percent, with commodity exports growing by 15.5 percent. This 10 percent gap accounts for a 619 billion dollar shortfall due to declining and stagnating energy exports, which currently dominate the commodity trade.

Energy exports once led the commodity trade but are now showing obvious signs of stagnation and future decline. From 2021 to 2023, global energy exports amounted to 3.16 trillion on average, slightly decreasing 1.3 percent from the 2012-2014. The acceleration of renewable energy projects and the UN’s 2030 Agenda have been main proponents in this, driving down the reliance on oil and coal, and improving energy efficiency through global investment in green technologies.

Western Asia, once a dominant region in energy exports, particularly oil, saw its share fall from 31.3 percent to 24.7 percent over the past decade. Russia, once the world’s top energy exporter saw its export value drop by 26.6 percent.

However, in this same period, the United States became the world’s leading energy exporter, driven by its massive quantities of liquefied natural gas and shale oil mining. This shift too even reflects a greener transition, as liquefied natural gas is seen increasingly as a bridge to clean energy, as it presents cleaner effects on the environment, and is overall considered cleaner than oil and coal by a large margin.

In contrast to this overall decline in energy demand, mining exports have been surging. In Asia and Oceania, the regions’ share grew from 33.8 percent to 37.6 percent. Looking at Australia alone, they grew their mining export value from USD 105.7 billion to USD 171 billion due to higher demand from China and other global consumers for metals like copper, cobalt, and lithium. These materials are necessary for solar panels, wind turbines and electric car batteries, which are all considered essential components to a green economy.

Suppliers of the green future: Africa

While much of the world is expanding looking towards the future, Africa is still largely behind in development, creating lags in green agendas. Most of the continent lacks basic access to electricity. Africa is home to twenty of the world’s thirty-three mining export-dependent economies, making them the provider of many materials for green technologies, but not the constructors.

In Western and Eastern Africa, these mining exports make up 65 percent and 57 percent of all merchandise exports. Southern Africa is also particularly reliant, with nations like Botswana presenting mining exports of 91.5 percent. This lack of diversification makes African economies extremely vulnerable to supply chain shifts and price volatility, especially in the event of value chain swaps. Even in countries where mining is not as prevalent like Nigeria, Algeria and Angola, the lowering of oil prices by 20 percent in economies with an 80 percent export value on energy, shows early signs of dangerous fiscal dependency on a lacking financial flow.

The inevitable shift

Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebecca Grynspan said: “There is now an opportunity to leverage these new commodities to update our trade regime, promote structural diversification and turn the tide of commodity dependence once and for all.”

The clean energy shift is not theory, it is happening real time and its reshaping supply chains fast. Countries like the U.S. and Australia have successfully adapted their economies to this shift, preparing for a new landscape of green domination. The rise in mining exports supports a demand from advanced economies needing critical minerals, but this financial flow for the exporting countries might not stay forever, especially if more competitors break into the market driving down the price further and further: much like what is happening to oil. A country’s path to clean energy now lies as an indicator of working economic models and the ablution of outdated financial flows.

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Rice field in Bali Indonesia. Credit: Unsplash/Eystetix Studio

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 23 2025 (IPS)

As incomes rise in middle-income countries, so does the demand for animal-sourced calories, resulting in large increases to global food production, and raising the importance for sustainable agriculture amidst growing concerns of climate change.

According to a new joint report from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), projections of global per capita calorie intake from livestock and fish will increase by 6 percent from 2025 to 2034. This aggregate demand increase is largely driven by lower- and middle-income countries, where intak is expected to exceed to 24 percent, four times the global average.

To emeet this demand, global fish production is projected to grow by 14 percent, particularly in middle income nations: leaving room for increased agricultural humanitarian support. In this same swing, meat, dairy, and eggs are expected to increase by 17 percent, supported by an inventory expansion of 7 percent in global cattle, sheep, poultry, and pig.

While these gains mean more food will be on the plate for most people, it comes with an environmental price tag. Greenhouse gas emissions due to agricultural activity are expected to rise by 6 percent in the next decade. However, FAO estimated that emissions could be reduced by 7 percent if productivity can be boosted by 15 percent, pegged to the adoption of emission-reduction technologies.

The report also emphasized the key role international trade has in feeding the world. By 2034, it is estimated that 22 percent of all calories consumed globally are expected to cross through international trade, maintaining the same trend of the past decade. Managing or expanding the 22 percent will require multilateral cooperation and a rules-based trade system, bolstering security, and safeguarding supply chains from potential disruptions.

“We have the tools to end hunger and boost global food security,” said OECD Secretary General Mathais Cormann. “Well-coordinated policies are needed to keep global food markets open, while fostering long-term productivity improvements and sustainability in the agricultural sector.”

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu made similar remarks to Cormann, adding that while the outlook indicates improved nutrition for many lower-income nations, persistent food insecurity in some of the world’s least developed countries remains an unsolved problem. On the same note, it was observed that low-income countries will remain at a damaging per capita daily intake of animal-based calories at just 143kcal, less than half of that which lower-middle-income countries have, far below the FAO’s 300 kcal benchmark for a healthy and even affordable diet.

The aggregate increase in agricultural productivity is expected to reduce commodity prices globally, putting more pressure on small-scale farmers. This comes as larger operations benefit far more from growing economics, making smallholders struggle to compete unless they adapt to the growing climate in the agricultural industry.

Two women harvesting paddy plants in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Unsplash/Maurice Gerhardt

Key Projections in the 2025-2034 Outlook

· Cereal production is expected to grow 1.1 percent annually, driven by a modest 0.9 percent increase in crop yields. Harvest area will only expand 0.14 percent per year, which is less than half the rate of the previous decade.
· In high-income countries, among shifting dietary preferences, health concerns, and targeted food policy, per capita consumption of fats and sweeteners is projected to decline.
· By 2034, 40 percent of cereal crops (wheat, rice, corn, barley, etc.) will be consumed directly, while 33 percent will be used for animal feed, and the remaining 27 percent on biofuel and industrial uses.
· Demand for biofuel in this period will grow 0.9 percent annually, led by Brazil, India, and Indonesia
· India and Southeast Asia will make up 39 percent of global consumption growth by 2034, up from 32 percent in the last decade. In contrast, the Chinese share is expected to decline from 32 percent to 13 percent.

The report concludes with a call to action; that to achieve global good security, a boosting of agricultural efficiency in line with proper environmental devices amidst production will be necessary to reach global goals of zero poverty, and net zero emissions.

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Shenzhen China, a city made up of 47 percent clean energy, with a population of 17.56 million people. Credit: Unsplash/Robert Bye

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 22 2025 (IPS)

At the UN 2025 High Level Political Forum last week, global energy leaders warned that without urgent action in expanding access to clean energy, hundreds of millions will remain vulnerable, and the world will risk falling short of its 2030 SDG deadline.

At a packed and tense side event, “Advancing Energy Transition in the Global South,” Fu Cong, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, opened the stage with a stark message: “At present, we are falling far short of implementing the UN 2030 Agenda.” Emphasizing energy insecurity as a large proponent in this lacking race to the finish line: requiring an acceleration of coordinated action.

No Energy, No SDGs

Xin Baoan, Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) and President of the China Electricity Council displayed how energy can be the main driver in economics and meaningful sustainable development.

“Only 17 percent of the 169 SDG targets are currently on track,” he warned, referencing the staggering USD 4 trillion annual global investment gap. “Energy is a fundamental driver of economic and social progress,” Baoan added, stating that the shift to low-carbon power systems is an “urgent priority.”

Baoan explained how China now generates over 2,100 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy, making up 60 percent of its total power mix: consisting of wind, solar, and hydropower. Baoan elaborated that the steps China has taken towards clean electrification, driving China’s progress with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), could be a guide for all countries in the Global South to follow.

Baoan proposed a three-point roadmap:

1. Ensure Energy Supply: Optimizing the allocation and efficient use of clean energy resources, providing accessible energy to disproportionate regions. Reducing the number of people living without electricity, while also ensuring sustainable energy access for all.

2. Drive Economic Growth: Using electricity infrastructure as a catalyst for supporting long industrial chains, and growth of economic sectors. Attracting investment, growing industrial development, generating employment, and activating sustained economic growth.

3. Promote Coordinated Development: Deepen south-south cooperation through sharing clean energy, turning the richer energy resources of Asia, Africa, and Latin America into drivers of growth.

A Global Imbalance between Population and Economic Output

“The Global South comprises 80 percent of the world’s population, yet contributes only 40 percent of global economic output,” said Yin Bo, Director of the Cooperation Division at GEIDCO. He discovered that from 2015 to 2022, the average annual growth rate of GDP per capita across the Global South fell below levels seen during 2010 to 2014. This suggests a deepening development crisis fueled by a lack of investment.

These inequalities directly affect not only the quality, but the quantity of sustained development. “From 2015 to 2022, average energy capacity in the Global South increased only modestly, from 155 watts to 293 watts per person,” Yin contrasted this by pointing out that “the Global North saw growth from 691 to 1,073 watts per person in the same period.” Without renewed sustainable development, this wide energy gap will continue to grow, hindering any form of sustainable development in the Global South.

West Asia and Africa

Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), painted the current picture in the Arab region. “Today, over forty million people still live without electricity. Sixty million rely on unsafe cooking fuels,” she said. She continued, adding “in this region, energy is not just about climate, it is about development, opportunity, and survival.

Extreme climates, dangerous weather, war, and outdated infrastructure have created massive regional energy difficulties. However, signs of momentum are now emerging.

· In Jordan, two-thirds of new cars sold last year were electric.
· In Algeria, Chinese partnerships launched EV production lines with a capacity of 200,000 units per year.
· In Morocco, a $2 billion lithium processing facility was recently implemented, positioning Morocco as a player in global battery supply chains.
· In Dubai, “Moro hub,” a green data center built in 2023, relies on a power supply consisting of the world’s largest single-site solar PV and solar thermal power generation station. By 2030, this solar energy park will reach a capacity of 5,000 MW (the equivalence to five nuclear reactors)
· In Iraq, The GCC Interconnection Authority recently linked its grids with Iraq, supplying 600 MW to high-need communities.

Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, focused on Africa’s critical paradox of resources. “Africa possesses 60 percent of the world’s solar potential, but more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity,” said Gatete.

With Africa’s populations projected to reach 2.5 billion people by 2050, energy demand is set to be way higher than what Africa can already manage. Even worse, Gatete said that “out of the $3 trillion invested in energy globally in 2024, less than 3 percent went to Africa.” meaning investors do not see a positive return.

Gatate warned that achieving the global clean energy target of 8,000 GW would be “impossible without Africa”. He said that with platforms like GEDICO, the continent could become a key actor in the establishment of not only clean energy, but a just and inclusive energy future.

The side event “Advancing Energy Transition in the Global South” during the 2025 High-Level Political Forum in UN Headquarters, New York City. Credit: IPS/Maximilian Malawista

The Global Countdown

Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, reaffirmed the already daunting facts “Two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals are lagging.” He affirmed that at the current rate, universal access to electricity will remain a distant goal.

Despite the strenuousness, the event closed on an optimistic note, highlighting China’s roles in strategic partnerships with the Global South. It now becomes evident that to reshape the future, China will be a key vehicle in transforming the energy access gap and fostering long term economic and sustainable development sustenance.

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Microsoft offices in Vancouver, Canada. Credit Unsplash/Matthew Manuel

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 18 2025 (IPS)

“The power of AI carries immense responsibilities. Today, that power sits in the hands of a few,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 2025 AI Action Summit, reflecting on a deepening reality as we inch closer to a world in complete digital domination. Today, seven of the world’s top ten most valuable companies are digital giants, focusing primarily on the output of communication, digital manufacturing, artificial intelligence and digital commerce, which is paving the way for a fully digitized life for all.

The top 10 companies include some of the biggest names in information technology and digital commerce:

NVIDIA: 4.002 trillion USD | Information Technology
Microsoft: 3.727 trillion USD | Information Technology
Apple: 3.172 trillion USD | Information Technology
Amazon: 2.359 trillion USD | Consumer Discretionary
Alphabet (Google): 2.161 trillion USD | Communication Services
Meta Platforms (Facebook): 1.828 trillion USD | Communication Services
Saudi Aramco: 1.627 trillion USD | Energy
Broadcom: 1.295 trillion USD | Information Technology
TSMC: 1.191 trillion USD | Information Technology
Berkshire Hathaway: 1.032 trillion USD | Consumer Discretionary

These companies actively reshape nearly every aspect of life, from showing you an ad for the brand-new phone you have been eyeing, to manufacturing the chip inside that very phone, and even delivering it to your doorstep. They are all connected and can be done from a single click of the screen.

Some of these firms have a near-digital monopoly on all aspects of the digital economy. Take Microsoft for example:

E-Commerce and digital payment: Microsoft.com
Digital content and distribution: Xbox Game Pass, Windows Store, Microsoft Store
Social media: Teams, LinkedIn
Online search: Bing
Online Advertising: Bing, Microsoft, LinkedIn Ads
Cloud Services: Azure, Microsoft 365
AI Models: Copilot

Your entire life can be run from one of these services, from finding your local market for groceries, to buying a new laptop for work, to storing your sensitive data, creating visualizations for that new project you’re working on, or even purchasing a video game. It’s all done from one company spread across a few platforms.

Market limitations amid consolidation

The vertical and horizontal consolidation of digital supply chains has made it nearly impossible for new companies to break into just about any of these markets. A lack of competition ultimately fuels higher prices, lower quality, and weakened privacy protection for the consumer.

Consumers often unknowingly support and reinforce this system. If they rely on Google across all their devices, it creates a cycle which lacks digital diversity, increasing the difficulty for smaller entities to innovate and break into the market.

By design, digital ecosystems keep users within the limits of a single company’s platforms, making it easy for the user to move from service to service, but at the hidden cost of freely giving up your data.

Advertising plays a vital role in this campaign for dominance. 97.6 percent of Meta’s revenue and 75.6 percent of Google’s comes just from ads. Just by being on their platforms you’re generating billions of dollars, without paying a single cent for use.

Unchecked growth

From 2020 to 2024, digital multinationals enterprises (MNEs) accounted for one-third of all greenfield data center projects, initiatives built entirely from the ground up. Logistic projects in contrast only accounted for 10 percent. This displays just how massively the digital world is expanding, fueled by investments in immersive online environments where users are increasingly spending money on non-physical assets, creating endless revenues streams out of thin air.

In China, the concentration of digital markets is comparatively extreme than in other countries, given that certain American applications do not work there. A handful of firms — Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance — control the population’s entire digital ecosystem. As the second-most populous country in the world, this is no small feat. WeChat alone is used by 95 percent of their population, centralizing social media, messaging, payments, and e-commerce into one platform. This means that competition effectively does not exist.

From 2017 to 2025, the combined share of sales between the top five digital MNEs doubled from 21 percent to 48 percent, displaying immense growth in a merely eight-year period. This trend was also observed within asset concentration, where the top five digital firms doubled from 17 percent to now 35 percent during that same period

Artificial Intelligence (AI) consolidation

As digital markets surge, so does dominance in the AI value chain. Just two companies, Microsoft and Alphabet, control 78 percent of AI development from start to finish, largely through their partnerships with startups like OpenAI and Anthropic. This allows them to virtually own every link in the chain, from data collection to model training and deployment, to application.

Generative AI requires massive capital, but also computing power, cloud services, AI chips, talent, and most importantly, data, which only the tech giants control. There is hardly, if any room for smaller firms to compete. This dynamic has shown to have serious market limiting implications, as AI will become necessary to digital expansion.

As UN Secretary General António Guterres warned at the 79th General Assembly in 2024, “A handful of companies and even individuals have already amassed enormous power over the development of AI – with little accountability or oversight for the moment.”

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The World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. Credit: Unsplash/Zoshua Colah

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jul 17 2025 (IPS)

Today, 3.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt interest payments than on health or education. This marks a trembling indication that the United Nations’ promise for the 2030 Agenda could be slipping away.

With less than five years left, developing countries are facing an estimated USD 4 trillion in annual financing gaps, placing sustainable development efforts on the back-burner.

The financing gaps across regions, as shown below, reflect the disparity

Asia and Oceania

· 2.139 billion people (Interest > Education)
· 2.24 billion people (Interest > Health)

Africa

· 402 million people (Interest > Education)
· 791 million people (Interest > Health)

Latin America and the Caribbean

· 140 million people (Interest > Education)
· 356 million people (Interest > Health)

The Aggregate

· 3.4 billion people (Interest > Education)
· 2.4 billion people (Interest > Health)

Education has been found to be the most effective long-term solution to lifting people out of poverty. Now with almost half the world in regions where debt interest payments are being prioritized over education, it reveals a daunting future; one which could halt progress in SDG 4 (Quality education), and create hurdles for SDG 1 (No Poverty).

The Sevilla Platform for Action

At the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) the Sevilla Platform for Action was launched, putting forward 130 “high-impact” initiatives aimed at implementation of reconstructive and expansionary policy from the start.

The platforms look at implementing three key areas of solution:

1. Catalyze Investments at Scale – bridging SDG financing gaps, involving the mobilization of tax revenues, blended finance initiatives, among guarantees and local currency lending by multilateral development banks, and overall increasing financing for crisis response.

2. Debt Reform Initiatives – A global hub for debt swaps in exchange for development, a debt pauses clause alliance, and a borrowers’ forum.

3. Structural Reform to Global Financial Architecture – Architecture reforms at national and global levels, involving a coalition of countries and institutions aimed at country led and owned platforms, a second coalition for including measures of vulnerability beyond GDP in all financing operations, and efforts to update development cooperation on a global scale.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebecca Grynspan stressed the need for an integrated approach “We need to think about development in an integrated way where trade, investment, finance and technology reinforce each other as the Sevilla Commitment states,” said Grynspan.

According to UNCTAD, trade remains “the strongest link between local economies and global growth”. To establish these networks, this involves advocating for predictable trade rules, and transparent policies to help construct a capacity, competitiveness, and resilience among developing nations economies.

Another proposal by the platform is “turning public debt from a burden into a tool of development,” calling for lowering borrowing costs and fairer mechanisms, ultimately exceeding the limits set by the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment. This would include a tripling of lending capacity, increasing the borrowing limit from USD 50 billion to USD 150 billion.

The global debt trap

In the last decade, developing countries have borrowed more and at higher interest rates then that of the developed world, leading to the rise of debt burden and the shrinking of essential public services. Since 2010, in developing countries debt has grown twice as fast as that of advanced economies. Today, that debt has grown to USD 102 trillion, an increase of USD 5 trillion from the past year.

Just in 2024 alone, 61 countries allocated more than 10 percent of their government revenues on interest payments, amounting to USD 921 billion. Developing countries now owe USD 31 trillion collectively, resources which could have been distributed toward public goods like education and healthcare.

To put this to scale, many of these developing countries have been borrowing at average rates two to four times higher than the United States despite having far fewer resources to repay that debt. These debt burdens are creating crushing opportunity costs, stunting the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Debt can be a powerful tool for investment and development when used properly. But now, rising interest payments are actively crowding out future investment, creating cycles for delay and dependency through debt traps. This has cost developing nations USD 25 billion in net interest to their creditors, leading to massive net negative financial flows now for several years in a row. These countries are paying more to borrow the money than what they receive, making sustainable development nearly impossible, and ultimately forcing some of these economies into survival mode.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the current debt system as: “Unsustainable, unfair and unaffordable, with many governments spending more on debt payments than on essentials like health and education combined.” Guterres called for the intervention of a new global debt system, one which offers long term and affordable financing, to reverse the damage done by the current global debt trap.

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A coal plant in Lamma Island, Hong Kong. Credit: Unsplash/Ben Tatlow

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 11 2025 (IPS)

Global investments in energy exceeded USD 3 trillion in 2024, with at least USD 2 trillion being invested in clean energy technology and infrastructure. Infrastructure. Despite that progress, fossil fuel consumption continues to rise with little sign of slowing.

China led in energy transitions investments, accounting for 48 percent, followed by the United States (17 percent), Germany (5 percent), the United Kingdom (4 percent), and France (3 percent). These investments have opened the doors to green technologies like solar panels, electric vehicles, and battery storage, at an affordable rate. However, these advancements have been confined to high-income countries. Emerging markets and least developed countries (LDCs), excluding China, remain dependent on coal and fossil fuels to meet their energy needs.

The crossroads of the Asia-Pacific

The Asia and Pacific region has faced the greatest challenge in its transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. In 2023, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 47 percent of global energy demand, with China, India, Korea, Japan, and Indonesia making up most of this share.

Consider that China occupies a unique position in that it contributes to energy transition as the largest investor in clean energy, while also being the most coal-reliant nation as a major producer and consumer. In perspective, investment in clean energy per capita globally it is at 131 dollars, while Asia and the Pacific is at 115 dollars. However, when excluding China and other high-income countries, that number drops to just 18 dollars a person.

The gaps in investment come heavily from the ten LDCs in the region. Together, these nations account for 1.4 percent of global energy transition investments from 2020 to 2023. However, at COP29, these countries announced plans aimed at increasing their renewable energy capacity from 20 gigawatts (GW) in 2023 to 58 GW by 2030, a 290 percent jump. Meanwhile in South-east Asia, the energy demand is expected to grow to 25 percent between 2024 and 2035, and it is estimated that by 2050 their energy demand may overtake the European Union.

The coal paradox

In 2023, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) reported that 81 percent of new renewable energy sources were offering cheaper alternatives to fossil fuels. Even with this margin of difference, coal continues to dominate the Asia-Pacific region without slowing down. In 2023, the Asia-Pacific region generated 45 percent of its energy from coal, which was more than any other region, using the most carbon intensive resource available. The region holds 79 percent of the world’s operating coal plants, generating 1.69 terawatts (TW) of the global 2.13 TW of coal powered energy.

To add to the coal fire, 96 percent of all planned coal capacity, or 553 GW out of 578 GW are solely in the Asia-Pacific. Of that percentage, China accounts for 53 percent of the current capacity, and 71 percent of the future capacity. India, Indonesia and Bangladesh make up the rest of the energy demand for coal. Coal is not just energy, it is money.

Three of the world’s top exporters of coal — Indonesia, Australia, and Mongolia — are in the Asia-Pacific. Indonesia is the largest exporter of coal globally, with China and India as its largest clients. Australia follows closely behind, exporting over USD 91 billion worth of coal during 2023 through 2024, and its coal mining industry employing 50,000 workers. In Mongolia, coal briquettes were their top export, amassing USD 8.43 billion in wealth.

Coal for these countries represents a vital economic tool, one which will make the transition ever more difficult.

Existing solutions

To turn around this deficit and make the world greener, we already have this technology. We have battery storage, nuclear power, low-carbon hydrogen, and even limited carbon capture technologies. The challenge is implementing these technologies and scaling them at a level which produces tangible results.

Without these shifts in investment and policy, the Asia-Pacific region risks global progress towards energy security, economic stability, and SDG compliance. Leaving many left behind, and in the stifling warm air.

To align with global net-zero carbon emission targets and SDG7, which calls for access to affordable and sustainable energy for all, the annual investment in energy must increase to between USD 2.2 and 2.4 trillion by 2030. At least 90 percent of this investment needs to be focused on clean energy.

A dangerous future

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Credit: Unsplash/Sarvesh Phansalkar

Despite the urgency of this matter, coal demand among ASEAN economies is projected to rise 5% annually, moving from 491 million metric tons in 2024 to 567 million metric tons by 2027.

This continued reliance on coal as a primary energy will only make energy diversification harder and more expensive. The time to change these outlooks is now, before diversification becomes too difficult. In consequence of these actions, some of the most polluted cities in the world, such as Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Lahore (Pakistan), and Hotan (China), have reported air pollution levels 10 to 20 times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) identifies as safe limits. Simply breathing air in these cities can pose a significant health risk, and yet millions do it.

The International Energy Agency Director Faith Birol warns: “Today’s energy world is moving fast, but there is a major risk of many countries around the world being left behind.”

An eye on the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region hosts two-thirds of the global population and account for 46 percent of the world’s GDP exists in the Asia-Pacific. This means that this region is crucial to achieving progress towards SDGs, and without their help, completion is near to impossible.

“Nowhere is this challenge – and opportunity – more urgent than in Asia and the Pacific,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. She added, “This is our chance to build a more resilient, equitable and sustainable economy for all. We aim to foster solutions that are regionally grounded, technically sound and financially viable. Unless Asia and the Pacific can lead boldly, the global transition will fall short of expectations.”

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Chinese Freight Train. Credit: Unsplash/KUA YUE

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 10 2025 (IPS)

Once landlocked, now connected, the UN Global Compact has bridged the gap between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East: having many call it the “New Silk Road”.

On June 22nd, the UN Global Compact launched their Central Asia Network to drive SDG progress, connecting more than 140 participant companies to the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. This initiative will offer the tools and resources necessary to drive business practices which are sustainable and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Kazakhstan will serve as the initiative’s multi-country office connecting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Previously operating separately in silos, these five nations will now be part of a unified platform integrating a green economic strategy and promoting regional development.

“By launching a Country Network here, we are anchoring responsible investment and sustainability into this dynamic corridor, “ said Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact. “We are harnessing the region’s untapped private-sector potential to drive green growth, improve transparency and foster social cohesion.”

This region holds immense capabilities. As sixty percent of people in the region are under age thirty, this offers a powerful human capital to support a new generation of job creation, infrastructure development, and supply chain capabilities.

The Belt and Road Initiative: a new ally

In 2023, The UN Global Compact and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) formalized a partnership in Beijing, designed to align infrastructure development with long-term sustainability.

As part of this initiative, two tools were introduced:

· Global Compact Ten Principles Applied in Infrastructure Sectors under the BRI: A Practical Guide for Private Sector Players.
· Maximizing Impact towards the SDGs: Guidance and Assessment Tool for Companies to Advance Sustainable Infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative.

These resources give private sector actors a strategy to not only reach the SGDs, but also further develop infrastructure planning, finance and project implementation, thereby advancing regional connectivity.

The results of this are happening fast. During a summit held in Astana on June 22, President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua exchanged a cooperation agreement with Arman Kyrykbayev, Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan, which outlined a collaboration facilitating big data-computing centers, and the creation of a China-Kazakhstan Exchange and Cooperation Center. The new hub will support the facilitation of trade, currency settlement, and cross border intellectual property transactions, reflecting BRI’s vital role in molding a more connected and integrated central Asia. The center is only one of four key regional centers that were launched under the umbrella of China-Central Asia collaboration, with the other three dedicated to poverty reduction, education exchange and desertification control.

In that same week, speaking in Astana, President Xi Jinping of China introduced the “China-Central Asia Spirit,” which he characterized it as a show of “mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development”. During the summit, Xi, and the leaders of five Central Asian countries signed the treaty of permanent good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation, formalizing a shared vision for an expansive future.

The impact of these economic and diplomatic participations has been clear. China-Central Asia trade in 2024 reached 94.8 billion USD, yielding an increase of 5.4 billion dollars from the previous year. In perspective, this volume of trade is the equivalent of Uzbekistan’s entire GDP, a staggering development for a region previously left behind in the world of trade and commerce.

Infrastructure: the rails and ships of now

A port in the Yantian District in Shenzen, China. Credit: Unsplash/Leoon Liang

While policy and values have paved the way, infrastructure is laying the foundation. New railway and freight hubs are rapidly transforming Central Asia from a previously landlocked entity to a vital logistics mega hub.

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the China-Europe Caspian Sea Express are examples of this. These new routes link Central Asia to the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe, expanding its market access exponentially. Chinese cities are opening freight train routes and direct flights to Central Asia, further enhancing supply chains, and making travel ever more efficient.

On June 30, the China-Europe Caspian Sea Express launched, making its multimodal journey to its destination in Baku from Beijing. The journey took approximately fifteen days, cutting travel by more than half. The train was loaded with 104 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units), carrying approximately 2,300 tons of export goods, journeying across more than 8,000 kilometers. The corridor will also distribute cargo to Georgia, Türkiye and Serbia, among other regional entities.

The reality of regional cooperation

The transformation of Central Asian supply chains is not theoretical. This is happening in real time, with a new agreement being signed each day. While once fragmented and landlocked, Central Asia is becoming the new bridge between the East and the West: fast tracking expansion globally. Through the coordination of the UN Global Compact, China’s BRI, and regional partnerships, Central Asia has become the new hub for green innovation, sustainable trade, and youth driven economic revitalization.

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In 2024, the World Food Programme delivered emergency assistance to at least 90 million people globally. Credit: Unsplash/Imdadul Hussain

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 1 2025 (IPS)

Serious-to-severe food insecurity has been widely felt among those living through the worst, protracted humanitarian crises. For organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), they must work under the “relentless demand” for humanitarian aid, including food.

In their 2024 annual review, Staying and delivering amid multiple crises, the WFP noted that there was “no slowdown in the relentless demand for humanitarian support as new and protracted conflicts, more frequent disasters, economic volatility and persistent inflation fueled surging rates of hunger”.

Despite these challenges, the WFP made significant strides in their efforts to deliver aid in 2024. They supported 124.4 million people, including 90 million people receiving emergency assistance. Through their nutrition treatment and prevention programs, they reached 27.6 million people. Over the course of the year, WFP delivered 16.1 billion daily rations, and overall distributed 2.5 million metric tons of food.

The WFP received USD 9.8 billion in funding, the second-highest level of funding on recorded, yet that only covered 54 percent of their requirement for its total needs. With operational costs in 2024 amounting to 18.2 billion, the WFP was forced to make critical and difficult cost-cutting calculations for their decisions. These included “severe trade-offs”, which came in the form of ration reductions and scaling back programs in key areas of operations.

Executive Director for WFP Cindy McCain said: “Like every other humanitarian organization, WFP is facing deep budget shortfalls which have forced drastic cuts to our food assistance programs. Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide. We have tried and tested solutions to hunger and food insecurity. But we need the support of our donors and partners to implement them.”

A focus on nutrition

Aligned with UNICEF’s plan for acceleration of nutrition action, WFP maintained a “laser focus” on young children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, groups with the highest nutritional needs. Through 2024, they provided malnutrition treatment and prevention to 21.4 million women and children in twenty crisis-affected countries.

To reach and distribute aid to these populations, WFP heavily relied on school meals and social protection programs as a channel to reach its most vulnerable targets. In these efforts, the WFP provided twenty million children with school meals, take-home rations and cash-based transfers across sixty-one countries.

In addition, through their partnership with the School Meals Coalition, with the WFP as secretariat, together they were able to mobilize domestic investments from governments, unlock partnerships, and amplify global advocacy for school meals.

During the 2024 G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fourteen governments and eleven partners vowed to double the number of children reached in low to lower-middle income countries, aiming to support 150 million more children by 2030.

As a result of these campaigns, the WFP indirectly reached 119 million children, a twelve million increase from 2023, by supporting governments in establishing national school meal programs.

The aid of technology

Innovation was paramount between 2022 and 2024, with more than 4.8 million families being uploaded to the WFP’s Building Blocks (BB). BB is the world’s largest humanitarian blockchain technology, connecting various humanitarian organizations providing assistance, allowing a family access to cash, food, education, and health from one account, thus creating a simplified and convenient way to receive aid. BB supports four million people each month, and to date has processed USD 555 million in cash-based transfer and saved 3.5 million in bank fees.

Thirty organizations are now using BB in Ukraine, which can flag potential unintended assistance overlap, saving USD 337 million. Another tool like SCOUT, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for global food sourcing and delivery planning, has saved an additional USD 3 million, with estimates to generate over USD 50 million in savings over the coming years.

Despite “diminishing resources,” the WFP achieved major logistical milestones. Through their strategy, they managed on-demand supply chain services to 145 clients, managing 456,583 metric tons of cargo, aiding in support of governments and fellow humanitarian organizations, as its lead. To improve efficiency the WFP made a switch from air to land delivery in locations such as Chad and Gaza, which increased access, coverage, and cut costs, allowing more aid to be delivered.

Strengthening its grassroot network, The WFP partnered with 927 NGOs, 85 percent which were national organizations, allocating 707$ million to them. In total 62 percent of WFP aid was delivered via these partners. Additional funding of $947 million came through agreements with international finance institutions and country agreements.

Looking towards the future

Amid intense conflicts and access restrictions, WFP has reached 2.1 million people in Palestine, reaching 1.9 million people in Gaza alone. Credit: Unsplash/Emad El Byed

The outlook for 2025 is ever difficult, creating struggles for supply chains, and target areas facing deteriorating conditions. Seventy percent of people classified as “acutely food insecure” live in fragile or conflict-affected situations, placing both recipients and aid workers at major risks.

Conflict has displaced over 123 million people, with forty-three million fleeing in search of necessities, like shelter and food. To continue meeting these urgent needs, delivering the most aid possible, the WFP requires an additional USD 5.7 billion to reach “the most vulnerable people with emergency food, nutrition, and resilience support”. With current funding estimates the WFP plans to reach ninety-eight million people in 2025, underscoring millions who are in dire need of humanitarian aid.

Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation warns: “WFP is prioritizing the worst-affected regions and stretching food rations to maximize impact. But make no mistake, we are approaching a funding cliff with life-threatening consequences.”

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Over 7 million people die from smoking-related deaths every year. The World Health Organization’s protocols to control and reduce tobacco have been adopted in at least 155 countries. Credit: Unsplash/Kouji Tsuru

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 2025 (IPS)

Tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit, a grim reality that highlights the urgent mission of global tobacco control. A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while many countries have followed the organization’s protocols to reduce tobacco use, major gaps still remain in broader implementation.

The Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report was launched on June 23 at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, where global health leaders emphasized a renewed commitment towards reducing tobacco-related deaths, which claim more than seven million lives each year. At least 80 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries, where the risk of tobacco-related illness and death is much higher.

The report focuses on the WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures, the steps that countries need to take to reduce tobacco usage. The WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures include:

· Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies;
· Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation;
· Offering help to quit tobacco use;
· Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;
· Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and
· Raising taxes on tobacco.

The WHO MPOWER measures were first introduced in 2007, where only forty-four countries had implemented at least one tobacco control measure, protecting 1.2 billion people. Their implementation can be viewed through the new data portal, which tracks countries’ progress from 2007-2025.

155 countries have successfully implemented at least one control measure at the best-practice level, the highest marker of implementation. This protects up to 6.1 billion people, or about 75 percent of the global population. Additionally, countries with two or more measures have seen “a nearly tenfold increase,” from 11 to 107 countries, which protects 4.8 billion people. Forty of these countries have adopted two or more measures, while seven of them have implemented four measures, and four have adopted five of the MPOWER measures. Altogether, fifty-one countries have at least three of these measures in place, accounting for the protection of 1.8 billion people.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said, “Twenty years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have many successes to celebrate, but the tobacco industry continues to evolve and so must we.” He added, “By uniting science, policy, and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer claims lives, damages economies or steals futures. Together, we can end the tobacco epidemic.”

The report highlights that one practice — graphic health warnings and plain packaging — has made significant progress, with 56 percent of countries having reached ‘best-practice’ level. As one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), it makes it difficult for people to ignore the health risks. It has been proven that cigarette packaging that contain graphic visual health warnings are effective in informing people about tobacco risks. They can be understood by people across all demographics and countries of all income levels.

Additionally, 110 countries at some levels have adopted these measures, accounting for approximately five billion people, or 62 percent of the world’s population. 36 percent of the global population now live in countries which run best-practice campaigns, which is up from 19 percent in 2022. WHO is urging countries to “invest in message-tested evaluated campaigns”.

Despite this, forty countries have zero MPOWER measures at the best-practice level. More than thirty countries allow the sale of cigarettes without mandatory health warnings. Even as many of the measures are being adopted, WHO notes that enforcement is “inconsistent”. Packaging for smokeless tobacco remains “poorly regulated”, as these items come in irregular packaging, are developed by smaller local producers, and may be found illegally produced and sold. These factors make it difficult to enforce packaging regulations. Furthermore, since 2022 at least 110 countries have failed to run anti-tobacco campaigns.

Many countries are failing to enact policies that would restrict access to cigarettes through taxation. Since 2022, only three counties have increased their taxes on tobacco at the best-practice level. Sixty-eight countries have adopted anti-tobacco media campaigns in the best practice, educating 25 percent globally. Additionally, cost-covered quitting services are accessible to about 33 percent of the world’s population.

While media campaigns and taxation policies target tobacco users, tobacco also affects people second hand. Around 1.6 million people die each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases exacerbated by exposure to second-hand smoke. To combat this, seventy-nine countries have implemented “comprehensive smoke-free environments,” which protects at least one-third of the global population. The regulation of e-cigarette devices or ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) has also begun to pick up traction. As of 2024, 133 countries are regulating or outright banning e-cigarette devices.

To account for the notable lags in progress and enforcement, Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion said, “Governments must act boldly to close remaining gaps, strengthen enforcement, and invest in the proven tools that save lives. WHO calls on all countries to accelerate progress on MPOWER and ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against tobacco.”

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The United Nations Headquarters in New York. Credit: Unsplash/Nils Huenerfuerst

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jun 24 2025 (IPS)

The world is losing interest in investing in others, especially when it comes to humanitarian aid. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has slowed to critical levels, weakening emerging markets and further slowing growth across developing nations.

As of 2025, FDI has dwindled to its lowest levels yet, largely due to heightened trade tensions among barriers for international investment. Lowered levels of FDI indicate a move to domestic and isolationist efforts, increasing the likelihood of failed budgetary cooperation to international intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations.

This is already evident in the UN’s budgets for the Secretariat and for humanitarian aid operations. With many of the UN’s largest donors deciding to cut back on their contributions, the organization will now see a 20 percent reduction in its workforce (6,900 jobs), in addition to sizing down humanitarian aid operations globally. On June 20th, Spokesperson for the Secretary General Stéphane Dujarric remarked, “no office in the UN will be exempt from the 20 percent reduction, and that includes the Secretary General’s office.” This would suggest that the cuts have been brought on due to the reduced budget, and not a want for managerial optimization of the UN’s staff. Under U.S. President Donald Trump, nearly USD 1.5 billion in missed payments have contributed to a USD 3.7 billion budget cut to the UN. This financial strain has been further exacerbated by multiple overdue payments from China. Together, China and the U.S. make up a little over 40 percent of the UN’s total budget.

These cuts have also been seen across the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), where “the deepest funding cuts ever to hit the international humanitarian sector” have occurred. This has resulted in resulting in OCHA to presenting their new global “hyper-prioritized” appeal, aimed at supporting 114 million people facing life threatening necessities worldwide. The new plan asks for USD 29 billion in funding, a decrease of USD 15 billion called for in the previous plan.

“We have been forced into a triage of human survival,” said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator .“The math is cruel, and the consequences are heartbreaking. Too many people will not get the support they need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources we are given.”

The Global Humanitarian Overview for 2025 originally called for USD 44 billion and aimed to reach about 180 million people out of the nearly three hundred million in need. However as of June, only USD 5.6 billion has been received, less than 13 per cent of the appeal. As a result, aid will be disbursed not purely by human necessity, but by cruel and cold calculations.

With the new calculations, the new plan was designed with three goals. Firstly, by reaching the people facing the most urgent conditions, using a scale ranking humanitarian need for aid, prioritizing cases that reached level 4 (Extreme) and level 5 (Catastrophic) as a starting point for disbursement. Second, the prioritization of life-saving support, according to the planning already concluded in the 2025 Humanitarian Response. Third, ensuring that limited resources are directed based on where they can do the best, accounting for speed of disbursement capabilities.

In his statement on the situation, Fletcher concluded by saying: “Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices. All we ask is 1 percent of what you chose to spend last year on war. But this isn’t just an appeal for money – it’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.”

The Investment-Aid Correlation

Credit: Unsplash/Salah Darwish

The shortfall in humanitarian aid funding has directly coincided with global FDI pull backs, reflecting an investor who is less donor-confident, having a decreased interest in bilateral engagement, and overall lack of security about putting money towards fragile states. For the 2023 financial year, developing economies received USD435 billion in FDI (which was USD 867 billion in 2022), the lowest since 2005. A larger slowdown has also been seen for advanced/high-income economies receiving USD 336 billion in 2023, the lowest since 1996. FDI as a portion of gross domestic product (GDP) accounted for 2.3 percent of developing economies in 2023, which is only half of what it was in 2008 at its peak year.

To combat the shortfalls of decreased FDI, The World Bank identified a three-policy priority plan, specifically for developing economies. The first priority would be to “redouble efforts to attract FDI” by easing restrictions and speeding up investment. According to the World Bank, a 1 percent increase in countries’ labor productivity has been associated with a 0.7 percent increase in FDI inflows.

The second priority would be to “amplify the economic benefits of FDI”, which will involve offering a greater quality of development post investment, and uplifting sectors that create opportunities for underrepresented groups. The third priority would be to “advance global cooperation” by creating initiatives to increase multi-sectoral/international flows, offering geopolitical relief, and creating structures to support developing economies.

By boosting FDI, this plan would also encourage UN member states to expand or maintain their current humanitarian contributions. FDI can be seen as a signal for the depth of global connectedness, with stronger investment flows reinforcing a shared commitment to the delivering of aid. To establish the most efficient system, everyone is needed, and that includes the mobilization of capital and communication. An increase in FDI provides a crucial backbone for countries struggling with crises. While the UN can support and implement as many aid plans as possible, true impact depends on the individual state’s willingness to invest in these developing nations. Without this investment, these economies will remain stagnant, unable to recover and grow, falling behind the world stage indefinitely.

At the same time, official development assistance (ODA) globally is also on a downward trend.

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Children receiving humanitarian aid in Kabul. Credit: Wanman Uthmaniyyah/Unsplash

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jun 23 2025 (IPS)

Afghanistan is burdened with one of the highest rates of child wasting globally, with 3.5 million children under five years suffering from a severe form of malnutrition, leaving them dangerously underweight and unable to grow or thrive.

With only five years left to meet global nutrition targets, progress remains unpromising: with only two goals, exclusive breastfeeding and reducing child obesity on track. This leaves the nation “not on course” to meet all of the nutrition-related SDGs, as outlined by the 2023 Global Nutrition Report.

Approximately 12.6 million Afghans, 27 percent of the population, were facing acute food insecurity between March and April 2025, with 1.95 million in IPC phase 4 (Emergency), and 10.64 million in phase 3 (Crisis). Additionally 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are affected by this acute malnutrition, which has been driven by “inadequate access to services, sub-optimum practices and inadequate diets due to economic decline, climate shocks, rising food prices, and poor resilience” according to UNICEF.

According to a 2024 UNICEF report on child food poverty and nutrition deprivation, Afghanistan ranked 4th globally among countries with the highest rates of child poverty.

Nine out of ten young children in Afghanistan, or approximately 2.1 million, live in food poverty, which is leading to stunted growth and development. In this same age group, for one out of every two children (1.2 million children), diets were subsisting of no more than two food groups, “typically cereals and, at times, some milk, day in and day out”. Inadequate dietary requirements has caused 47 percent of young children in Afghanistan to suffer from stunting, with only 14.8 percent consuming five or more food groups. As a result, over 5 million children have been affected by stunted growth (IPC AMN).

While malnutrition is still significant, the UN has made progress in “scaling up the prevention and management of child nutrition in Afghanistan”. About 6.5 million children with wasting have received treatment over the last 3 years. Additionally over 10 million children and their caregivers were receiving preventive nutrition services. This has been marked as an achievement, highlighting “the impact of sustained and focused action, supported by adequate funding”.

A System of Rebuilding:

In Afghanistan, a shepherd guides his flock through barren land. Credit: Unsplash/Mustafa

An investment in nutrition has been found to yield a high return investment, benefiting social, health, and economic systems. For every 1 dollar spent on addressing undernutrition and child wasting, a return of 23 dollars is generated. Malnutrition accounts for USD 2.1 trillion in annual productivity losses, a margin of 2 percent of the global GDP.

To address the remainder of global nutrition targets in Afghanistan, UN agencies such as UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), have called for a “coordinated, multisectoral action to nutrition”. Involving “strengthening food, agriculture, health and nutrition, water and sanitation” and even offering “social protection and education systems” in the fight to prevent, detect, and treat child wasting along with early forms of malnutrition.

In the report Nourishing Afghanistan: A UN Call to Accelerate Nutrition Action, the UN outlined a 10-step strategy to meet the global nutrition targets, in an attempt to combat malnutrition and its side effects. These include:

1. Strengthen strategies to address malnutrition
2. Ensure Access to Essential Preventive Maternal and Child Nutrition Services
3. Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition
4. Tackle Child Food Poverty and population food insecurity by Improving
Access to Healthy, Nutritious Diets through strengthening Food Systems
5. Integrated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and
climate-sensitive, multisectoral resilience building Initiatives
6. Strengthen Social Protection Systems
7. Increase Nutritional Education & Awareness
8. Leverage Data and evidence for Nutrition Action in Afghanistan
9. Investing on Nutrition in Afghanistan
10. Multisectoral Coordination

One such initiative, ‘First Foods Afghanistan‘, offers a direct systems-based response, linking food, water and sanitation health (WASH), education, health and social protection systems in order to deliver nutritious “first foods” for every child in Afghanistan.

The initiative looks to improve young children’s diets. Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, the UNICEF Representative for Afghanistan said: “Afghanistan should not only be growing food—it must now grow nutrition. We are shifting the focus from calories to nourishment through child sensitive food systems, and from addressing malnutrition solely through services to also prioritizing the actual foods young children consume. This integrated approach is the only sustainable path to breaking the cycle of malnutrition and poverty in Afghanistan.”

Initiatives like First Foods Afghanistan have played a vital role in the strategy to combat the nutrition deficit in some of the country’s most impoverished regions. This accelerated action becomes even more critical as the brunt of the crisis is mostly affecting women and children, creating non-optimal conditions for growth and development.

As John AYLIEFF, WFP Country Director for Afghanistan warned: “Women and children bear the brunt of the hunger crisis in Afghanistan, where four out of five families cannot afford minimally nutritious diets.” He added: “Without sustained food assistance, millions of Afghans will descend into deeper hunger and acute malnutrition.”

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Plow moving rubble in Hatay Turkey after earthquake. Credit: Çağlar Oskay, Unsplash

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jun 16 2025 (IPS)

Floods, earthquakes, and droughts are striking the wallets of the world harder than any other time in history. According to the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction, the cost of disasters is only growing, with annual expenditures exceeding 2.3$ trillion; accounting for over 2% of global GDP, and if represented as a nation, it would have the seventh largest GDP.

The $2.3 trillion expenditure accounts for indirect and ecosystem impacts. While direct costs are $180 – 200 billion on average annually during 2001 to 2020, which represents a 153% increase from the $70 – 80 billion between 1970 and 2000.

The report mentioned that “a national debt of just $300 billion was enough to trigger the European sovereign debt crisis.” displaying a financial threat on global stability, if left unchecked.

In the report, regions with higher economic stability directly transferred to a nation’s ability to be resilient to disasters, as when North America incurred $69.57 billion in losses during 2023, it only had an impact of .23% on its GDP. On the other hand, Micronesia, a subregion of oceania made up of 2,000 small islands, incurred a loss of $4.3 billion, which represented a 46.1% impact on its nominal $1.43 billion GDP.

Developed nations have the ability to bounce back, but developing nations with less capital have to choose between continuing economic expansion, or rebuilding from the rubble. Now there seems to be a solution.

In Pakistan, floods and storms have posed a continuing threat to the development of further economic growth, among sustainable infrastructure. To smartly invest, Pakistan looked at mangroves, an industry which brings economic stability but also storm protection. This protection ensures safety for their new industries, as the industries surround the mangroves, the mangroves become Pakistan’s insurance against disasters.

According to the IUCN, Pakistan made a “20 fold return”, revealing that mangroves were not only a defence mechanism, but also a foster for large economic returns bringing sustainable development among stability through offering habitats for fish and animals, protecting coasts against storms, and even storing “3 to 4 times more carbon then tropical forests”.

Makkio Yashiro, regional ecosystems coordinator for UNEP, says “Mangroves are an important tool in the fight against climate change. They reduce carbon in the atmosphere and they also make financial sense. Restoring mangroves is five times more cost effective than building ‘grey infrastructure’ such as flood walls, which also don’t help with climate change,”

UNEP also found that “for every dollar invested in mangrove restoration there is a benefit of four dollars” evaluating it as an investment with no cons.

The Three Harmful Cycles

Structural engineers in disaster relief training in earthquake ruins. Credit:This is engineering, Unsplash

Aromar Revi, Director of the Indian Institute for Human settlements (IIHS), identified three spirals commonly associated with the risk of disasters.

First, he said the rise in debt along with falling income. Adding that “Many companies carry hidden disaster risks because they are underinsured,” this underinsurance makes companies “vulnerable to disasters facing not only supply chain disruptions, but also wider financial instability”

Second, according to Theodora Antonakaki, Director of Bank of Greece’s Climate Change and Sustainability Centre (CCSC), is “a decrease in insurability.” adding that “traditional risk transfer methods are failing to keep up.”

For the third cycle, Ronald Jackson, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery and Resilience Building Team, UNDP, noted an over reliance on costly humanitarian aid. He argued this reliance “weakens resilience” and underscores the crucial need for “disaster financing strategies,” specifically “budget tracking systems” to address regionally specific risks.

While many countries remain stuck in these harmful cycles, Japan, like Pakistan, has taken steps towards a proactive future through disaster risk reduction (DRR). Through investing in mitigation strategies, identifying key risks, and implementing sustainable devices, they have protected their economies and infrastructure, reducing all three cycles.

Japan, which frequently faces tsunamis and earthquakes, has adapted to disasters by using “seismic safety” measures. One of these technologies has been seismic isolation bearings, which allow buildings to have horizontal movement during earthquakes, minimizing any possible damage. For Tsunamis, Japan has employed seawalls and coastal forests, which either block or displace water, both strategies which have been effective in reducing damage.

The report argues that disasters themselves are not necessarily becoming more frequent or stronger, but rather things are getting more expensive to replace, raising economic tolls. A major reason for this is the lack of safe and resilient housing catered to regional risks. With estimates of “Approximately 1.2 billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2050 compared to 2020.”, urban densities must be built with DRR methods at the forefront of construction. Without such measures, infrastructure investments would risk being entirely lost. Research has consistently displayed that “disaster losses are already considerably larger than mitigation costs,” making preventionary DRR measures not only proactive and wise, but economically necessary.

United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres stated “This report clearly shows that investing in disaster risk reduction saves money, saves lives, and lays the foundation for a safe and prosperous future for us all. I urge all leaders to heed that call.”

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At the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Credit: Maximilian Malawista

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Jun 13 2025 (IPS)

Victims of Japan’s costly Eugenic Protection Law took to the stage sharing their life stories, offering their tragedies of sterilization and mutilation, in return for the hopes of “a society without discrimination”. At a side event on International Sharing of the Experiences and Lessons of Japan’s Former Eugenic Protection Law held on June 10th, The Conference of Parties on the Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities Discussed the struggle for Anti eugenic ideology. Hosted by the Japan Disability Forum along with several legal defence teams for the victims, an outline of ideology, policy, and retribution was displayed, in an attempt to fight against “eugenics-based discrimination”.

Japan’s Eugenic Protection Law was enacted in 1948, 3 years after the surrender of the Japanese axis forces to the American allies during WWII. While repealed in 1996, the damage was already done, and no one knew the true cost.

Twenty five thousand people, either having a disability or thought to have a disability were forcefully sterilized, without an apology or compensation.

The side event discussion was opened by Hiroshi Tamon, a lawyer part of the defence team for Eugenic Protection Law. Tamon, who is fully deaf, conveyed his message through sign language, explaining that the side event is to “share the experience of Japanese victims with disabilities and disability organizations who have fought a long and difficult struggle to change Japanese society by eliminating eugenic ideology in Japan”.

Tamon concluded with a wish to “inspire and lead a global action to eliminate eugenics ideology and forced sterilization worldwide” making it clear that he envisions the actions of the Tokyo defence team to carry on to the world stage.

In 2018, one single victim Kita Saburo stood up. Defended by Naoto Sekiya, Kita was awarded 15 million yen (103K$). This led to a string of lawsuits in 2019, leading to the supreme court of Japan ruling the Eugenics Protection Law to be unconstitutional along with a compensation for all the victims marked at 3.2 million yen (22K$).

The new law was soon criticized, due to the low amount and reach, leading to another lawsuit in 2024. An apology from the Prime Minister of Japan followed, with a promise to “work towards doing away with all these discriminations and strengthen educational efforts to create a new structure”.

Two days later, an order for “no discrimination in society” was established, with the creation of the Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures toward the Realization of a Coexisting Society Free from Prejudice and Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. This was followed by an action plan to “promote an inclusive society free from prejudice, discrimination” and ensure compensation for “all victims as well as their spouses”.

In January this year, anyone who went through forced sterilization was paid 15 million yen (103K$ USD). BY THE end of April, only 1,325 of the victims filed for their compensation, accounting for 1.5% of the total people affected.

To combat the law’s limited reach, under a report issued, the government and disability groups would work together to provide alternative communications methods in order to access more information.

The story of Kita Saburo

Kita reading his message at the side event at the UN. Credit: Maximilian Malawista

At the age of 14, while in a juvenile detention facility, Kita was subject to an unknown surgery carried out on him without his consent. Kita was only offered an explanation of “we will remove the bad part”. He did not have any clue what that meant. A month later a senior staff at the facility told him the surgery would prevent him from having children.

According to Kita , the Juvenile detention facility determined that his bad behavior was due to a mental disability, resulting in the decision.

Kita’s sister was aware of the surgery but was strictly ordered to remain quiet by their grandmother. Kita believed “ it was the facility and my parents who made me undergo the surgery”, resulting in resentment toward his parents. He went on to marry later but was unable to tell her of his surgery. The couple often had to hear “Still no children?” bringing immense pain to both Kita and his wife. Kita finally told his wife about the surgery when she was on her deathbed.

In 2018, Kita filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, realizing that he was not the only victim and that his parents were not responsible. His sister finally told him the details of the surgery, testifying in court just before she passed away during the trial.

Even though justice was done, Kitas says “no matter what verdict is handed down, it does not mean we can start our lives over. Eugenic surgery is a tragedy that cannot be undone.”

Kita stated “I want to reduce the number of people who suffered the way I did, even if it’s just by one. That’s why I have chosen to speak out today and share my story and feelings with the world. That’s why I stand here today to talk to you. I sincerely hope that Japan and the entire world will become a society where everyone can make decisions for themselves.”

Kitas story expands on the broad range of the Eugenic Protection Law, whereby the definition of not an intellectually disabled person was still subjected to the surgery.

Following Kita’s message, a couple Keiko Onoue and Takashi Onoue and Yumi Suzuki appeared through video letters to also narrate their stories.

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Close up of the New York Stock Exchange. Credit: Unsplash/Aditya Vyas

By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

While Asia and the Pacific seem to be booming in employment and GDP growth, reports reveal a possible volatile and fragile market pegged to U.S. consumerism.

The World Employment and Social Outlook for May 2025 from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals reductions of projections about the global job market in large percentages, reflecting an increasingly dependent and fragile job market.

According to the report, global GDP growth projections were lowered from 3.2 percent to 2.8 percent, correlating to a slowdown in economic growth, which is linked to a decrease in employment growth from 1.7 percent to 1.5 percent, a difference of 7 million jobs. The root cause of this decrease seems to be based in U.S. consumerism, linking trade disruptions due to high tariffs directly to lower outcomes.

A reliance of the global market on a single country’s consumerism reflects a weakening job market, one which relies on trade from high-income countries. Additionally, the labour income share — the percentage of money from a country’s GDP which goes directly into the laborers pockets — has fallen from 53 percent in 2014 to 52.4 percent in 2024, reflecting a global decrease in purchasing power parity (PPP).

Employment is also seeing a shift, with high- and middle-income countries experiencing market shifts from lower- to medium- skill occupations to high-skill occupations. Between 2013 and 2023, under-educated or qualified workers relative to their occupation dropped from 37.9 percent to 33.4 percent. Overeducated or overqualified workers rose from 15.5 percent to 18.9 percent.

The report also indicates shifts from generative AI, reflecting that nearly 1 in 4 workers have some level of exposure in their tasks, which could be automated by AI. Additionally, 16.3 percent of workers are experiencing medium exposure while 7.5 percent are in high exposure, especially in high-skill occupations.

Uncertainty rewriting employment projections

An estimated 407 million people are in want of a job but do not have one, leading to more people taking positions they may be overqualified for due to the lack of options. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Kotliarskyi

Uncertainty has become the biggest contender for slowed job growth. Even in a time where global market outputs continue to expand and inflationary pressures ease, employers are becoming more cautious in hiring more workers, while still retaining their current employees. Geo-political disturbances combined with systematic transitions have altered the job landscape, creating unprecedented and unconsulted scenarios for enterprises globally.

Inflation is projected to fall across most countries, dropping to 4.4 percent in 2025 compared to 5.8 percent in 2024. This could be due to an overall contraction in economic expansion globally. The U.S. reciprocal tariffs in April have been deemed to have profoundly shifted global trading landscapes, leading to a synchronized slowdown multilaterally across all regions. These changes influence businesses to create new strategies to either combat against the new landscape, or bend to the set demands.

407 million people in 2025 are estimated to want a job, but currently do not have one, resulting in a greater occupancy of people taking lower quality or more vulnerable positions due to a lack of options.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the world’s fastest-growing economies, projecting a growth of 3.8 percent, compared to the Americas at 1.8 percent, and Europe and Central Asia at 1.5 percent. Yet from a 2023 estimate, 56 million jobs in Asia and the Pacific were found to be directly or indirectly linked through supply chains to final demand, the highest share out of any other region, creating the most volatility out of any other market in face of new tariffs: leaving employment in the hands of US demand for imports.

Employment growth sees its highest rates in Asia and the Pacific growing at 1.7 percent or 34 million, followed by Africa, with much lower projections seen by the Americas at 1.2 percent, and then Europe and central Asia at a mere 0.6 percent.

Economic growth and productivity amidst global setbacks

From 2014 to 2024, the global GDP grew by 33.5 percent, with the Asia-Pacific GDP growing up to 55 percent. This would reflect fast recoveries even amidst the economic downturns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ILO report finds that economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region is found in productivity improvements rather than the creation of new jobs. Contrasting this, Africa and Arab states accompanied their economic growth by increased employment opportunities.

Informal employment remains slightly above formal employment, with a difference in growth rate by 1.1 percent, informal employment representing 2 billion people, 57.8 percent of all workers globally. Countries with high informal employment still saw large amounts of economic growth, with 85 percent of workers in Africa to be informally employed, expanding at 29.3 percent in the recent decade. However, in Asia and the Pacific, informal employment has been in decline of 11.3 percent over the past decade, reflecting on similar economic outcomes whether it be from formal or informal employment.

Labour income shares decline in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia, and yet increase in Asia and the Pacific along with the Arab states across the same period of time. This suggests occupational dynamic changes in technology and market structures fractioned regionally across the globe. Due to this, the occupation composition – the type of jobs which flood the market – have changed throughout the years, mainly driven by different technological needs and the use of different skill sets.

Employment shares per country tend to look very different, usually depicted by GDP, as higher income countries will be less invested into markets like elementary occupations and agriculture, and more into professional, technical, and managerial sectors, reflecting greater interest in technology, business, and higher education.

Globally, more than half of workers are mismatched to their job, either being undereducated or overeducated, with the deficit being the largest in low-income countries, but this has been decreasing significantly over the past decade. Rising education levels seem to contribute to the share of appropriate qualifications for jobs.

An ever-changing landscape

Faster than any other time in human history, dynamics are changing. This report reflects on the volatility of the employment market globally, and how certain factors might correlate to a decrease or increase in one sector but could be completely different regionally: overall reflecting on a difference of technology and focus. Economies which are still agricultural, garment-based, and high-labor low-education see opposite methods to similar economic outcomes to countries which are prioritizing productivity, education, and technical skills, meaning there is no perfect formula to a stable global economic balance.

“The findings of this report on the employment landscape are sobering, but they can also act as a roadmap for the creation of decent jobs,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. “We can make a difference, and we can do so by strengthening social protection, investing in skills development, promoting social dialogue, and building inclusive labor markets to ensure that technological change benefits all. And we must do so with urgency, ambition, and solidarity.”

Mentioning the “need for inclusivity” is perhaps the most important factor when looking to expand the global economy. If each country is not going to tilt increasing in the same manner, each region needs to be addressed according to their needs and economic focus.

In February, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said that governments were “shifting policy priorities”. “There are significant policy changes in the United States, in areas such as trade policy, taxation, public spending, immigration, and deregulation, with implications for the U.S. economy and the rest of the world…The combined impacts of possible policy changes are complex and still difficult to assess but will come into clearer view in the months ahead.” The acting director reflected on the current era of “uncertainty”, viewing the United States’ role in global trade to only be adding to that level of uncertainty, also displaying that each country’s policy creates different economic outcomes based on their own economic focuses.

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Credit: Unsplash/Kel Avelino

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, May 16 2025 (IPS)

The Gulf’s most powerful weapon isn’t a military, a United Nations (UN) Security Council seat, or a legacy of global diplomacy. Choosing multilateralism and mega-projects over militaries and old-world diplomacy, they are tipping the scale without firing a single shot. Their approach is more modern, where money, alliances, and an active vision for the future are the weapon of choice.

The UN’s 2030 Agenda is a framework for redefining global leadership, and it seems like the Gulf nations are stepping into it full force. As global policy moves towards renewable energy and farther away from fossil fuels, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Kuwait are the leading countries in global climate reform. Through their plans, from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to Kuwait’s Vision 2035, these Gulf states are not looking to rely on oil: they are actively diversifying their economies for the world’s market, and fast. They do this by promoting initiatives which support SDG 7: affordable and clean energy, SDG 13: climate action, and SDG 8: decent work and economic growth, setting the stage for a renewable, efficient, and clean world. The Gulf is showing that they don’t just want to escape the “resource curse” but rather redesign global leadership in its entirety.

While Gulf nations are actively diversifying, they are still heavily reliant on oil as a main driver in their economies. Saudi Arabia sees 40 percent of its 1.068 trillion USD GDP to be solely oil, the UAE sees 30 percent of their 514.1 billion USD GDP, Qatar follows with oil accounting for around 60 percent of their 213 billion USD GDP, and Kuwait at 50 percent of their 163.7 billion USD GDP. Not only is oil their main driver, but it is also their main global influence, as 21 percent of the world’s oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a shared border with the UAE.

Without Gulf oil, the world’s energy prices would skyrocket, easily putting many global powers into recessions. Powers like Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, the U.S., and India all rely on the Gulf for their energy needs, placing most of their oil dependence on the Gulf above other oil exporters.

However, with actions like the Paris Agreement, the Global Stocktake, and COP28, countries that have historically been big oil importers are now starting to shift towards renewable energy sources, hoping to eventually completely shift out of oil and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. This means reducing oil emissions by 43% by 2030, a huge hit to Gulf economies if they don’t pivot fast. A move away from oil means the crippling of the Gulf economies, but this is what Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait are prepared for.

In cities like Dubai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Doha, and Kuwait City, the Gulf is now home to various desert mirages, all of which are putting their 2030 visions above all. Not only are they tourist destinations for the desert traveler, but home to businessmen and billionaire elites. The Gulf achieves this by making their cities expat-friendly. The UAE has topped the leaderboards with #1 in the world for movers, with Qatar at #3, and Saudi Arabia at #10, breaking the narrative of being strict for foreigners.

Each nation has strived to create a connectedness within their cities, using the English language for most if not all business transactions, and teaching it alongside or even without Arabic, depending on the type of schooling. 92 percent of Dubai’s population are expats, followed by Doha at 90 percent, Abu Dhabi at 80 percent, Kuwait City at 68 percent, Jeddah at 58 percent, and Riyadh at 52 percent. None of the main Gulf cities are Arab majorities nor majority Arabic-speaking, they are people from diverse backgrounds and foreign countries: numbers unseen anywhere else in the world.

Credit: Unsplash/Oskars Sylwan

A Challenge to the West:

The most stable economic expansion, zero crime, the geographic crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and allied with virtually the whole world, the Gulf has seen a surge in global mediations, sovereign wealth deposits, and UN activity at a faster rate than anywhere else.

Just this March, peace talks between the United States and Russia, amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, took place in Riyadh, highlighting its status as a close ally for both nations.

Ali Shihabi, a retired Saudi banker, now author and commentator, said: “I don’t think there’s another place where the leader has such a good personal relationship with both Trump and Putin.”

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Slam, or MBS, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, has pushed for a modernization of Saudi Arabia, moving the kingdom away from rigid cultural traditions in daily life, and toward a more globally welcoming cosmopolitan society – a direction which has been echoed all throughout the Gulf; aligning with a broader diplomatic vision and values on the global stage.

Similarly, Qatar has been heading mediations between the Israel-Palestine conflict, connecting Hamas and the West, playing a crucial role in hostage negotiations, ceasefire & de-escalation talks, pressure for acceptance of humanitarian aid, and a coordinator in the financial support for Palestine’s reconstruction.

The rest of the Gulf has also seen increasing diplomatic mediation efforts. Saudi Arabia managed mediation between warring factions in Sudan, creating room for U.S. dialogue. Culminating in 2020, Qatar had hosted Taliban-US negotiations, by being the neutral ground where the Taliban’s political office was stationed, leading to an agreement for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Lebanon’s political gridlock was alleviated through mediation and economic support efforts by Qatar, facilitating the election of Joseph Aoun as President of Lebanon. Saudi Arabia arranged the re-entry of Syria into the Arab League by initiating talks and promoting regional stability. The UAE, behind closed doors, has opened communication channels between Pakistan and India, looking to reduce tension in the Kashmir region. Kuwait also led successful mediation efforts during the Gulf crisis, which resolved the most serious internal dispute in the history of the GCC.

Roger Carstens, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, said in 2023: “What I can say is that Qatar is playing a very strong and important role as an intermediary. There are times when, of course, the United States does not really have entrée into some of the negotiating groups, and this is a case where Qatar has really been able to bring its gravitas in the region to bear.”

This role which Qatar has, as an Islamic and Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern nation but also a wealthy, trusted, connected member of the Western world, has allowed its intermediary status, one which other Gulf nations are also creating space for.

The Gulf displays itself as not only an ally to the West, but a contender in its model. The Gulf has proved its ability in filling diplomatic vacuums, exhibiting that the power of mediation is not exclusive to the West, while actively creating global financial and innovation hubs, featuring multinational HQs, and UN offices in cities that are nothing short of futuristic desert mirages – while much of the West crumbles under crippling and dated infrastructure.

This could be a signal to the West for change, perhaps a switch in its focus. By actively investing in markets outside of oil, the Gulf is successfully creating civilizations open to the world, and far more welcoming than the traditional Western city, by just about every metric, whether you look at the US. News, or urban safety and cleanliness benchmarks, or the IMD Smart City Index: the Gulf is smashing the charts. From finance and AI to innovation, travel, diplomacy, and inclusivity, the Gulf is actively surpassing Western metropolises, becoming the go-to global destination of choice.

Maximilian Malawista is a student at the University of Buffalo where he majors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Global Affairs, and English.

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A close-up of Scrabble tiles spelling the word China. Credit: Markus Winkler / Unsplash

By Maximilian Malawista
NEW YORK, Apr 10 2025 (IPS)

While the U.S. argues over tariffs, China, Japan, and South Korea are quietly reshaping their tech markets, shifting towards regional dominance – signaling a potential turning point in global tech leadership.

Since 2012, substantial progress on a trilateral free trade agreement between China, South Korea, and Japan has been at a standstill – but amidst new U.S. tariffs, the situation is beginning to evolve. April 2nd marked “Liberation Day” – a promise from the U.S. to the rest of the world that tariffs were coming, upsetting ASEAN allies and creating an opening for new players in the valley.

South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun remarks: “It is necessary to strengthen the implementation of RCEP, in which all three countries have participated, and to create a framework for expanding trade cooperation among the three countries through Korea-China-Japan FTA negotiations.”

Picking a battle with these countries means upsetting trade with the U.S’s 3rd, 6th, and 7th largest partners, accounting for a large part of U.S. global trade. But this really isn’t the problem.

The United States hosts Silicon Valley, the largest capital network of tech companies and startups on the globe. Corporations like the “Magnificent Seven”: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla dominate the tech market, attracting substantial investments. For this reason, this culture of success attracts venture capitalists who are willing to take risks due to the association with positive capital investment, but this could change.

A group of people standing on top of a hill. Credit: Ran Liwen / Unsplash

These companies stay in the U.S. because, at least for now, it’s a good deal, and their markets within the U.S. are enormous. However, with tariffs on China, South Korea, and Japan, semiconductors, microchips, automobiles, and parts are exceedingly expensive. These are all components essential in the tech industry, meaning looming rising costs can lead to a shift in balance.

This creates an opening for China, South Korea, and Japan to invest in their markets. The combination of a free trade agreement and proximity to each other could have drastic changes in market trends, as none of these countries has to go a large distance in order to import or export their supplies, potentially transforming global market trends.

Distances between regional trade ports:
Shanghai → Busan: Approx. 530 km (330 miles)
Busan → Fukuoka: Approx. 180 km (110 miles)
Shanghai → Fukuoka: Approx. 870 km (540 miles)

Distance between U.S. trade ports:
Shanghai → Seattle: Approx. 5,400 km (3,350 miles)
Busan → Seattle: Approx. 7,960 km (4,950 miles)
Fukuoka → Seattle: Approx. 8,160 km (5,070 miles)
Fukuoka → Los Angeles: Approx. 8,640 km (5,370 miles)
Shanghai → Los Angeles: Approx. 10,900 km (6,770 miles)
Busan → Los Angeles: Approx. 9,960 km (6,190 miles)

Expanded RCEP capabilities:

Regional expansion results in products becoming cheaper, shipping becoming easier, and job growth accelerating, creating a trickle-down from this regional investment in trade to their other markets.

While trade only accounts for less than 25% of the U.S. GDP, this affects a lot. With less foreign investment into U.S. tech markets, possibly Silicon Valley could relocate to East Asia, as their factories are there, and an even bigger consumer base awaits. While wealthy companies could try to set up factories within the U.S. to compete with East Asian manufacturing, this could be really difficult, and take a long time, as U.S. infrastructure is not prepared for the logistics of refining, processing, and supply chain operations on a large scale. The CHIPS Act, aiming to boost semiconductor production domestically, represents the U.S.’s largest attempt to catch up to East Asia in this sector, but it’s going to take loads of time.

Global Trade War Implications:

The U.S. has slapped tariffs on nearly every country, creating the opportunity for supply and demand shifts in many sectors, not only tech. While called “reciprocal” in nature, these tariffs are not reciprocal, instead actually accounting for a “trade deficit”, as Alan Cole from the Tax Foundation details, “The alleged tariff rate from each trading partner is fully a function of trade aggregates, specifically, the deficit divided by US imports, with a minimum of 10 percent. No factors discussed by the administration in these documents or anywhere else (like tariffs, digital services taxes, value-added taxes, or monetary policy) play any role.” – additionally, the WTO found these measures in violation of trade rules, making them not only non-reciprocal, but also incompatible with international trade law.

Since Friday, April 4th, South Korea’s KOSPI Index has fallen 4.27%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index by 4.42%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index has risen by 2.91%, with the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq all down by about 2%. While there have been some minimal rebounds, the overall trend points to a steady decline amid ongoing market sell-offs.

Trade talks with Japan and South Korea have been scheduled with the U.S., while China refuses to back down in the slightest, slapping an additional 50% tariffs totaling 84% starting Thursday, April 10th, after Trump’s 104% levy goes into effect Wednesday, April 9th.

China’s retaliatory tactics have seemed to push back, creating an unstable and unpredictable market space, with Japan and South Korea’s indexes trending downwards. These numbers, scheduled talks, and policy choices by China signal strong shifts in reprisal to U.S. tariffs, further outlining a motive for a strategic shift that could move Silicon Valley from the U.S. to East Asia.

The world now watches to see if countries will continue investing in Silicon Valley following this global trade war, with already 50 countries reaching out to the Trump Administration for negotiations. The U.S. and China are battling it out, trade war style, each vying to see who rises from the ashes, and who sits below the mound. The outcome of this war will determine which nation solidifies its position as the global hyperpower. Determining whether the U.S. can maintain its dominance in the tech industry or if East Asia will seize this opportunity to lead in the next wave of innovation. The real question remains: is the U.S. prepared for that shift?

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