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Saturday, November 14, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Health
From Slavery to Self Reliance: A Story of Dalit Women in South India
HuligeAmma, a Dalit woman in her mid-forties, bends over a sewing machine, carefully running the needle over the hem of a shirt. Sitting nearby is Roopa, her 22-year-old daughter, who reads an amusing message on her cell phone and laughs heartily.
Opinion: Realising Unfinished Business of MDGs : A Call for Greater Action and Investment for Malaria
Later this week, communities around the world will commemorate World Malaria Day for the last time in the context of the global development priorities set in 2000.
Clean Cookstoves Could Change the Lives of Millions in Nepal
When 26-year-old Laxmi married into the Archaya household in Chhaimale village, Pharping, south of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, she didn’t think she would be spending half the day in the kitchen inhaling smoke from the stove.
Sexual Violence in Conflict “The Contemporary Moral Issue” Says United Nations
Impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence in war must end, said Zainab Hawa Bangura, the Special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, who presented to the U.N. Security Council the Secretary-General's 2015 report on the issue on April 15.
1.7 Billion Dollars Needed to Improve Ebola-hit Countries’ Health Care, Says Oxfam
The international humanitarian charity Oxfam is calling on the World Bank and major donors to raise 1.7 billion dollars to improve poor health systems in Ebola-affected countries and strengthen community networks for preventing another epidemic.
Clean Cookstoves Could Change the Lives of Millions in Nepal
When 26-year-old Laxmi married into the Archaya household in Chhaimale village, Pharping, south of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, she didn’t think she would be spending half the day in the kitchen inhaling smoke from the stove.First-Ever Training in Emergency Medicine Begins in Ghana
In a collaborative effort between the University of Michigan, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, a teaching hospital and other medical groups, Ghana has launched its first-ever training programme in emergency medicine and nursing.
Opinion: Moment of Truth for the Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is about to bow out to critics. As of Jan. 1, the Oslo-based Norwegian Nobel Committee that selects the winners has a new secretary, Olav Njølstad, who announced that “changes loom” in a recent interview.“Food Safety Policies Are Globally Necessary” Says World Health Organisation
To mark World Health Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on governments around the world and all sectors involved in the food business to introduce food safety policies into their political agendas.
Women Still Struggling to Gain Equal Foothold in Nepal
Kali Sunar, 25, a resident of the Dumpada village in the remote Humla District in Far-West Nepal, lives a life that mirrors millions of her contemporaries.
Child Labour on U.S. Tobacco Farms: A Stubborn Problem in a Billion-Dollar Industry
For many young people, the summer is synonymous with free time, relaxation, or family vacations. For less fortunate kids the summer means labour, with scores of youths taking on part-time work to support their families.
U.N.’s Next Stop: Humanitarian Summit to Resolve Exploding Refugee Crisis
As the world's spreading humanitarian crisis threatens to spill beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq into Libya and Yemen, the United Nations is already setting its sights on the first World Humanitarian Summit scheduled to take place in Istanbul next year.
Curbing Tobacco Use – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
The numbers are in, and there’s not much to celebrate: every year, about six million people die as a result of tobacco use, including 600,000 who succumb to the effects of second-hand smoke.
Lesbians Receiving Unequal Treatment from Cuban Health Services
In addition to other forms of discrimination, lesbian and bisexual women in Cuba face unequal treatment from public health services. Their specific sexual and reproductive health needs are ignored, and they are invisible in prevention and treatment campaigns for women.
Pledges for Humanitarian Aid to Syria Fall Short of Target by Billions
When United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stood before 78 potential donors at the Bayan Palace in Kuwait Tuesday, his appeal for funds had an ominous ring to it: the Syrian people, he remarked, "are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time."
Opinion: A Major Push Forward for Gender and Environment
Experts from around the world gathered in New York recently to launch work on the Global Gender Environment Outlook (GGEO), the first comprehensive, integrated and global assessment of gender issues in relation to the environment and sustainability.
Activists Protest Denial of Condoms to Africa’s High-Risk Groups
Tatenda Chivata, a 16-year old from Zimbabwe’s Mutoko rural district, was suspended from school for an entire three-month academic term after he was found with a used condom stashed in his schoolbag.Palestine Crisis at Its Worst Since 1967, Says United Nations
In 2014, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) saw the worst escalation of hostilities since 1967, said a report by the United Nations Office of Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), released on March 26.
Israel Using Live Ammunition for Palestinian Crowd Control
A Palestinian youth lost his fight for life this week after lying critically injured in Ramallah Hospital for days after Israeli soldiers used live ammunition as a method of crowd control against stone-throwing Palestinians near a Palestinian refugee camp.
Kenya Struggles with Rising Alcoholism
Despite legislative attempts to curb drinking, Kenya is still facing its greatest threat from alcohol abuse. Calamities associated with excessive intoxication – dementia, seizures, liver disease and early death – have done little to deter users.
Pollution a Key but Underrated Factor in New Development Goals
Pollution is likely to be the most pressing global health issue in the coming years without effective prevention and clean-up efforts, experts say.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Bangladesh: Sarid, born one month early, receives specialized newborn care and grows stronger every day. Credit: UNICEF/UNI944397/Mojumder
Since the onset of the 2000s, global life expectancy has seen an overall rise, attributed to significant technological and scientific innovations in healthcare. Due to an increased understanding of different conditions as well as a rise in cooperation among healthcare experts around the world, there have been major strides made in ensuring that as few people die from chronic illnesses as possible. Despite the belief that healthcare is a fundamental human right, people from low- or middle-class backgrounds, marginalized groups, and underdeveloped countries have far more limited access to basic healthcare services.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed how marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by health crises, proving that we have much work to do in ensuring that no one dies of terminal conditions. While the global response to the coronavirus saw significant strides in immunization and vaccine development, the global outbreak of mpox in 2022 and its upsurge in parts of Africa in 2024 must remind us to remain vigilant.
Other major disease outbreaks in recent years have been linked to the destruction of infrastructure during warfare. Notably, in 2024, the Gaza Strip witnessed a return of the poliovirus since its eradication in the region 25 years ago. Israel’s blockade on Gaza has resulted in the collapse of the region’s sewage plants and desalination plants, and also destroyed healthcare capacities. The UN stated that this lack of clean water and sanitation would lead to an outbreak of cholera and other deadly infectious diseases. The 2026 OCHA Humanitarian Situation Report confirmed that the over two years of conflict in Gaza has produced a catastrophic health emergency, with millions remaining dependent on relief aid amid tight restrictions and no functioning public health system.
IPS is committed to providing full and comprehensive coverage on healthcare challenges around the world. IPS seeks to address the multifaceted causes of such challenges, including unprecedented pandemics, conflict-driven disease outbreaks, as well as socioeconomic barriers to equal healthcare access. IPS is also dedicated to reporting on innovations in the healthcare industry.
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