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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Poverty & SDGs
In Belize, Climate Change Drives Coastal Management
A five-year project launched here in Belize City in March seeks to cement a shift in view of climate change and its impact on Belize’s national development.
State of Palestine in Overtime
The large majority of countries, and most of the people in the world, already recognise Palestine as an independent state.
In Bangladesh, Gender Equality Comes on the Airwaves
Judging by how often they make headlines, one might be tempted to believe that women in Bangladesh don’t play a major role in this country’s affairs.Development Aid Flows to Poorest Countries Still Falling
Development aid flows were stable in 2014, after hitting an all-time high in 2013, but aid to the poorest countries continued to fall, according to new figures released on Apr. 8 by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
Land Seizures Speeding Up, Leaving Africans Homeless and Landless
There is a new scramble for Africa, with ordinary people facing displacement by the affluent and the powerful as huge tracts of land on the continent are grabbed by a minority, rights activists here say.
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.
Taking Child Workers Out of El Salvador’s Sugar Cane Fields
The participation of children and teenagers in the sugar cane harvest, a dangerous agricultural activity, will soon be a thing of the past in El Salvador, where the practice drew international attention 10 years ago.
Civil Society and Politics March for Negev Bedouin Recognition
There was a symbolic dimension to a recent four-day march from the periphery of Israel to the corridors of power in Jerusalem to seek recognition for Bedouin villages.
Effective War Crimes Inquiry Could Heal Sri Lanka’s Old Wounds
Jessi Joygeswaran seems like your typical 23-year-old young woman. She has an infectious smile and laughs a lot when she talks. Like many other young women anywhere in the world, her life is full of dreams.
No Rest for the Elderly in India
As more and more people in India enter the ‘senior citizen’ category, ugly cracks are beginning to appear in a social structure that claims to value the institution of family but in reality expresses disdain for the bonds of blood.
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.
Millions of Dollars for Climate Financing but Barely One Cent for Women
The statistics tell the story: in some parts of the world, four times as many women as men die during floods; in some instances women are 14 times more likely to die during natural disasters than men.
Opinion: World Leaders Lack Ambition to Tackle Climate Crisis
World governments expect to agree to a new global treaty to combat climate change in Paris in December. As the catastrophic impacts of climate change become more evident, so too escalates the urgency to act.
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."
Nicaragua’s Future Canal a Threat to the Environment
The new interoceanic canal being built in Nicaragua has brought good and bad news for the scientific community: new species and archeological sites have been found and knowledge of the local ecosystems has grown, but the project poses a huge threat to the environment.
There’s No Such Thing as Equality in India’s Labour Force
It calls itself the ‘world’s largest democracy’ but the 380 million working-aged women in India might disagree with that assessment.
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.
Cash-Strapped U.N. to Seek Funds for Syria at Pledging Conference in Kuwait
A cash-strapped United Nations, which is struggling to reach out to millions of Syrian refugees with food, medicine and shelter, is desperately in need of funds.« Previous Page — Next Page »
Romani people in Cairo, Egypt, forage through trash. Credit: UN Photo/Armineh Johannes
In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an effort to promote “peace and prosperity for people and the planet.” To achieve that goal, it is essential to provide equal opportunities and access to basic services to all people. The 2025 UN SDG Report found that 35% of the 169 SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, while 18% have reversed compared to the 2025 baseline. One in ten people still live in extreme poverty, one in eleven experience food insecurity, and over 1.1 billion people live in slums without access to clean water and sanitation. It is imperative to acknowledge the societal, technological, economic, and political issues that sustain poverty in countries around the world. Eradicating poverty will require significant frameworks in policy and governance on a national and international scale to ensure that all people will have equal access to basic services and economic opportunities by 2030. Furthermore, a dramatic reduction of United States foreign aid in 2025, including the termination of 83% of USAID programmes, threatens to erode years of fragile development gains.
Throughout the world, violent conflict and natural disasters also contribute to extreme poverty. The complete destruction of infrastructure and blockage of aid has significantly impoverished Palestine since October 7th. The destructive impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico left $91 billion in damage. An inadequate US government response also revealed significant and enduring questions within the issue of mitigating poverty: how do we rebuild infrastructure after its destruction? How do we restimulate economic development and bring in financial aid after disasters? Similar questions have been raised in the realm of regional cooperation, as devastating floods have wrecked hundreds of thousands of homes across multiple Southeast Asian nations in the past few years. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated the global poverty crisis, particularly in developing countries, setting back the United Nations goal of eradicating poverty by 2030.
IPS is committed to providing comprehensive features that focus on the persisting environmental, sociopolitical, and systemic issues that sustain poverty, and the steps taken worldwide towards poverty eradication.
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
