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Monday, June 15, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
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Health Emerges as a Strategic Frontline for Africa Ahead of Bonn Climate Conference
Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it faces some of the world's most severe climate-related health impacts. Several realities define the continent's climate and health landscape – increased infectious diseases, air pollution, death, disruption and pressure on health systems through heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms.
Papua New Guinea Bets on Indigenous Communities to Protect 700,000 Hectares of Highlands
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has approved USD 6.4 million for a new conservation initiative in Papua New Guinea that seeks to protect 700,000 hectares of critical highland ecosystems by placing Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the centre of conserving and managing their ancestral lands.
Central Asia Bets on a New Water–Land Pact to Survive Environmental Degradation
As ministers, diplomats and development officials assembled in Samarkand Congress Centre for a ceremonial family photograph, the mood carried unusual symbolism. Behind the smiles and formalities stood a region confronting a harder reality: rivers are shrinking, soils are tiring, temperatures are rising, and the old ways of managing land and water are no longer working.
Billions Lost as Secret Financial Networks Fuel Forest Destruction in Brazil and Cameroon
A new report has found that billions of dollars linked to illegal deforestation are flowing through global supply chains, with secrecy around land ownership and company records helping timber, soy, and beef products enter international markets unchecked.
Make Last Sprint Towards 2030 a ‘Turning Point’ for Nature Finance, Eighth GEF Assembly Told
"While pressures on public budgets are growing and geopolitical tensions rising, it can be tempting to see environmental finance as optional. It is not,” GEF Interim CEO and Chair Claude Gascon told the closing plenary of the Eighth GEF Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, today.
As Global Demand for Gold Grows, UN Mercury Head Warns Toxic Fumes Put Women in a Motherhood Dilemma
Ask any woman miner in the Katoro goldfield in Tanzania’s northern Geita region, and she will tell you that she touches toxic mercury with her bare hands when extracting gold from crushed ore.
Tanzanians Seek Stronger GEF Support to Cushion Vulnerable Communities
In the opulent conference halls of Samarkand, far from the drought-hit fields of East Africa, Tanzanian delegates have warned that unless global climate finance is directed to rural communities, environmental destruction will only accelerate, deepening the vulnerability of those least responsible for the crisis.
At GEF’s Eighth Assembly, Uzbekistan Signals New Role as Donor
In a significant policy shift symbolising rising environmental ambition, Uzbekistan on Thursday announced that it will become a donor of international environmental funding to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as the Eighth GEF Assembly opened in the historic city of Samarkand.
From War Zones to Global Environment Talks, Communities Seek Faster Green Finance
For three decades, Iffat Rachid Edriss walked Lebanon's coastline with a clear purpose: protecting the sea she loves.
GEF Pushes Innovation, Blended Finance Ahead of the Eighth Assembly
As the Global Environment Facility (GEF) steps into the starting blocks of its next financial cycle, the Interim CEO Claude Gascon reflects on what he termed a “moment of transition and delivery".
Filipino Indigenous Leader Takes Ancient Wisdom to the Global Stage
Every year, when dark clouds gather above the dense forests of the Philippines, 56-year-old Mini Baeyens, of the Aplay Kankanaey tribe, vigilantly watches the sky.
GEF Approves Adaptation Funds Strengthening Resilience in Vulnerable Countries
Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Niue, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Sudan, and Togo will receive over USD 67 million in new funding to help strengthen resilience.
GEF Council Welcomes New Green Pledges, Highlights Old Access Barriers
The 71st Council meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) opened today amid a sharp divide, with donor nations urging broader and increased funding commitments, while developing countries called for more equitable and accessible pathways to environmental finance.
How Europe’s Waste Could Supply Over Half of Critical Material Demand – Report
Europe’s growing mountain of waste could become one of its most important sources of critical raw materials, according to a major new report that warns of rising geopolitical risks and growing global competition for minerals needed in the green and digital economy.
Connecting the Dots: Quality Seed, Resilient Food Systems and Good Health
It is often said that the quality of seed determines the quality of the produce and, consequently, the sustainability of the entire agricultural value chain, influencing everything from crop yields to nutritional value.
From Seed to Canopy: How a GEF-Funded Smallholder Project is Restoring the Environment, Building Livelihoods
As 52-year-old Alice Onyango walks through her farm in Siaya county, Kenya, you can tell she is proud of her trees, as some tower over her, providing her with shade, while others seem ready to provide her with fruit for the market.
Brazil’s Indigenous Communities Receive $9M in GEF Funding to Protect Lands, Traditions Under Threat
On Brazil’s northeastern coast, the Indigenous community, Tremembé da Barra do Mundaú, lives on a preserved stretch of land shaped by mangroves, dunes, and deserted beaches. The group of around 160 families is led by women and depends on the 3,500-hectare territory for fishing and subsistence farming.
UN General Assembly Votes for Resolution on ICJ Advisory Ruling on Climate Obligations
Member states this week (May 20) deliberated over a draft resolution on states’ obligations in respect of climate change following the advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The General Assembly agreed to take measures to uphold the ICJ’s advisory opinion for member states to meet their existing obligations to climate justice under international law and multilateral frameworks.
‘Do More With Less’: GEF CEO Claude Gascon on Speed, Scale and Reform
As governments prepare for the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – scheduled to be held from May 30 to June 6 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan – the stakes are unusually high.
The GEF Leads Global Drive to Tackle Shipping Threat to Oceans
Under the warm waters off Tanzania’s Mafia Island, marine scientist Asha Mgeni hovers above a coral reef she has studied for years. Small fish dart through the currents. To most divers, the reef appears pristine. But Mgeni notices something unusual.
Want to Feed the World? Invest in Food Systems
As the global target to eliminate hunger by 2030 is fast slipping out of reach, investing in how the world feeds itself is the only way to ensure progress.Next Page »
Large reserves of oil, gas and minerals in poor countries generate opulent revenues. They could be used to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty, but often result in environmental destruction and conflict, benefiting large companies and corrupt governments. IPS covers news about major oil, gas and mining projects, their effects on the environment and local communities, and the ideas and actions of the interest groups involved.
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
