Active Citizens

Millions of Dollars for Climate Financing but Barely One Cent for Women

By Amantha Perera
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.

Curbing Tobacco Use – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

By Diana Mendoza
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

By Ivet González
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

By Thalif Deen
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."

Former Military Man Declares Victory in Nigerian Polls

By Lisa Vives
Showing a “commendable determination to register their vote and choose their leaders,” Nigerians by the hundreds of thousands lined up at polling stations across the country to select the next president and National Assembly of their country, U.S. and British witnesses to the hotly-contested presidential polls observed.

Nicaragua’s Future Canal a Threat to the Environment

By José Adán Silva
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.

Opinion: A Major Push Forward for Gender and Environment

By Joni Seager, Deepa Joshi, and Rebecca Pearl-Martinez
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.

Cash-Strapped U.N. to Seek Funds for Syria at Pledging Conference in Kuwait

By Thalif Deen
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.

Impunity Fuels Abuse in Immigrant Detention Centres in Spain

By Inés Benítez
“They mistreat you, they don’t respect you. I’ve seen beatings, suffering, and you can’t defend yourself. When you’re locked in there it’s as if you were in another world,” Salif Sy, a Senegalese man who in 2011 spent eight days in an immigrant detention centre (CIE) in Madrid, told IPS.

“My Number Was Six”

By Sudeshna Chowdhury
Outwardly, Feras Fayyad is stoic in face of the immense turmoil both he and his country are going through. All of 30 years old, Fayyad, who runs Sout Raya, a radio station in Turkey, exudes calm. His voice is almost soothing.

Pollution a Key but Underrated Factor in New Development Goals

By Stephen Leahy
Pollution is likely to be the most pressing global health issue in the coming years without effective prevention and clean-up efforts, experts say.

Indonesian President Unyielding on Death Penalty

By Sandra Siagian
When Indonesia’s law and human rights minister visited one of the country’s prisons in December last year, he met a Nigerian convict on death row for drug trafficking, who performed songs for him before leaving him with a parting gift.

Opinion: Education as a Cornerstone for Women’s Empowerment

By Dr. Kirsten Stoebenau
Earlier this month, the Barack Obama administration announced a new initiative designed to improve girls’ education around the world. Dubbed “Let Girls Learn,” the programme builds on current progress made, such as ensuring girls are enrolled in primary school at the same rates as boys, and is looking to expand opportunities for girls to complete their education.

Joan Baez, Ai Weiwei Awarded Amnesty International’s Top Honour

By Josh Butler
Folk singer Joan Baez and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei were announced Tuesday as the winners of Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award.

Global Citizenship Essential for Gender Equality: Ambassador Chowdhury

By Josh Butler
At a recent panel discussion on women’s leadership during the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury was the lone male voice.

Pacific Islanders Say Climate Finance “Essential” for Paris Agreement

By Catherine Wilson
As Pacific Islanders contemplate the scale of devastation wrought by Cyclone Pam this month across four Pacific Island states, including Vanuatu, leaders in the region are calling with renewed urgency for global action on climate finance, which they say is vital for building climate resilience and arresting development losses.

Opinion: Sharing the Vision of a Changed World

By Janet C. Nelson and Constance J. Peak
This year has many initiatives taking place in the realm of women’s leadership, but one platform and movement in particular is standing out, and people are noticing. We are the founders of IMPACT Leadership 21, leadership architects for inclusive, high growth economies.

Hold the Rich Accountable in New U.N. Development Goals, Say NGOs

By Thalif Deen
When the World Economic Forum (WEF) met last January in Switzerland, attended mostly by the rich and the super-rich, the London-based charity Oxfam unveiled a report with an alarming statistic: if current trends continue, the world’s richest one percent would own more than 50 percent of the world’s wealth by 2016.

Gates Foundation Slammed for Plan to Privatise African Seed Markets

By Josh Butler
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been attacked by activists over alleged support of a plan to privatise African agricultural markets.

Salvadoran Maquila Plants Use Gang Members to Break Unions

By Edgardo Ayala
Textile companies that make clothing for transnational brands in El Salvador are accused of forging alliances with gang members to make death threats against workers and break up their unions, according to employees who talked to IPS and to international organisations.

Four Fast Facts to Debunk Myths About Rural Women

By Jacqui Ashby and Jennifer Twyman
We are lucky to live in a country that has long since abandoned the image of the damsel in distress. Even Disney princesses now save themselves and send unsuitable “saviours” packing. But despite the great strides being made in gender equality, we are still failing rural women, particularly women farmers.
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