Labour

Gov’t Actions, Not Religion, ‘Tipping Point’ for African Youths Joining Violent Extremism

By Lindah Mogeni
Government action, rather than religious ideology, is a stronger predictor for radicalization in Africa, according to a two-year landmark study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Parliamentarians a “Fourth Pillar” of Sustainable Development

By Baher Kamal
Investing in youth and the population dividend, women's health, sustainable development objectives, and the key role of parliamentarians to promote transparency, accountability and good governance to achieve the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development topped the agenda of a two-day conference of Asian and African lawmakers in New Delhi last week.

Out of Africa: Understanding Economic Refugees

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Not a single month has passed without dreadful disasters triggering desperate migrants to seek refuge in Europe. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 2,247 people have died or are missing after trying to enter Europe via Spain, Italy or Greece in the first half of this year. Last year, 5,096 deaths were recorded.

Ending Modern Slavery

By William Lacy Swing
Two centuries ago, right here in this city soon to emerge as the world’s center of commerce, a coalition of clergy, government officials, business leaders and rescued victims rose to fight the scourge of human slavery.

ITUC: The Global Economic Model has Failed

By Linda Flood
Sharan Burrow has just returned from a long weekend in Latin America. In Panama she met with laborers. Out in the real world. That is where she is most at home. Where working conditions are poor. Conditions that she has spent her life trying to change.

South-South trade cooperation key to sustainable and inclusive model of globalization

By Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim
Thanks to globalization and trade liberalization of commodities, services and goods, global trade has reached an unprecedented level. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, world trade in goods was valued at approximately USD 16 trillion. North-North trade generates the highest trade volume at approximately 6 trillion; trade flows within and between countries of the Global South amounts to 4.6 trillion. Trade between the Global South and the Global North -approximately between 2.5 and 3 trillion - add up to less than the trade flows within the Earth’s two main poles.

How Aid in Cash, Not Goods, Averted a Famine in Somalia

By Roshni Majumdar
In February, when the government of Somalia sounded an alarm to the UN about risks of a famine in the country, the UN’s Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), besides quickly shuffling a response team, was acting from a steep sense of history. The Office, instead of sending out massive aid packages, distributed cash vouchers to families who could spend it to buy goods according to their needs.

Cambodia no Longer Compliant with the Global Deal

By Erik Larsson
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven made a special effort to reach this global agreement between countries, unions and businesses. The bearing idea is that by initiating dialogue in society, salaries can be raised, business profits improved and political stability strengthened.

Robots: A Solution to Declining and Aging Populations?

By Joseph Chamie
Are humanoid robots or androids a solution to declining and aging populations? Given the prospects of demographic decline and population aging coupled with growing opposition to immigration, countries are increasingly turning to and investing in advanced robotics and androids to address shrinking workforces and rising numbers of elderly.

Small Entrepreneurs Emerge as Backbone of Bangladesh’s Rural Economy

By Shahiduzzaman
She was born in the early 1950’s to an ultra-poor family in Kundihar, a remote village of Banaripara of Barisal division in Bangladesh. She was a beautiful baby and her father named her ‘Shahndah Rani’ which means ‘Queen of Evenings’. But in reality her life was far from that of a queen.

Union Conflict Rages on in South Africa

By Linda Flood
It was two thirty at night. Inside his home, the telephone rang. Sibongile Nota’s brother’s life drew nearer its end. A few minutes passed, the telephone rang again. His brother was now dead.

Women Slowly Break Barriers in Bangladesh

By Mahfuzur Rahman
When one thinks of Bangladesh, its political leadership naturally comes to mind as the leaders of the country’s major parties are women, including the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and the Speaker of the National Parliament.

Women Build Rural Infrastructure in Bangladesh

By Shahiduzzaman
Breaking all the social barriers and taboos, poor women in Bangladesh are now engaged in rural development works across the country as labourers.

Promise or Peril? Africa’s 830 Million Young People by 2050

By John Dramani Mahama and Siddharth Chatterjee
Last month, Spanish charity workers rescued 167 migrants arriving from Africa aboard a small boat.

Leadership Failure Perpetuates Stagnation

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
What kind of leadership does the world need now? US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s leadership was undoubtedly extraordinary. His New Deal flew in the face of the contemporary economic orthodoxy, begun even before Keynes’ General Theory was published in 1936.

World Still Lagging on Indigenous Rights 10 Years After Historic Declaration, UN Experts Warn

By Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, Albert K. Barume and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz
The world’s indigenous peoples still face huge challenges a decade after the adoption of an historic declaration on their rights, a group of United Nations experts and specialist bodies has warned. Speaking ahead of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August, the group says States must put words into action to end discrimination, exclusion and lack of protection illustrated by the worsening murder rate of human rights defenders.

Zaatari Camp Marks Fifth Year With 80,000 Refugees

By Roshni Majumdar
Jordan’s Zaatari camp, which opened in 2012 as a makeshift camp to house Syrian refugees fleeing the war, marked its fifth year on June 28.

Has Disability Risen among the Elderly?

By Veena S. Kulkarni, Vani S. Kulkarni and Raghav Gaiha
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 (or RPD Act) is laudable in its intent and procedural detail, but mostly silent on disabilities among the elderly. Indeed, for this reason alone, it is arguable that its overarching goal—“The appropriate Government shall ensure that the persons with disabilities enjoy the right to equality, life with dignity and respect for his or her integrity equally with others” —is mere rhetoric, if not a pipe dream.

“The Time is Now” to Invest in Youth, Girls

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
The demographic dividend: though not a new concept, it is one of the major buzzwords at the UN this year. But what does it really mean? There are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 around the world, the most in the history of humankind.

Migrant Contributions to Development: Creating a “New Positive Narrative”

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Despite the “undeniable” benefits of migration, barriers including public misconceptions continue to hinder positive development outcomes, participants said during a series of thematic consultations here on safe, orderly, and regular migration.

The Unnoticed Demise of Democracy

By Roberto Savio
Politicians are so busy fighting for their jobs, they hardly seem to notice that they risk going out of business. Democracy is on the wane, yet the problem is nowhere in Parliaments. Common to all is a progressive loss of vision, of long term planning and solutions, with politics used just for power.
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