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Thursday, April 25, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
Population
New Era: Unlocking Africa’s Agriculture Potential Through CGIAR TAAT Model
As hunger and food insecurity deepen, Africa is confronting an unprecedented food crisis. Estimates show that nearly 282 million people on the continent, or 20 percent of the population, are undernourished. Numerous challenges across the African continent threaten the race to achieve food security; research and innovative strategies are urgently needed to transform current systems as they are inadequate to address the food crisis.
Ready or Not, America, Your Population Is Also Aging
As the signs of population aging are crystal clear and widely available, many countries are taking steps to address the far-reaching effects of that momentous demographic trend. A notable exception is the United States, a country that seems neither ready nor willing to deal with the aging of its population.
Homeless Families Now a Growing Issue in Zimbabwe
It is do or die on the streets of Zimbabwe as homeless families battle for survival solely depending on begging. Such is the life of 69-year-old Gladys Mugabe, who lives with her disabled son in Harare Gardens, a well-known recreational park in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Over the decades, Zimbabwe’s economy has underperformed. It started in 2000 with the departure of white commercial farmers, and the country has experienced subsequent periods of hyperinflation, which the International Monetary Fund estimated reached 172% in July last year.
South Asian Women, Girls Need Responsive Legal System to Gender Violence
Criminal justice systems in South Asia are failing women, despite stark statistics on the prevalence of violence. WHO estimates translate to one in every two women and girls in the region experiencing violence daily.
Latin America Can Boost Economic Growth by Reducing Crime
Crime and violence have long been a top-of-mind concern for households across Latin America and the Caribbean. The region accounts for nearly half of the world's intentional homicide victims, despite representing just over 8 percent of the global population, United Nations data show.
Sustainability, Human Wellbeing Depend on Rethinking, Redefining Value of Resources
While the COP28 presidency celebrated an “historic deal” to transition away from fossil fuels, we must remind ourselves that the future wellbeing of human societies in a livable planet depends on more than that.
Lawmakers Told: Plan From the Cradle For Healthy Aging
Lawmakers were reminded of the benefits of long-term planning and the benefits of evidence-based decision-making in policymaking while grappling with demographic trends, be they an aging population or one with significant growth in youth, like that of Uzbekistan.
Suicide, Another Face of the Crisis in Venezuela
In the wee hours of one morning in early November, Ernesto, 50, swallowed several glasses of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol in the apartment where he lived alone in the Venezuelan capital, ending a life tormented by declining health and lack of resources to cope as he would have liked.
Young Musician’s Death Exposes Zimbabwe’s Collapsing Health System
A rising Afropop musician, Garikai Mapanzure, popularly known by his stage name Garry, has become the latest high-profile victim of Zimbabwe’s deteriorating health facilities. Garry, who was 25, died in mid-October after sustaining grave injuries in a horrific accident near his home in Masvingo, 295 kilometres from Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.
Why Demography is Key to Unlocking a Sustainable Future for Asia & the Pacific
Asia and the Pacific is an economic powerhouse, fuelled by its vibrant and diverse population. Comprising 60 per cent of the world’s population, this region is bursting with both a wealth of experience and untapped potential.
African, Asian Parliamentarians Debate How People-Centered Policies Aid Development of Women, Youth
Asian and African parliamentarians have committed to accelerate the implementation of a people-centered development agenda as the African continent continues to face rapid demographic change with several challenges, such as youth unemployment and gender inequities.
The Worst Addiction: Population Growth
Among the various troubling human addictions, the one having the most worrisome consequences for humanity and planet Earth is population growth.
Seniors Thriving Through Plastic Waste in Zimbabwe
They do not have a pension nor financial support from families or relatives, but they have themselves. Now they have become collectors of plastic waste, which they turn into products as they battle for survival - earning money from the growing plastic pollution in Zimbabwe.
Housing in Cuba, a Problem with no Solution in Sight
To emigrate to the United States and fulfill her hopes for a better life, Ana Iraida sold almost all of her belongings, including the apartment that, until her departure, saved her from the uncertainty of living in rented housing in Cuba, a country with an unresolved housing crisis.
Silent Struggles: Unraveling Korea’s Startling Elderly Suicide Surge
Growing up in a culture that values respect for elders, I was acutely aware of the importance of caring for our aging population. However, my journey to understanding the gravity of this issue truly began with a personal anecdote. I watched my grandmother, a pillar of strength throughout my childhood, gradually withdraw from the vibrant world in which she once thrived. The cheerful twinkle in her eyes began to dim, replaced by an eerie sense of isolation.
El Niño’s Impact on Central America’s Small Farmers Is Becoming More Intense
The effects of El Niño on agriculture in Central America are once again putting pressure on thousands of small farmer families who are feeling more vulnerable economically and in terms of food, as they lose their crops, due to climate change.
Where is India Heading?
Some time ago I watched the Indian blockbuster RRR (Rise, Roar, Revolt). It received universal praise for direction, screenwriting, cast performances, soundtrack (which won an Oscar) and thrilling action sequences. RRR is filled with gore; bodies beaten, pierced and torn apart. An overblown combination of Quentin Tarantino and Bollywood, far away from Satyajit Ray’s emotionally moving films, as well as Bollywood’s romantic comedies and mythological dramas. RRR never pauses for breath. The two male protagonists are supermen, not exposing many recognizable human traits, even if they might occasionally sing and talk about love. Hard to understand, since the few women of the story are cut-out clichés.
America’s Record-Breaking Immigration
America’s immigration has reached record-breaking levels having weighty consequences domestically and internationally.
Pronatalism on the Rise to Counter Growing Push for Gender Equality
There’s an insidious new tactic emerging for selling right-wing ideology to wider audiences, evident in last month’s Budapest Demographic Summit for “family-friendly thinkers and decision-makers,” the upcoming pro-birth Natal conference in Austin, Texas, and the recent film “Birthgap.”
Open Migration Flows and Closed-Up Houses in Venezuela
Gladys swore she would not cry in front of her small children, but she still had to wipe away a couple of tears when she turned her head and looked, perhaps for the last time, at her dream house on Margarita Island in Venezuela, from where she migrated, driven by a lack of income and by fear.
Peru Faces Challenge of Climate Change-Driven Internal Migration
Nearly 700,000 people have migrated internally in Peru due to the effects of climate change. This mass displacement is a clear problem in this South American country, one of the most vulnerable to the global climate crisis due to its biodiversity, geography and 28 different types of climates.« Previous Page — Next Page »
As the world population is expected to cross 9 billion before 2050, it is essential to keep track of population growth and distribution trends. We see how societies respond to population trends across certain regions, such as urbanization and internal and international migration.
As life expectancy improves, allowing people to live longer, some countries deal with the challenges of having an ageing population. Other countries have booming young populations. Some women have tenuous access to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), early and child marriage in some areas is common.
Internal and international migration is on the rise, and the migrant communities that form will represent other trends in a country’s understanding of their population and their ability to address the needs of the unique demographics.
Countries must have access to data on their population trends, for which they receive support from the UN Population Division. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) serves and advocates the humanitarian needs of migrant communities.
IPS, through its reportage, combines the human story with robust analysis to enable an international audience to make sense of the myriad of population issues.
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Tracking global progress towards a sustainable world
