TerraViva Europe

Japan Seeks to Remake Asia-Africa Relationship

By Suvendrini Kakuchi
Acutely aware of China’s strong presence in resource-rich Africa, Japan, the world’s third largest economy, is beefing up its relations with the continent. Participants at a high-level donor conference hosted by Japan this week stressed the need for closer engagement, not through the traditional grants and assistance loans that have hitherto defined the relationship, but rather through trade and investment led by the Japanese private sector.

Historic Arms Trade Treaty Signed at U.N.

By Lucy Westcott
The United Nations witnessed a historic moment Monday with the signing of the Arms Trade Treaty, first adopted in April by the General Assembly, and the first time the 85-billion-dollar international arms trade has been regulated by a global set of standards.

Anti-LGBT Rampage in Georgia Exposes Frustrations with the West

By Molly Corso
Georgia may be touted as the most pro-Western country in the South Caucasus, but the recent backlash against LGBT activists in Tbilisi underscores how wide the cultural divide is when it comes to defining democratic values.

Q&A: “The State Does Not Lose Sovereignty If It Respects Indigenous Rights”

By Milagros Salazar
"There is a belief that consent is about saying yes or no, about who wins," observed James Anaya, the United Nations special rapporteur on indigenous rights. But consultation with indigenous peoples is a matter of “creating open processes where they can voice their opinions and influence decisions, and where there is the necessary will to seek consensus.”

Good Health Lies Just Across the Border

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Muzaffar Shah, a shopkeeper from Kabul, sits in a hospital waiting room, desperate for news. He has travelled nearly 300 km to get to the Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar, capital of northern Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, where his wife is now in intensive care.

U.N. Can Help Devalue Nukes as Geopolitical Currency

By Thalif Deen
When the 193-member U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) holds is first-ever high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament next September, there is little or no hope that any of the nuclear powers will make a firm commitment to gradually phase out or abandon their lethal arsenals.

Reactions to Gay Marriage Contradict French, Portuguese Stereotypes

By Mario Queiroz
The heated reaction to the legalisation of same-sex marriage has run counter to the widespread image of France as the cradle of the modern republic and equal rights since the 1789 revolution. In contrast, Portugal with its reputation for prudishness, has shown itself to be much more open and tolerant.

Kazakhstan’s Green Zone on Slippery Slope

By Joanna Lillis
A group of flashmobbers took to the slopes in southeastern Kazakhstan on a crisp March morning this year to spell out a heartfelt SOS with their bodies.

Peak Water, Peak Oil…Now, Peak Soil?

By Stephen Leahy
Soil is becoming endangered.This reality needs to be part of our collective awareness in order to feed nine billion people by 2050, say experts meeting here in Reykjavík.

Failed Drug Policies Building Global Hepatitis C ‘Time-Bomb’

By Pavol Stracansky
As a hepatitis C pandemic rages among drug users and threatens the lives of millions around the world, a group of high-level leaders called today on governments to reform their drug policies and raise awareness about the public health threat of hepatitis C.

Brazil Floors Gas Pedal on Bus Rapid Transit

By Fabíola Ortiz
Brazil, and especially the city of Rio de Janeiro, is experiencing a boom in bus rapid transit (BRT), a public transport system that now has an internationally-recognised quality standard.

Dreams of Education Fly Away for Ghana’s Working Kids

By Albert Oppong-Ansah
It is a school day but 13-year-old Musah Razark Adams, a Grade 5 primary school pupil in Wuba, northern Ghana, is standing in a rice field wielding a “koglung” – a sling shot to hit birds with.

Diverse Groups Urge Expanded Preschool in U.S.

By Cydney Hargis
Over 300 business, civil society and academic groups here are urging U.S. lawmakers to support early childhood education, months after President Barack Obama hinted that his administration would be pushing for a change in U.S. policy to support universal preschool.

Chevron Rejects Shareholder Demands to Explain Record Political Spending

By Carey L. Biron
At an annual shareholder meeting held Wednesday, upper-level management for the oil conglomerate Chevron faced renewed questioning over its record-setting political contributions during last year’s national election.

Youth Say Coca-Cola Is Easier to Find Than Condoms

By Stella Paul
“If I am thirsty and want a bottle of Coca-Cola I can get it, no matter where in the world I am. Why can’t I get contraceptives or sexual heathcare?” asked Carlos Jimmy Macazana Quispe, a youth representative from Peru currently in Kuala Lumpur for the third edition of the Women Deliver global conference on the "health and well-being of women and girls."

U.S. Accused of Politicising Weapons of Mass Destruction

By Thalif Deen
When the United States invaded Iraq back in March 2003, one of its primary objectives was to track down and destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) reportedly stockpiled by the regime of President Saddam Hussein.

Sharing Indigenous Knowledge from All Ends of the Globe

By Milagros Salazar
This city in northern Australia brought them together to share their experiences this week. They are indigenous Shipiba people fighting indiscriminate logging in Peru’s Amazon jungle region and delegates from the Ando-Kpomey community in Togo, which created and protects a 100-hectare forest.

Rescuing “Misfit” Vegetables – and Other Ways to Fight Food Waste

By Julio Godoy
The criticism and concern voiced by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and non-governmental agencies over the huge amounts of food wasted in Europe have begun to inspire action, particularly in the form of private initiatives.

Youth Speak Loudest in Global Development Survey

By Sudeshna Chowdhury
Kanny Daylop, a legal practitioner and consultant from Nigeria, recalls her encounter with a woman named Joy.

Guardians of the Land and Sea Meet in Darwin

By Milagros Salazar
“Are you a park ranger?” IPS asked. “No, I am one of the owners of the territory,” Ángel Durán responded in a firm voice. The Bolivian indigenous leader is in this northern Australian city along with 1,200 other native delegates from over 50 countries for the World Indigenous Network (WIN) conference.

Maternal Healthcare Evades Marginalised Mothers

By Stella Paul
In the small village of Haldiyaganj in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya, 17-year old Injuara Begum is nursing her son who was born right here on the floor of her home three years ago.
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