Francophonie Takes Step to Fight Gender Violence

Francophone countries adopted their own action plan to better address gender violence at national levels, according to the High-Level Francophone Consultations on Violence against Women and Girls held at U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday.

U.S. “Stalling” Could Force Acceptance of Onerous TPP

Civil society opposition here has strengthened against a U.S.-proposed free trade zone that would include some dozen countries around the Pacific Rim.

Journeys to School, A Global Political Agenda

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon spoke at a press conference at  the opening of the exhibit “Journeys to School,” a joint project by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), VEOLIA TRANSDEV and SIPA Press.  Carried out in December of 2012, eighteen photojournalists in over thirteen different countries were commissioned to capture the journeys of young children as they travelled to school.

Gender-based violence is a major threat to girls’ education, Says UNGEI

The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) has called for concerted action to develop national plans to end school-related gender-based violence.

Immigrant Groups Say Spanish Hospitality in Danger

“We used to be seen as really useful, and now we’re a pain in the neck,” said Roberto Suárez, an Ecuadorian who was complaining about proposed fines or prison sentences that could target Spanish citizens who help undocumented immigrants.

Protests in Portugal Get Creative

Indignation in Portugal over rampant joblessness and cuts in wages, pensions and unemployment benefits, together with a growing tax burden, has given rise to innovative forms of protest capable of drawing large crowds.

Give a Voice to Children and Young People

“The protocol should help give voice to children,” said Octavio Errázuriz , permanent representative of Chile to the United Nations, referring to the Third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. He was addressing a meeting Thursday sponsored by the International Coalition for the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Women Struggle for a Place in the Pacific

Women face greater odds in achieving equal political representation in the Pacific Islands than in any other region of the world, holding just 3 percent of seats in national parliaments, compared to 20 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 18.5 percent in South East Asia.

Ahead of March Iran Talks, U.S. Urged to Back Possible Israeli Strike

In the same week that talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) concluded in Kazakhstan with rare positive Iranian feedback, a joint resolution declaring U.S. support for Israel in the event of an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear programme was brought before Congress.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Fights to Eradicate Polio

A multifaceted organisation with the goal of providing solutions for the issues facing our global community, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is prepared to tackle 2013 with a renewed focus on its four initiatives.  With a budget of over four billion dollars a year, the Gates Foundation devotes its energies to the divisions of Global Policy & Advocacy, Education in the United States, Global Development and Global Health.

Modern Slavery Rears its Ugly Head in Chile

In recent years, Chile has become a source, transit, and destination hub for human trafficking victims, experts say. According to judicial authorities, forced labour and sexual exploitation are the crimes most frequently associated with this “modern form of slavery”.

UNAOC & BMW GROUP ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INTERCULTURAL INNOVATION AWARDS

The Intercultural Innovation Awards (IIA), sponsored by the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the BMW group, were presented Wednesday  at a ceremony in Vienna.

U.S. Cuts to Global Health Budget “Mass-scale Malpractice”

Public health workers, activists and policymakers are stepping up a last-minute campaign to highlight the global health impact of historic, sweeping cuts to the U.S. federal budget due to go into effect Friday if Congress doesn’t act.

Power Sharing a “Dangerous Concept” for Kenya’s Democracy

Days ahead of Kenya’s general elections, the country’s former deputy Minister of Information Koigi Wamwere has slammed calls for power-sharing among minority ethnic groups in the next government, calling it a “dangerous concept”.

Media Discover the Limits of Freedom in Somalia

Media advocates in Somalia worry that a recent case against a journalists who exposed the story of a gang rape involving members of the national security forces will serve as a deterrent to journalists countrywide.

Stopping Uranium to Fight Off Nuclear

Local activists have begun protests in Slovakia after a government ministry appeared to give its backing to a controversial uranium mining project despite reassurances to people living near the proposed site that no mining would be allowed to take place.

Open Pit Miners Strike in Colombia

Two weeks into an indefinite strike called by workers at Cerrejón, one of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world, the company has agreed to sit down again and negotiate with Colombia’s National Union of Coal Industry Workers (Sintracarbón).

Market Gardening Provides Livelihoods for Refugees in DR Congo

Standing behind her market stall in Masisu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which overflows with cabbages, carrots and onions, Marceline Dusabe does not fit the traditional profile of an internally displaced person. She, unlike many others displaced by the internal conflict in North Kivu, is not in need of food aid.

Mexico Mired in Oil Debates

Oil, the symbol of modern Mexico, is once again stirring up local political waters, with turbulent debates on the fate of the state-owned oil monopoly and conflicts over the privatisation of key economic and strategic areas.

Widening Social Divide Fuels Protest Mood in Kazakhstan

(EurasiaNet) - In the official narrative of Kazakhstan’s post-Soviet history, President Nursultan Nazarbayev is lauded for fostering widespread prosperity while maintaining inter-ethnic harmony.

Saving Heat from Going Down the Drain

Whenever hot water from the kitchen tap or the bathroom shower goes down the plughole, a substantial amount of heat energy goes with it. In some German buildings this is being recovered and used to heat buildings in the winter and run air conditioning systems in the summer, representing a real energy-saver.