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Thursday, May 28, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
IPS UN Bureau
Ebola Outbreak in the DRC Raises Global Health Concerns Amid Conflict and Displacement
Since May 16, there has been a significant increase in the number of laboratory-confirmed and suspected Ebola cases reported across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), primarily in Ituri Province, with additional unrelated cases identified in Kampala, Uganda. Although the outbreak has remained largely confined to that region, it has been heavily linked to areas affected by insecurity, civilian displacement, and mining-related migration, raising concerns among global health experts that the outbreak could spread without effective monitoring and response efforts.
Developing Countries Feel Squeeze from Lower Natural Resource Revenue & Falling Foreign Aid
Developing countries face major difficulties as income from natural resource extraction industries decreases and wealthier nations reduce their aid.
New US Fed Policy Deepens World Stagflation
The Federal Reserve Bank’s turn to ‘reserve management’ exposes the limited policy options still available as the US seeks to protect itself against international stagflation stemming from President Trump’s policies.
Japan and Kazakhstan: A Partnership for an Age of Energy Insecurity and Nuclear Risk
The relationship between Japan and Kazakhstan is often described in terms of diplomacy, investment and regional cooperation. But at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty, it deserves to be understood in broader terms: as a partnership linking cities, resources, technology and peace.
How the Global Anti-Rights Movement Is Targeting Women’s Rights in Africa Through Family Laws
The theme of Africa Day 2026, “63 years of unity, integration and development," offers a stark reminder of the gap that often exists between rhetoric and reality. While commendable regional legal frameworks have advanced legal protections for millions of women and girls, injustice remains written into the fabric of national family laws in many African countries, entrenching gender inequality in the home.
The Search is On for the Next U.N. Secretary General in a Turbulent World
AS THE WORLD HURTLES TO HELL (albeit in a SpaceX rather than a hand basket), it might seem of only academic interest which cipher vegetates on the 38th floor of the U.N. Headquarters. However, the choice is due by the end of the year, unless, as has happened in the past, the Security Council is veto-bound and asks António Guterres to stay on as interim Secretary General.
Trump’s Cuts are Pushing the UN out of Geneva. That may be a Win
The $1.2 billion renovation of the Palais des Nations was intended to reaffirm Geneva's centrality to the multilateral system. Instead, the city’s international quarter is emptying.
Faced with a Cash Crisis, UN is Urging Senior Staff to Forgo First Class & Business Class Travel
The United Nations has had a longstanding tradition, described by some as a “privilege”, where most senior staffers are entitled to highly-expensive First Class or Business Class seats on trips worldwide.
Iran War Deepens Activist Dangers
Narges Mohammadi, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights activism in Iran, has been allowed to go home. After guards found her unconscious in her cell, the apparent victim of a heart attack, she was granted temporary release from prison and transferred to a hospital. However, she still faces the threat of being taken back to jail once her condition has improved.
Socialism Is Slow to Mature
In 1921, a few years into the Soviet experiment, V. I. Lenin published an essay with the revealing title ‘New Times and Old Mistakes in a New Guise’. The essay opened a line of inquiry that would remain with Lenin until the end of his life three years later. What captivated him was the issue of how to build socialism in a country ravaged by war, with minimal capital at its disposal, a largely peasant society with high rates of illiteracy (around 70%), and no public administration capable of running a socialist-oriented state. In the essay, Lenin reflected:
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION: ‘China Feels Emboldened to Globalise Its Political Red Lines’
CIVICUS discusses the cancellation of RightsCon 2026 with Barbora Bukovská, Senior Director for Law and Policy at ARTICLE 19, a human rights organisation that works on freedom of expression and information around the world.
The Iran War Exposes the Fragility of Our Fuel-Dependent Food System
Sharp surges in energy, fertilizer, and food prices triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf strikingly illustrate the deep interconnections between geopolitical conflict, food insecurity, and the fragility of fossil fuel–dependent food systems.
The 3Ds for a Credible Post-2030 Development Agenda
Just four years of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development remain. What comes after 2030 is already a political battleground.
The UN Vote that Could Reshape Climate Justice
Normally, resolutions voted at the United Nations General Assembly do not make the headlines. As nonbinding and mostly symbolic, rich in principles yet empty and lacking the power to carry consequences, these statements are shrugged off and ignored.
Governing the Ungovernable
Where does real power reside in the UN development system? A new policy brief from Cepei, a Colombian development policy institute, and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), presented earlier in May, poses this deceptively simple question. The answer matters because institutions that cannot govern fairly or transparently struggle to sustain legitimacy, and legitimacy is essential for peace.
The World Bank Wants to Change the Way It Manages Complaints: The Fixes That Could Make It Better
The World Bank made history in 1994 by creating the Inspection Panel, the first independent accountability mechanism, at any international organisation. Its function is to investigate complaints from communities who allege they were harmed because the bank failed to comply with its own policies and procedures.
Stop the Madness: Civil Society Cannot Thrive on Burnout
In an era when civil society funding is in decline, it’s time to rebel against a broken system.
Civilian Casualties Grow Amid Russian and Ukrainian Drone Strikes
Four years after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, 2026 has marked a significant escalation in hostilities, with intensified bombardments from both sides causing immense destruction across the region, complicating humanitarian operations, and deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis. As exchanges of attacks have intensified in recent days, the United Nations (UN) warns that women and girls will be disproportionately impacted as violence disrupts access to basic, lifesaving services.
Breaking Cultural Barriers to Equip Marginalised Kenyan Girls With Entrepreneurial Skills
For generations, communities in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) have viewed girls through the lens of marriage, with some being married at 11 in exchange for livestock or soon after secondary school, denying them opportunity for further education and skills training.
Africa’s Golden Future
It is very appropriate that this Africa Forward Summit is being held in Kenya. Two weeks ago, a Kenyan marathon runner, Sabastian Sawe, did what had been considered impossible: by running a marathon in under two hours! What we have set ourselves here is also a marathon—and we must show the same resilience and perseverance that Mr. Sawe did.
DIGITAL RIGHTS: ‘The Priority Should Be Holding Tech Companies Accountable, Not Banning Children from the Digital World’
CIVICUS discusses the rising trend of social media bans for children with Marie-Ève Nadeau, Head of International Affairs of the 5Rights Foundation, an organisation that promotes children’s rights in the digital environment.
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