Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

The UN Has Failed Civilians Tharanga Yakupitiyage Despite the United Nations Security Council’s task of protecting civilians, millions around the world are still being displaced and killed with little to no accountability for perpetrators. Marking 20 years since the UN Security Council included the protection of civilians in its agenda, the ... MORE > >

Women & Youth Remain Politically Underrepresented in Africa's Most Populous Nation Ulrich Thum and Lena Noumi Two months after the general elections in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, things are back to normal. The incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, a 76-year-old general and former military Head of State, clearly defeated his challengers. With his All Progressives Congress (APC), he has ... MORE > >

Preventing Antibiotic Resistance: Look to the Livestock Industry Tharanga Yakupitiyage Antimicrobial resistance is quickly becoming a global crisis and risks reversing a century of progress in health. Some organisations have already geared up and are tackling the issue from its roots. In a new report, the United Nations Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial ... MORE > >

Public-Private Partnerships Fad Fails Jomo Kwame Sundaram After the failure and abuses of privatization and contracting-out services from the 1980s, there has been renewed appreciation for the role of the state or government. Earlier promoters of privatization have taken a step backward, only to take two more forward to instead promote public-private ... MORE > >

Cyclones and Struggling Economy Could Impact Mozambique’s Elections Amos Zacarias Mozambique, which was affected by an unprecedented two tropical cyclones over a matter of weeks, is still reeling from the impact a month after the latest disaster. But resultant devastation caused by the cyclones could impact the country’s elections as concerns are raised over whether the southern ... MORE > >

Long Life to Their Majesties, the Bees! Baher Kamal Amazingly organised social communities, bees ensure food chain. ‘Bee’ grateful to them… at least on their World Day! While the (surprisingly) still called homo sapiens continues to destroy Mother Nature, bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, carry on performing ... MORE > >

UN’s Mandate to Protect Human Rights Takes Another Hit Thalif Deen The UN’s longstanding mandate to promote and protect human rights worldwide –- undermined recently by right-wing nationalist governments and authoritarian regimes – has taken another hit. The Geneva-based Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says six of the UN’s 10 ... MORE > >

Stop The War on Children Tharanga Yakupitiyage Too many children are dying as a result of explosive weapons, and the international community must step up to protect and declare children off limits in war. In a new report, Save the Children documented the devastating toll that armed conflicts have on children psychologically and physically ... MORE > >

Do We Need a Global Convention of Common Principles for Building Peace? Thalif Deen When the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) concluded a three-day forum on “Peace and Development” on May 16, the primary focus was the daunting challenges threatening global security, including growing military interventions, spreading humanitarian emergencies, forced ... MORE > >

Women Human Rights Defenders Face Greater Risks Because of their Gender Masana Ndinga-Kanga Does the name Ihsan Al Fagiri ring a bell? How about Heba Omer or Adeela Al Zaebaq? It’s likely that these names, among countless others, are not known to the average news consumer. But their tireless and dangerous work, however, has made news headlines as protests led to historic political ... MORE > >

Citizenship & Growth: Inclusive Citizenship Laws Tend to Foster Economic Development Patrick Amir Imam and Kangni Kpodar The notion of citizenship has evolved over time. Historically, allegiance was typically to an ethnic group or a feudal lord. With the birth of the nation-state in the 19th century came the need to distinguish between those who belonged to the state and those who didn’t, and therefore to create a ... MORE > >

Unlocking the Power of Women Katja Iversen This June, thousands will flock to Vancouver for a global dialogue on how to accelerate progress for girls and women under the banner of power, progress and change. At the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the largest in the world for gender equality, delegates will come together to unlock power ... MORE > >