Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Patriotism versus Hope: Eritreans Wrestle with Leaving Home or Remaining James Jeffrey and Milena Belloni Most media narratives about Eritrea suggest an endless stream of young people fleeing the country, who couldn’t wait to escape. But the reality is far different and more nuanced—both when it comes to those who have left, and those who chose to remain. Colossal cost: The nearly three decades ... MORE > >

Sudan’s Fragile Hope for Democracy Daniel Yang Sudanese civilians risk their lives everyday protesting and campaigning for democracy but they face several obstacles, including street closures and no Internet access. However, the prospect for democracy remains uncertain with regional autocracies aiding the military government, ceaseless ... MORE > >

Sharing the Burden of Refugees; the World Can Do Better Siddharth Chatterjee As the world marks World Refugee Day on June 20th to celebrate the strength, courage and perseverance of refugees, a glaring concern remains just how inadequate the global response to the refugee crisis has been. To a large extent, refugees have been painted with the broad strokes of a burden ... MORE > >

Poor Outlook for HIV-positive Children in Pakistan Charlotte Munns Over 785 people have been diagnosed with HIV in Larkana, Pakistan. 82% of those individuals are children, and only half are receiving the treatment they need. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report titled ‘HIV Outbreak Investigation in Larkana’ rated the situation a Grade-II emergency ... MORE > >

‘Born A Refugee, I Dream of a Place Called Home’ Mohammed Eid I am a refugee, born to a refugee family. I was granted that status on the day I came into this world. I was not aware of what had happened before then. I did not fight any battle, I did not threaten anyone. I did not even choose my own race or ethnicity. I just came to this world to find myself a ... MORE > >

More Megacities, More Pressure on Forests Desmond Brown With two-thirds of the world’s population projected to be living in cities by 2050, increasing pressure continues to be placed on forests which are being cleared to make way for agricultural production. China, India and Nigeria are set to drive a surge in urbanisation, with the percentage of the ... MORE > >

Put Survivors Front and Centre Tharanga Yakupitiyage Sexual violence is still all too common and continues to threaten peace and security worldwide. How can we do better? Put survivors at the centre. Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Jun. 19, United Nations officials as well as government and ... MORE > >

SDGs, Currently Off-Track, Need Bold Decisive Action Tariq Ahmad It has been four years since governments agreed on the most ambitious set of international commitments to fight poverty and inequality to date. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are ‘a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ... MORE > >

The Immense Cost 200 Million Migrant Workers Pay to Rescue their Families Baher Kamal Straight to the point: while right and far-right politicians keep marketing their image with intensive campaigns of hatred, discrimination and stigmatisation against migrants, 200 million migrant workers worldwide will sacrifice over half a trillion dollars from their hard-earned money, to rescue ... MORE > >

Rising Population Trends Threaten UN’s Development Goals in Asia & Africa Thalif Deen The world’s developing nations, currently fighting an uphill battle in their attempts to implement the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are facing another stark demographic reality: a rise in world population by 2.0 billion people in the next 30 years: from 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion in ... MORE > >

Colombia – Trade Unionism Under Threat of Death Linda Flood Miguel Morantes was almost murdered. Ever since, three bodyguards are part of his everyday life in one of the most dangerous countries for trade union members. The bulletproof Mitsubishi is moving slowly down the streets of Bogotá. It’s the morning rush, pretty muggy, and Miguel Morantes opens ... MORE > >

Financialization Promotes Dangerous Speculation Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Michael Lim Mah Hui Financialization has involved considerable ‘innovation’, often of opaque, complex and poorly understood financial instruments. These instruments typically have large debt components involving leveraging, deepening connections across markets and borders. Jomo Kwame SundaramThree important ... MORE > >

Desertification ‘More Dangerous and More Insidious than Wars’ Desmond Brown Businesses are being encouraged to follow the lead of the youth to halt desertification, reduce degradation, improve agricultural sustainability and restore damaged lands. “The youth is a very particular case. The youth give me a lot of hope because I see their passion, and I see their vision,” ... MORE > >

The Importance of the Upcoming FAO Election Kip Tom With each passing day, the world gets just a little smaller as the internet and cell phones bring our communities together, reveal our shared challenges, and lay bare our failures. As global citizens, we are all concerned about the growing number of hungry people around the world and the threats ... MORE > >

UN’s Development Goals Remain Largely Elusive Thalif Deen The United Nations, in a new report to be released next month, has warned “there is no escaping the fact that the global landscape for the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has generally deteriorated since 2015, hindering the efforts of governments and other partners” ... MORE > >

'What it Takes to Feed 7.5 Billion People' Desmond Brown Events marking the 25th anniversary of the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the World Day to Combat Desertification opened here Monday, Jun. 17 with a call for urgent action to protect and restore degrading land. Two United Nations officials, the secretary-general as well as the ... MORE > >

There’s No Continent, No Country Not Impacted by Land Degradation Desmond Brown The coming decades will be crucial in shaping and implementing a transformative land agenda, according to a scientist at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) framework for Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). UNCCD-Science Policy Interface co-chair Dr. Mariam ... MORE > >

Air Pollution Ranked as Biggest Environmental Threat to Human Health Emily Thampoe In a world that is becoming more and more industrial by the day, air pollution appears to be on the rise. While there have been efforts in major cities to combat the grave effects that pollution can have on the overall health of its citizens, there is still more progress to be made. Karen ... MORE > >

South Africa’s First Carbon Farm Tim Christophersen Land restoration could attract large private investments in the fight against climate change over the coming decades, if Governments and the United Nations put the right incentives and conditions in place. When the goats on his farm had nothing more to eat, because the soil was eroded and ... MORE > >

The Implacable Desertification of Planet Earth Baher Kamal Yet another under-reported human-made disaster: the relentless desertification of Planet Earth that may make uninhabitable some regions like the Middle East, endanger food security, aggravate climate crisis, and force more and more millions of people to flee. But before listing the main causes ... MORE > >

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought - “Let’s Grow the Future Together” IPS World Desk One third of the planet's land surface is under the threat of desertification, impacting over 250 million people. Although Africa remains the most affected continent, we are witnessing an alarming shift globally: 30% of the United States for example is affected by desertification, one quarter ... MORE > >

U. S. Backing for Heated Tobacco Products Triggers Misrepresentation Wendell Balderas The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision authorizing the sale of Philip Morris International (PMI)’s heated tobacco system, IQOS, in the United States inadvertently puts a foot in the door to increase sales of new tobacco products in the developing world. In April this year, the ... MORE > >

Asia-Pacific Region Falters on UN Development Goals Thalif Deen UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a Chatham House meeting in London last week that the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), one of the legacies of the late Secretary-General Kofi Annan, “spawned tremendous progress” in the battle against poverty worldwide. She pointed out ... MORE > >

Cities of Light are Providing Safe Havens to Refugees Emily Thampoe While cities around the world have been providing safe havens to refugees, a few US cities in the Upstate New York region have been integrating refugees and asylum-seekers into their communities. Specifically, the towns of Utica, Buffalo and Syracuse, are welcoming refugees to live and work. ... MORE > >