Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Are 9-to-5 Jobs Fast Becoming History – Even at the UN? Thalif Deen With the rapid leap in digital technology – including increased access to conference calls, e-translations, skype, text messaging and emails—more and more offices in the United States are providing employees with an option to “work from home”. The new concept was frivolously illustrated in a ... MORE > >

Exclusive: Winnie Byanyima Speaks about Inequality in Africa and Next Steps at UNAIDS Crystal Orderson While the 28th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa is being held in Cape Town, South Africa this week, the international aid and development charity Oxfam released its latest report: A tale of two continents: fighting inequality in Africa. The report says that while the richest Africans get ... MORE > >

UN’s Upcoming Summits May Foreshadow a Revival of Multilateralism or an Obituary for World Order Thalif Deen The United Nations will be hosting six high level plenary meetings –- unprecedented even by its own standards—during the beginning of the 74th session of the General Assembly in late September. The meetings are being viewed primarily as an attempt at reviving multilateral diplomacy at a time ... MORE > >

Is There Discrimination Against Women in Healthcare in India? Farhana Haque Rahman and Raghav Gaiha In an inaugural lecture at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University, Amartya Sen began with a swipe at Queen Victoria who complained to Sir Theodore Martin in 1870 about & quote: this mad, wicked folly of 'Woman's Rights’ ", as in her rarefied world nobody could trample upon her rights. ... MORE > >

Achieving Global Consensus on How to Slow Down Loss of Land Ranjit Devraj Expectations are high, perhaps too high, as the 14th Conference of the Parties (CoP 14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), now into the third day of its two-week session, is being held outside the smog-filled Indian capital of New Delhi. At the inauguration on ... MORE > >

SME's the Main Drivers of Africa’s Food Economy Isaiah Esipisu Viola Kiptanui, a resident of Langas estate in the outskirts of Kenya’s Eldoret town, has discovered a new way of life – eating only what she knows the source – thanks to a new smallholder entrepreneurship venture. “Given the many health problems that have emerged, there is need for one to know ... MORE > >

U.N. Criticised for Link-up with Saudi Prince MBS James Reinl The United Nations is under growing pressure to scrap an event it is co-hosting with the private foundation of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, who has been linked to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. On Tuesday, Sunjeev Bery, director of Freedom Forward, became the ... MORE > >

They Call it Multistakeholderism. Where Does That Leave the UN? Harris Gleckman Global governance is slipping away from the United Nations. Whether it is in managing the Internet, where the UN’s governing structure offers only an advisory role for governments; or climate change, where the most exciting actions are now corporate-led partnerships outside the UN Framework ... MORE > >

Ensuring Fairer International Corporate Taxation Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Large transnational corporations (TNCs) are widely believed to be paying little tax. The ease with which they avoid tax and the declining corporate tax rates over the decades have deprived developing countries of much needed revenues besides undermining public faith in the tax system. Anis ... MORE > >

Central Asia Has Always Been Important for Europe Peter Burian The EU has presented a new strategy for Central Asia. The first one has been adopted in 2007 and revised in 2015. Where do you see improvements? Our new Strategy will aim to focus future EU action in the region on two key priorities. Firstly, we want to be partners for resilience. We want to ... MORE > >

Eastern Caribbean Embarks on Strategy Towards a Blue-Green Economy Jewel Fraser Micro, small and medium enterprises as well as niche markets and experiences such as bee tourism may well hold the key for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States as countries of that sub-region, known as the OECS, ramp up efforts to build economies that are resilient to the impacts of climate ... MORE > >

Is the UN’s High Seas Treaty Heading Towards Troubled Waters? Thalif Deen The world’s high seas, which extend beyond 200 nautical miles, are deemed “international waters” to be shared globally-- but they remain largely ungoverned. “It’s a jungle out there”, remarks one diplomat, describing a virtually lawless wide-open ocean which has steadily undergone ... MORE > >

Ugandan Students Turn Waste to Wealth Melissa Kyeyune Namugongo is a lush, forested community in central Uganda where tall trees are home to colourful birds and noisy monkeys. The community has a tragic place in history: on 3 June 1886, 22 Ugandan Christian converts were publicly executed, on the orders of King Mwanga II of the Buganda Kingdom, in ... MORE > >

Reimagining ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ as Social Commentary on Inequalities in Asia-Pacific Srinivas Tata and Jaco Cilliers It’s 1962, and in a modest Hong Kong neighborhood, a poetic love story unfolds. Filmed almost twenty years ago, Wong Kar-wai’s seminal movie In the Mood for Love captured the world’s imagination about lifestyle in the region. A lower-middle class existence had never looked better. Fast ... MORE > >

How the African Development Bank Plans to Mobilise Funds for Climate Adaptation Isaiah Esipisu IPS Correspondent Isaiah Esipisu reports from the Climate Change and Development in Africa Conference taking place at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The gathering of climate experts who are discussing climate action that African and global communities are understanding ... MORE > >

Triumph of the Right is Changing the World Order Katharina Hofmann De Moura The crisis of regional and multilateral institutions goes hand in hand with the international rise of right-wing populism. In the US, the UK, Russia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, the Philippines and Brazil, we are experiencing the rise of right-wing populist politicians who throw ... MORE > >