Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

COVID-19 Increases Suffering of Children in Conflict Samira Sadeque The current coronavirus pandemic is having a profound affect on children in conflict zones -- with girls especially being at higher risk of violence and sexual health concerns. “For adolescent girls specifically, these disruptions can have profound consequences, including increased rates of ... MORE > >

Sweden-Costa Rica: Same Paths on Climate Change, Different on COVID-19 René Castro Salazar and Brian Harris The lack of a coordinated international response had led to varying results worldwide in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Two countries that have long coordinated their response to global goals like promotion on democracy, human rights and environmental issues, Sweden and Costa Rica highlight ... MORE > >

The Critical Role of Women in Avoiding a Covid-19 “Food Pandemic” in sub-Saharan Africa Gaudiose Mujawamariya As infections with Covid-19 appear to be intensifying in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), fears of severe food shortages have prompted experts to warn that the region may be “on the brink of a hunger pandemic.” Efforts are intensifying to rally a major global response. But averting what some experts ... MORE > >

Senegalese Women's Participation in Energy Sector equals Empowerment Neena Bhandari Aïssata Ba, 45-year-old widow and mother of seven children, has been practising market gardening for the past 30 years in Lompoul Sur Mer village in the Niayes area of north-west Senegal. For many women in the village, endowed with fertile soil and favourable climate, it is the primary source of ... MORE > >

The UN’s Failure to Act on Race Kwame Akonor Racism is not only an American problem but a plague that people of African descent have had to endure since time immemorial. Rather than seizing this historic moment to act decisively, the United Nations, the world’s highest platform for human rights, dithered on the issue when it was called on ... MORE > >

It is a Challenge to Provide Disability-Inclusive Education. But it is Worth it Manos Antoninis Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa get bad press for their progress in providing inclusive education. Just two in three children complete primary school on time, while the number of out-of-school children and youth is 97 million and growing. Less is said, however, about the range of tools many ... MORE > >

E-learning Divide Places World's Disadvantaged Children at Risk of Dropping Out Manipadma Jena The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new layer of challenges to inclusive education. As many as 40 percent of low and lower-middle income countries having not supported disadvantaged learners during temporary school shutdowns, finds United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s ... MORE > >

Racism, Shitholes and Re-election Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Over the course of his presidency, US President Donald Trump’s racism has become more evident with more leaks of his private remarks, which he has been generally quick to deny, qualify and explain away. Despite his thinly disguised contempt for women, ‘non-white’ ethnic minorities, and most ... MORE > >

Message to Ostracized World Leaders: You Don’t Need a US Visa to Address the UN Thalif Deen The coronavirus pandemic is beginning to transform the United Nations into an institution far beyond recognition. The Secretariat building has been shut down since mid-March, and the UN campus will continue to remain a ghost town through end July-- and perhaps beyond-- with nearly 3,000 ... MORE > >

Children in Out-of-Home Care: Lessons from the Pandemic Larisa Abrickaja As the world continues to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation in institutions like prisons or care homes has shown how quickly overcrowded facilities can become a breeding ground for an infectious disease. But what about other congregate facilities like residential institutions for ... MORE > >

Sudan, Where Illegal Abortions remain Dangerous and Deadly Reem Abbas Omnia Nabil*, a Sudanese doctor, who worked in one of the largest hospitals in Khartoum, the country’s capital, was devastated to witness the deaths of 50 young women who had unsafe abortions during a space of just three months. “I would see 16 cases of failed abortions on a given day. I would ... MORE > >

Latin America's Potential Green Hydrogen Economy Cecilia Aguillon The COVID-19 pandemic and crisis has led to increasing attention and clamor to redouble efforts toward an energy transition that would help the world reduce C02 emissions. In many countries of the region, how to manage hydrocarbons, but with an eye on the energy transition has only been ... MORE > >

Agriculture: Rooted in Racism Pierre Ferrari and Cory Gilman There has been far less social progress in the United States in the last 155 years than many people would like to believe. In 2020, racism still seeps its way into every aspect of life; from unconscious bias and micro-aggressions in everyday interactions to domestic and international policy and ... MORE > >

African Countries Need to Seize Opportunities Created by US-China Tensions The unfolding US-China power rivalry bears a striking resemblance to the tensions between the US and the Soviet bloc during the Cold War years. Back then, African countries were positioned like pawns on a grand chessboard. Their social and economic progress was hampered because they expended energy ... MORE > >

Q&A: Sexual Violence Survivors and their Access to Care Should not Be Forgotten Samira Sadeque While the coronavirus does not discriminate, its impact does. And the needs of survivors of sexual violence in conflict "cannot be put on pause, and neither can the response” during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Jun. 19 marks the sixth annual International Day for the Elimination of ... MORE > >

Post-harvest Losses Becomes Tanzania's Loss in Youth Farming Alexander Makotta As she says goodbye to a group of her friends, Esther Ishabakaki asks whether any of them knows a good tailor who might be interested in joining her newly-opened clothing business. It’s a venture she started three months ago after quitting her farming venture. Setting up a greenhouse in ... MORE > >