What UN Needs is a Cease-Fire Inside its own Security Council; ‘Waste is only Waste when you Waste it"; and more

What UN Needs is a Cease-Fire Inside its own Security Council Thalif Deen With more than 20,000 civilians killed last year in conflicts in 10 countries — including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen-- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for a “global cease-fire”: a proposal ... MORE > >

Why Is Women’s Leadership Not in the Headlines? The question has never been whether women can lead as capably as men. Women have always led, and women will always lead, especially when the times are hard, and their communities are in need. The question that we need to ask is, why is women’s leadership invisible? Why is their potential and their ... MORE > >

Making State-Owned Enterprises Work for Climate in China and Beyond Philippe Benoit and Alex Clark President Xi Jinping announced on Tuesday China’s aim to become carbon neutral before 2060. Achieving this goal will require the support and engagement of China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs), as they currently generate more than half of the country’s energy sector emissions. SOEs are major ... MORE > >

Scientists Draw up Guidelines to Help Agri-food Companies Align with 2030 Agenda Isaiah Esipisu In Amuru district, 47 kilometres from Gulu town in northwestern Uganda, the Omer Farming Company has proven that it is possible to farm on thousands of acres of land using methods that conserve the environment and its biodiversity. On a 5,000 acre piece of land, the company is growing upland ... MORE > >

Bending the Curve on Biodiversity Loss Requires Nothing Less than Transformational Change Jamison Ervin A spate of reports on biodiversity – the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems, the Living Planet Report, the Global Forest Resources Assessment Report and the Global Biodiversity Outlook- paint a stark picture for the world’s biodiversity. All point in the same direction: ... MORE > >

Africa at the Crossroads: Time to Abandon Failing Green Revolution Million Belay and Timothy A. Wise As COVID-19 threatens farming communities across Africa already struggling with climate change, the continent is at a crossroads. Will its people and their governments continue trying to replicate industrial farming models promoted by developed countries? Or will they move boldly into the uncertain ... MORE > >

Fighting India's Bonded Labour During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Part 1 Rina Mukherji One of the worst fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the closure of industries in India, which caused thousands of migrant labourers to return home to villages in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal. In a region where the poorest have always been subjected to bonded labour, child labour and ... MORE > >

Nono the Carbon Footprint Bear—Part of Peru's Ambitious Work on Climate Action Kirla Echegaray Alfaro On the eve of its bicentennial, Peru is addressing climate change with the needed sense of urgency and ambition. Our inclusive, ‘whole society’ approach aims to awaken new opportunities that are within reach of all of our citizens. Like COVID-19, climate change is a landmark which will have a ... MORE > >

‘Waste is only Waste when you Waste it’ – Could Ecobricks be the Solution to Uganda’s Housing and Pollution Problem? Wambi Michael About 40 kilometres out of Uganda’s capital, Kampala, in the Mpigi area, you can find an entire village hill with houses that have plastic bottles walls and car tyre rooftops. Plastic bottles, which you can usually found littered almost everywhere in rural and urban Uganda, could help alleviate ... MORE > >

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Forged a New Place for Women in the Law and Society Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has generated an outpouring of grief around the globe. Part of this grief reflects her unparalleled status as a feminist icon and pioneer for women in the legal profession and beyond. There is already considerable interest in what her departure means for the ... MORE > >

After 75 Years, UN Claims 50:50 Gender Parity, But Falls Short of its Ultimate Goals Thalif Deen When the United Nations was dominated by men, holding some of the highest positions in the staff hierarchy, women staffers were overwhelmingly administrative secretaries seen pounding on their Remington typewriters seated outside their bosses’ enclosed offices. A legendary story circulating in ... MORE > >

Philanthropy’s Role in the Missing Global Architecture Marcel Arsenault The promise of the United Nations, as articulated 75 years ago, is a global system capable of managing global issues. As UN leadership knows, that promise is needed now more than ever in a multipolar world with increasingly complex challenges. This mission must be fulfilled, but is not possible ... MORE > >

The Culture of Peace: Change our World for the Better in the Age of COVID 19 Nihal Saad Last year, we paid tribute to the 20th Anniversary of the 1999 Declaration of the Program of Action on a Culture of Peace. Today, we need to ask ourselves if we had genuinely carried out our moral responsibilities to transition from a culture of hatred and violence to a culture of tolerance and ... MORE > >

COVID-19 - Possible Human Rights Crisis in Asia as Disparities Expected to Widen Cecilia Russell The negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to be felt long after the COVID-19 health risk is resolved, a high-level meeting under the auspices of the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA), heard. Parliamentarians and civil society met today, Sept. 17, to discuss ... MORE > >