Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Inter Press Service | News and Views from the Global South

Why We Need Trees to End to Poverty - Landmark Report Alison Kentish With extreme poverty (living on $1.90 a day) projected to rise for the first time in over 20 years, a new study has concluded that global poverty eradication efforts could be futile in the absence of forests and trees. Twenty-one scientists and over 40 contributing authors spent the last ... MORE > >

Global Poverty Soars-- As Incomes of World’s Billionaires Hit New Highs Thalif Deen The phenomenal rise in extreme poverty -– for the first time in 20 years -- has been accompanied by an upsurge in the incomes of the world’s billionaires and the super-rich. The paradox of poverty amidst plenty is being blamed largely on the coronavirus pandemic which has driven millions, ... MORE > >

Changing the Lives of Bangladesh’s Rural Girls by Giving them a Tertiary Education Farid Ahmed Nila Kispotta, a 19-year-old rural girl from the Oraon ethnic community, has become a figure of exceptional achievement to the small, poverty-stricken village in Thakurgaon in northwest Bangladesh that she grew up in. Born into a family of daily wage earners, Kispotta dreamt of a different life. So ... MORE > >

Improving People's Lives with Digital Technology during COVID-19 Samira Sadeque Digital technology has been crucial in ensuring community and connection during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. And its shown that collaboration between the private and public sector can ensure that digital technology continues to advance in a way that improves people’s lives ... MORE > >

How the Pacific Islands are Balancing COVID-19 Survival Demands on Coastal Fisheries with Sustainable Management Catherine Wilson Coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have become a food and livelihood lifeline to many people who have lost jobs, especially in urban centres and tourism, following COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures. Now governments and development organisations are trying to meet the crisis-driven ... MORE > >

Q&A: Women in Mali Play Critical Role in Preventing and Resolving Conflicts Samira Sadeque The coronavirus pandemic has affected the safety and sense of community for many women in Mali given the travel restrictions and lockdowns in place, Bassirou Gaye, an assistant researcher for a 2019 report on the role of Mali women in peacekeeping, told IPS this weekend. “This pandemic has ... MORE > >

Gendering Agriculture so Women Take the Lead in Feeding Africa Rhoda Tumusiime and Steven Cole Africa’s hopes of feeding a population projected to double by 2050 amidst a worsening climate crisis rest on huge investments in agriculture, including creating the conditions so that women can empower themselves and lead efforts to transform the continent’s farming landscape. Rhoda ... MORE > >

VIDEO: Building Back Better: Education Cannot Wait The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 declaring October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the ... MORE > >

Scaling Up SDG4 in Crises Yasmine Sherif Out of global crises spring opportunities for change. In crisis, change is not an option. It is a necessity. And, as Plato famously noted: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is an invention that sprang out of crisis and was borne of necessity. Yasmine ... MORE > >

Nobel Peace Prize to World Food Programme Delivering Life-Saving Sustenance to Millions Worldwide Thalif Deen With the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize bestowed on the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations and its affiliated agencies continue to hold a monopoly of one of the world’s most prestigious annual awards. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the WFP as the “world’s first ... MORE > >

Time to End the Lethal Limbo of the U.S.-Mexican Drug Wars Falko Ernst Sporadic but spectacular acts of violence remind the global public of how deeply parts of Mexico have slid into lethal conflict over recent years. The criminal groups that are the public face of this violence are hardly circumspect about their power. In a video dated 17 July, the Jalisco Cartel ... MORE > >

What Does Building Back Better Look Like for African Women Engaged in Smallholder Agriculture and Food Businesses? Jemimah Njuki “We need to build back better.” This has been the rallying call on the COVID-19 response by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to leaders and communities around the world. It has been echoed in conference rooms and in the numerous Zoom meetings organized to discuss the pandemic. It will be ... MORE > >

Why We’re Uniting in Support of African Girl Leaders to beat AIDS & Shift Power Winnie Byanyima, Audrey Azoulay, Natalia Kanem, Henrietta Fore and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka The International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October is a call for us to reflect on our responsibilities. Twenty-five years ago, governments adopted the historic Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action. Seventeen years ago, African governments committed to the Maputo Protocol ... MORE > >

Peer Support Vital to Help Young Returnees Rebuild Their Lives in West Africa Marilena Crosato Ismaila Badji could not bring himself to leave his house for weeks after returning to Senegal. “I failed twice; at school and on the road,” he said. “What's wrong with me? I'm still looking for the answer." After spending time in a Libyan detention centre, Badji returned to where he came from. He ... MORE > >