WFO Calls for Farmer-Centred Sustainable Development
nina LIVINGSTONE, Zambia, May 9 2016 (IPS) - Over 600 delegates representing at least 570 million farms scattered around the world gathered in Zambia from May 4-7 under the umbrella of…
September 2024
Drought Dries Up Money from Honey
Zimbabwean farmer and beekeeper Nyovane Ndlovu with some of the honey produced under his own label. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Jun 15 2016 (IPS) - “It is everything” is…
Chronic Hunger Lingers in the Midst of Plenty
Despite being one of the biggest grain producers of the world, India lags behind on food security with nearly 25 percent of its population going to bed hungry. Credit: Neeta…
360 Million of 625 Million People Are Overweight in Latin America and Caribbean
FAO acting regional representative Eve Crowley (C) during the launch of the Panorama of Food and Nutrition Security in Latin America and the Caribbean 2016, at FAO headquarters in Santiago.…
Yemen, World’s Largest Humanitarian Crisis
Yemen 2017 Humanitarian Needs Overview. Credit: Fragkiska Megaloudi / OCHAROME, Apr 19 2017 (IPS) - With 18.8 million people –nearly 7 in 10 inhabitants in need of humanitarian aid, including…
Progress on World Hunger Has Reversed
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 3 2017 (IPS) - World hunger has increased, reversing years of progress, said a UN specialised agency. During its biennial conference held in Rome, Italy from 3-8…
More Public Spending, Not Tax Cuts, for Sustainable, Inclusive Growth
Anis Chowdhury, a former professor of economics at the University of Western Sydney, held senior United Nations positions during 2008–2015 in New York and Bangkok. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, a former…
Rohingya Refugees Endure Lingering Trauma
In this special series of reports, IPS journalists travel to the border region between Bangladesh and Myanmar to speak with Rohingya refugees, humanitarian workers and officials about the still-unfolding human…
A Pledge for Parity
At least 1,000 people marched in Rio de Janeiro on March 15 to protest the targeted assassination of 38-year-old political activist Marielle Franco. Credit: Mídia NinjaUNITED NATIONS, Mar 21 2018…
Ukraine Puts Water Strategy High on Development Agenda
A lake in Ukraine, which has a relative scarcity of naturally-occurring water supplies in populated areas. Credit: Vitaliy Motrinets/cc by 4.0 KIEV, Jun 21 2018 (IPS) - A campaign to…
Making Every Euro Count in the Fight Against Malnutrition
More money, and better spent, is what we need to end hunger and malnutritionGraziano da Silva with a group of women who are participating in a vegetable-growing project in Borno…
A World Party
Roberto Savio is founder of IPS Inter Press Service and President EmeritusROME, Feb 21 2019 (IPS) - I have been a member of the first international party: the Transnational Radical…
Sharing the Burden of Refugees; the World Can Do Better
is the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya.UN Secretary General, António Guterres visiting a refugee camp in Uganda. June 2017, PHOTO//Twitter @antonioguterresNAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 20 2019 (IPS) - As the…
‘Salty’ Concern: Tackling High Salt Consumption in China
Veena S. Kulkarni, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Sociology and Geography, Arkansas State University, USA; and Raghav Gaiha, (Hon.) Professorial Research Fellow, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, England.NEW DELHI,…
Statistics and Stories – Time to Change the Refugee Narrative?
Farhana Haque Rahman is Senior Vice President of IPS Inter Press Service; a journalist and communications expert, she is a former senior official of the United Nations Food and Agriculture…
Women & Girls Up Front — the Humanitarian Response in Democratic Republic of Congo
Julitta Onabanjo is Regional Director, UNFPA East and Southern Africa based in Johannesburg; Shoko Arakaki is Director, UNFPA Humanitarian Office, Geneva; & Sennen Hounton is UNFPA Representative in the Democratic…
Stronger UN Leadership Needed to Cope with Coronavirus Threat
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 24 2020 (IPS) - The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is hard to predict as events are still unfolding, and estimates vary dramatically. estimates…
We Cannot Let the Education Gap Widen at the Start of the Decade of Action
Yasmine Sherif is Director, Education Cannot WaitNEW YORK, May 13 2020 (IPS) - Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we estimated that 75 million children and youth of whom 39 million…
The old normal is ending
Apr 8 2020 - The Covid-19 pandemic is still having severe impacts on many countries and it is not at all clear how long it will take to play out…
Understanding the Hunger Surge Caused by the COVID-19 Recession to Mitigate It Before It Is Too Late
Marco V. Sánchez Cantillo Deputy-Director, Agricultural Development Economics Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsFor many people agriculture is the only means of survival, according to…
My Adherence My Fallacy: Stigma and Mental Health
Credit: Unsplash /Melanie WasserNEW YORK, May 18 2020 (IPS) - The World Health Organization (2019) states that . Annually, this represents over , more than the number of people who…
Safeguarding Africa’s Food Security in the Age of COVID-19
Jun 5 2020 (IPS) - Food security in sub-Saharan Africa is under threat. The ability of many Africans to access sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs…
Broke and broken, sex workers ending up homeless
Photo: AFP Jun 22 2020 - The life of sex workers on the streets, hard as it is during normal times, has taken a worse turn after the coronavirus pandemic…
A Determined Path to the SDGs in 2030 Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic
BANGKOK, Thailand, Jul 27 2020 (IPS) - As lockdowns ease in countries across Asia and the Pacific in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is clear—a return to…
Women’s access to stimulus packages and post Covid-19 gender equality
Women in the informal economy have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic. Photo: Sk Enamul HaqSep 1 2020 - All crises—natural disasters, wars, pandemics—affect different sections of people in different…
Q&A: Why are Stillbirths still Societal Taboo?
There are nearly two million stillbirths every year. Credit: UNSPLASH/Claudia WolffUNITED NATIONS, Oct 26 2020 (IPS) - Societal taboo and a lack of understanding about stillbirth can cause the issue…
Lost in Translation? Understanding Relevance of Women, Peace & Security in Arms Control & Disarmament
Renata H. Dalaqua is Programme Lead for Gender & Disarmament at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) At the core of landmark on Women, Peace and Security is…
We Need a Global Coordinated Effort to Secure Equal Access to Safe & Effective Vaccines
Ilze Brands Kehris is Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights heading the UN Human Rights Office in New York Addressing an online event organized by the Danish Institute for Human Rights…
International Women’s Day, 2021To Lead is to Serve — A Pacific Woman’s Perspective
The following opinion piece is part of series to mark International Women’s Day March 8.SUVA, Fiji, Mar 1 2021 (IPS) - An often quoted indigenous reference in the Samoan language…
Centering Equity: A Vision for Global Health in 2021
Act in solidarity. Governments, civil society, and international organisations need to come together to distribute resources . Distributive justice can ensure greater security for all whether that is for health,…
US Support for Vaccine Waiver Welcome, but More Needed
Credit: UNICEF/Nahom Tesfaye KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 11 2021 (IPS) - Thanks to President Biden, the US now supports a suspension of intellectual property (IP) rights to increase vaccine supplies.…
For People with Disabilities, COVID-19 Lays Bare the Weaknesses in Social Safety Nets
The 14th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was held this week, with participants urging policymakers to address the…
Increasing Revenue & Protecting Public Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that tobacco use claims about eight million lives a year. Credit: WHOCAPETOWN / BANGKOK, Aug 2 2021 (IPS) - The COVID-19 pandemic has taken…
Biden Disappoints, Must Do More, Not Less
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sep 28 2021 (IPS) - US President Biden’s earlier support for a vaccine patent waiver raised hopes for his summit last week. However, it proved disappointing, not…
Campaigners Petition UN to Investigate Racial and Gender Discriminations in Global COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-Out
US, UK, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland in violation of international human rights law in “prolonging the pandemic” ahead of vital World Trade Organisation meeting GENEVA, Nov 10 2021 - An…
Getting Beyond Body-Shaming
Online platform Fuzia uses positive reinforcement and creativity to support its community. Credit: Sangeeta CS/FuziaNew York, Dec 21 2021 (IPS) - This is an age where pandemics are raging, millions…
Gender Lens Crucial to Leaving No One Behind (Part 2)
Creative ways are needed to meet the ICDP 25 goals. Here girls and young women are learning to code in North Darfur as a way to increase future job prospects…
UN Aims at People-Centered Governance in a Post-Pandemic World
A rescued boat woman and her two children eat some welcome food at a centre in Kuala Cangkoi, Indonesia. The UN urges 'people-centred' approach to migrants and refugees in Southeast…
Polio Eradication Will Take Funds and Awareness
A polio vaccinator administers the oral polio vaccine to a child in Pakistan. Credit: Ashfaq Yusufzai/IPSABUJA, Jun 22 2022 (IPS) - For forty days, Kunle Adeyanju – a Nigerian, Rotarian,…
Answering the Challenges Posed by Antimicrobial Resistance
We are failing to take antimicrobial resistance seriously, perhaps because it is not glamorous and relatable. Credit: Bigstock.Sep 21 2022 (IPS) - Staphylococcus aureus is the source of a skin…
The Year of Inflation Exposes Dogma and Class Bias
SYDNEY, Jan 17 2023 (IPS) - Inflation worries topped Ipsos’s in 2022 overtaking COVID concerns. The return of inflation caught major central banks, e.g., the US Federal Reserve (Fed), Bank…
Mercury Project Puts Great UNEP Treaty at Risk
The writer is President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free DentistryThe World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry delegates at Minamata COP-4, on 23 March, 2022, Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Kiara Worth, IISD/ENB (Earth Negotiation…
Deadly Smoke: Feeding Children Kills Cafeteria Staff
Soo Hyoun Lim (right) and friend campaign for safe working environments for cafeteria workers.Seoul, Sep 28 2022 (IPS) - During my summer break this year, I read about five school…
Destruction of Ukraine’s Healthcare Facilities Violates International Humanitarian Law – Report
On March 6, 2022, Izyum Central City Hospital (Kharkiv oblast) was attacked as a part of what appears to have been a large-scale carpet-bombing campaign. Reportedly, the hospital team had…
New Mosquito Species Could Derail Fight Against Malaria
Stagnant water in one of Nairobi’s residential areas. Credit: Wilson Odhiambo/IPSNAIROBI, May 8 2023 (IPS) - ‘Urban’ Kenya has been alerted because new mosquito species, Anopheles stephensi, threatens to derail…
Reimagining Ageing: Older Persons as Agents of Development
BANGKOK, Thailand, Jun 29 2022 (IPS) - Older persons are highly visible across Asia and the Pacific: they work in agricultural fields producing our food supplies, peddle their wares as…
Women, Girls Equal Partners in HIV Responses, Says Activist
Tendayi Westerhof was one of the first celebrities in Zimbabwe to disclose their HIV-positive status. BRATISLAVA, Feb 14 2024 (IPS) - UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, recently made an impassioned…
World Hepatitis Day: Celebrating Progress and Confronting Persistent Challenges
Hepatitis remains a deadly disease, causing over 800,000 deaths globally each year. Credit: Shutterstock. Jul 25 2024 (IPS) - July 28th is World Hepatitis Day, created to celebrate the life…
Improving Healthcare for All
KUALA LUMPUR and BERN, Jul 19 2023 (IPS) - In 2015, almost all heads of government in the world committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including universal…
High Prevalence of Undetected Hypertension Found in Bangladesh
The salinity of the water in coastal Bangladesh contributes to high blood pressure. Credit: Rafiqul Islam/IPSDHAKA, Nov 7 2023 (IPS) - Since her childhood, Parveen Begum, 52, has been adding…