Open letter sets Bill Gates right about global food insecurity
10/11/2022: In recent articles about global food insecurity Bill Gates advocates agri-technology solutions that increase crop yields. In response, over 50 grassroots organisations argue instead for more equitable access to food, given that the world already produces enough to feed its population.
Source: Third World Network
Global disparity in access to essential vaccines
9/11/2022: Limited supply and unequal vaccine distribution means that lower-income countries consistently struggle to access essential inoculations, according to the latest Global Vaccine Market Report, released by the World Health Organization. Ten manufacturers alone provide 70 per cent of vaccine doses, excluding those for COVID-19.
Source: UN News
Deforestation is pushing Amazon to ‘point of no return
9/11/2022: A new report from the World Wildlife Fund warns that threats to the Amazon have worsened in recent years. As a result, the biome is nearing its “tipping point,” meaning it could soon transition from wet rainforest to dry savanna.
Source: Mongabay
US delegation makes historic visit to International Criminal Court
7/11/2022: A bipartisan US congressional delegation recently visited the home of the International Criminal Court. The trip was unprecedented, given that US policy continues to object to the court’s jurisdiction over US citizens.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Glasgow forest pledge loses signatories in first year
7/11/2022: At COP26 in Glasgow, 145 nations representing over 90% of the world’s forests promised to strengthen their efforts to conserve forests. Under pressure of accountability, signatories are dropping out.
Source: Climate Home News
COP27 draws attention to Egypt’s repressive regime
8/11/2022: The COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh has triggered a negative fallout for Egypt’s authoritarian regime which stands accused of human rights abuses. At least 151 detainees are currently being investigated by the Supreme State Security Prosecution, while hundreds more have faced shorter arrests and questioning.
Source: Inter Press Service
UN rights expert calls for end to discrimination against poverty
7/11/2022: The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights believes that progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals depends on stamping out negative attitudes towards the millions of people worldwide who are struggling just to get by.
Source: UN News
Will Ethiopia’s shaky Tigray truce hold?
8/11/2022: There is a renewed effort by mediators from the African Union to ensure that last week's ceasefire agreement to end Ethiopia's Tigray conflict holds. Past failures to ensure previous truces held have forced representatives from the warring parties to recommit to a new round of talks in Nairobi.
Source: DW
Climate loss and damage: what does compensation look like?
2/11/2022: The question of payments for loss and damage has been a long-standing point of negotiation at UN climate conferences. With the terrible flooding in Pakistan fresh in the memory, many developing countries are looking to COP27 as a crucial moment for making progress.
Source: The Conversation
UN warns of hunger crisis in South Sudan
3/11/2022: UN food agencies have warned that hunger and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood, drought, and conflict-affected areas of South Sudan. They project that 2.9 million people will be on the brink of starvation during the April-July 2023 lean season.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization