The world stands on a nuclear precipice
24/8/2022: The Prime Minister of New Zealand warns that the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is under stress, due to rising tension between the nuclear weapon states. It is vital that current multilateral negotiations to renew the treaty should succeed.
Source: The Guardian
Record profits for grain firms amid food crisis
23/8/2022: The world’s top four grain traders, controlling an estimated 70-90% of global trade, have enjoyed a bonanza as soaring food prices plunge 345 million people into acute food insecurity.
Source: The Guardian
Five years and still no solutions for Rohingya refugees
23/8/2022: Almost one million stateless ethnic Rohingya remain in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, the world's largest refugee camp. Five years on from the exodus from Myanmar, the UN Refugee Agency is struggling to sustain international humanitarian support.
Source: UN News
Ukraine: Obstacles to global grain shipments remain
22/8/2022: A month after Russia and Ukraine agreed on a sea corridor to resume global exports of grain, only four vessels have entered the ports of the Odesa region. High insurance premiums threaten the release of Ukrainian grain into world markets.
Source: DW
UN negotiations to decide the fate of the oceans begin
15/8/2022: The final negotiations for a Global Ocean Treaty are in progress. To be considered a success, the meeting must pave the way for 30% of the oceans to be protected from destructive activities lby 2030.
Source: Greenpeace International
To end illegal fishing, we need transparency now
18/8/2022: Insufficient monitoring, loopholes, and weaknesses in China’s regulatory framework makes possible illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses on an industrial scale. Ocean ecosystems are heading toward total collapse.
Source: Devex
Rushdie joins call for freedom of expression in India
17/8/2022: International writers have called on the authorities in India to respect human rights and release those imprisoned for dissidence. Since the 2019 general election pressure has increased on the media to toe the line of the Hindu nationalist government. Salman Rushdie signed the letter before the recent attack on him.
Source: Inter Press Service
European envoys praise Kenya’s electoral commission
17/8/2022: Nine ambassadors and high commissioners from European countries and Canada have jointly lauded Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for the way it conducted the August 9 General Election. The ambassadors said the open election has set a standard for the African continent.
Source: The East African
Millions more children to benefit from malaria vaccine
16/8/2022: UNICEF has awarded a contract to GSK for 18 million doses of the first ever supply of a malaria vaccine. In 2020, nearly half a million children died from malaria in Africa alone.
Source: UNICEF
Taliban’s catastrophic year of rule in Afghanistan
11/8/2022: Since taking control of Afghanistan a year ago, Taliban authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and executed their perceived opponents. These abuses have imperiled international efforts to address the country’s dire humanitarian situation.
Source: Human Rights Watch