Taliban backtracks on school re-opening for girls
28/3/2022: The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has decided to keep girls’ schools closed until school uniforms are designed in accordance with Afghan customs, culture, and Sharia. Amnesty International is calling on the international community to make women’s and girls’ rights to education a red line during negotiations with the Taliban de-facto authorities.
Source: Amnesty International
Human rights abuse in China’s fishing fleet revealed
5/4/2022: China’s distant water fleet – by far the world’s largest – is rife with human rights abuses and illegal fishing, according to a new report. China’s state subsidies have allowed the fleet to exploit the waters of developing nations that rely on marine resources for livelihoods and food security.
Source: Environmental Justice Foundation
Bucha killings raise ‘serious’ questions about possible war crimes
4/4/2022: Senior UN officials have echoed the Secretary-General’s call for an independent investigation into the killing of scores of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. An independent investigation is critical to determine the extent of these crimes and to ensure that perpetrators are held to account.
Source: UN News
Kenyan farmers turn to indigenous seed banks
4/4/2022: The Kenyan government has introduced a law restricting the use of traditional seed systems, reliant on open pollination. Instead, the law compels the purchase of costly hybrid seeds, a hardship for small-scale farmers.
Source: Devex
What really happened at Geneva’s crucial biodiversity negotiations?
2/4/2022: Talks ahead of the key Cop15 summit on halting mass extinction of life were slow – and much has been asked of the developing world. Little progress was made on the targets and goals due for approval at the major biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, later this year.
Source: The Guardian
Will new African Union mission in Somalia succeed?
1/4/2022: A transitional force has been given less than two years to hand over security responsibilities to Somalia's national army and withdraw from the troubled country. Analysts say progress on security cannot be achieved while the country is stuck in political deadlock. Elections are more than a year overdue.
Source: The East African
UN announces 2-month truce in Yemen
1/4/2022: The two sides in Yemen's ongoing conflict — the Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels — will put down their weapons for two months, to coincide with Ramadan. The UN Special Envoy plans to intensify efforts to reach a permanent cease-fire, and address urgent economic and humanitarian measures.
Source: DW
Aboard trawlers fishing illegally in West Africa
31/3/2022: Authorities in West Africa seem unable or unwilling to tackle the mostly Chinese trawlers depleting stocks and undermining the local fishing industry. This undermines food security in a country like Ghana in which fish accounts for 60% of animal protein in diets.
Source: African Arguments
UN Refugee Agency calls for sustained funding for Rohingya refugees
29/3/2022: As global displacement continues to rise, the UN Refugee Agency and partners are emphasizing the need to ensure that the Rohingya situation does not become a forgotten crisis. The 2022 appeal for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis seeks more than US$881 million to support approximately 1.4 million people.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
Refugees deserve language of humanity, not crisis
29/3/2022: The current outpouring of support for Ukrainian refugees may be jeopardised by the many human rights groups, aid organisations, and media outlets that are using inappropriate crisis headlines. The language of fear leaves the door open to divisive politicians who scapegoat refugees.
Source: The New Humanitarian