G7 owes huge $13 trillion debt to Global South
17/5/2023: Wealthy Group of Seven countries owe low- and middle-income countries $13.3 trillion in unpaid aid and funding for climate action, according to new analysis from Oxfam ahead of the G7 Summit. Despite failing to pay what they owe, G7 countries and their rich bankers are demanding that Global South countries pay $232 million a day in debt repayments.
Source: Oxfam International
Executions skyrocket to highest figure in five years
16/5/2023: Amnesty International's annual review of the death penalty reveals that a total of 883 people were known to have been executed across 20 countries, marking a rise of 53% over 2021. Saudi Arabia executed 81 people in a single day.
Source: Amnesty International
Russia-Ukraine renew grain deal, but doubts persist
17/5/2023: The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal between Ukraine and Russia that allows for the continued export of grain and other food products has been extended for 60 days. Since the deal was introduced in July 2022, it has helped stabilize global food prices.
Source: DW
Maternal mortality: why has progress stalled?
10/5/2023: A new report by UN agencies shows that, from 2016 to 2020, the global rate of maternal mortality barely changed. If that pace of progress continues, the rate in 2030 will be 222 per 100,000 live births – over three times the target of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: Inter Press Service
Amnesty International calls for universal social protection
10/5/2023: Amnesty International is calling for social security to be made available to everyone worldwide after a series of crises is leaving hundreds of millions trapped in a cycle of poverty and deprivation. About 55% of the world’s population have no recourse to even the most basic social protection.
Source: Amnesty International
Amazon Rainforest loss could reach new height in just 5 years
11/5/2023: A recent study has found that in the five-year period between 2021 and 2025, the Amazon could lose half the total forest cover it lost in the previous 20 years. Experts say the Amazon Rainforest is currently experiencing this pessimistic scenario.
Source: Mongabay
Germany’s foreign policy: values or national interests?
7/5/2023: Germany has made democracy and human rights the centerpiece of its foreign policy. However, denouncing nations that don't check the values box, such as China, leads to criticism from domestic business interests.
Source: DW
Sudan refugee response estimates need for $445 million
4/5/2023: In a preliminary projection for financial and operational planning, the UN Refugee Agency anticipates an outflow of 860,000 refugees and returnees from the conflict in Sudan. Egypt and South Sudan are expected to see the most arrivals.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
How (and why) Nigeria should remove its fuel subsidy
5/5/2023: Nigeria spends a quarter of its budget on a regressive fuel subsidy. Removing it and distributing the savings can help the poorest. A defining moment for Nigerians could come after the swearing-in of Nigeria’s new president on 29 May.
Source: African Arguments
Global report finds quarter of a billion people hungry
3/5/2023: The 2023 Global Report on Food Crises finds that 258 million people in 58 countries faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2022, a jump of about 33% from the previous year. The world is wildly off track for achieving its goal of zero hunger by the end of this decade.
Source: Devex