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<title>Sudanese Refugees and IDPs Disproportionately Affected By Crisis</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/sudanese-refugees-and-idps-disproportionately-affected-by-crisis/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:19:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Oritro Karim</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Since the wake of the Sudanese Civil War in 2023, Sudan has faced a dire humanitarian crisis that has been marked by extreme violence, widespread civilian displacement, and an overwhelming lack of basic services in relation to the massive scale of needs. The latest reports from a host of United Nations (UN) organizations shed light […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Children-are-screened_-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Children-are-screened_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Children-are-screened_.jpg 624w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Children are screened for malnutrition and provided with treatment at Elhmedia health centre, Rokoro, Central Darfur. Credit: UNICEF/Omar TarigBy Oritro Karim UNITED NATIONS, Jul 3 2025 (IPS) Since the wake of the Sudanese Civil War in 2023, Sudan has faced a dire humanitarian crisis that has been marked by extreme violence, widespread civilian displacement, and an overwhelming lack of basic services in relation to the massive scale of needs. The latest reports from a host of United Nations (UN) organizations shed light on the rapid deterioration of living conditions for Sudanese internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees.

In March, the Danish Refugee Council (<a href="https://drc.ngo/resources/news/global-displacement-crisis-set-to-surge-by-6-7-million-people-due-to-ongoing-conflicts-and-civilian-attacks-new-drc-forecast/" target="_blank">DRC</a>) issued its Global Displacement Forecast Report, which detailed the projected trends in civilian movement for the remainder of the year. Sudan, which has been described as the world’s most dire displacement crisis, accounts for nearly one-third of new global displacements this year. It is estimated that by the end of 2026, an additional 2.1 million Sudanese civilians will be internally displaced.
According to the latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (<a href="https://dtm.iom.int/reports/dtm-sudan-mobility-update-18" target="_blank">DTM</a>) report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as of May 28, over 10 million civilians are currently internally displaced across all 18 states in Sudan. Roughly 7.7 million have been displaced since the wake of hostilities in April 2023 and have never returned home. 
Additionally, IOM estimates that from June 26-29, approximately 3,260 households were displaced across several counties in the Bara locality of North Kordofan as a result of heightened violence. Over half of the displaced civilians reported were children under the age of 18-years old. 
On June 29, the United Nations Children’s Fund (<a href="https://www.unicef.org/sudan/reports/unicef-sudan-humanitarian-situation-report-may-2025" target="_blank">UNICEF</a>) released a situation report detailing the escalation of hostilities recorded in May. Renewed clashes between warring parties were reported in the West Kordofan, South Kordofan, Khartoum, and North Darfur states, spurring nearly 100,000 new internal displacement cases. West Kordofan was hit the hardest as brutal clashes in the areas surrounding the An Nuhud and Al Khiwai towns drove roughly 60,415 people away from their homes.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (<a href="https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/unhcr-warns-crisis-reaching-breaking-point-sudanese-refugee-numbers-triple-chad" target="_blank">UNHCR</a>), since April 2023, over 4 million Sudanese civilians have been forcefully displaced to neighbouring countries, with Egypt and Chad housing the largest numbers of refugees. In early April this year, UNHCR recorded numerous armed attacks on displacement camps in North Darfur, including the Zamzam and Abu Shouk shelters, which further spurred mass movements to Chad.
Doctors Without Borders (<a href="https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/sudanese-refugees-chad-safe-bombs-struggling-survive" target="_blank">MSF</a>) states that since April, over 80,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed into Chad, with approximately 68,556 being concentrated in the Wadi Fira and Ennedi Est provinces. As of June, there has been a daily average of 1,400 Sudanese civilians crossing into Chad. 
UNICEF reports that despite the new surges of heightened insecurity, May saw an overall reduction in displacement, with roughly 1.1 million civilians returning to their sites of origin, most being recorded in Al Jazira. However, the vast majority of these individuals still struggle with risks of violence and an overwhelming lack of essential resources, such as food, shelter, healthcare, and water and hygiene (WASH) services.
UNHCR interviewed roughly 6,810 of the refugees in Chad. They found that nearly 60 percent of them had been separated from their families, and 72 percent reported experiencing severe human rights violations, including physical and/or sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment. 
Additionally, Sudanese refugees and IDPs alike face heightened risks of food insecurity. According to UNICEF, over 17,766 children in Sudan were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. In Uganda, the World Food Programme (<a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/refugees-escaping-sudan-face-escalating-hunger-and-malnutrition-food-aid-risks-major" target="_blank">WFP</a>) estimates that Sudanese refugees are relying on 500 calories per day, only roughly a quarter of the daily needs per person. In Chad, nutritional support has been stretched to its limits and food rations are to be significantly reduced in the coming months unless additional funding is secured soon.
“This is a full-blown regional crisis that’s playing out in countries that already have extreme levels of food insecurity and high levels of conflict,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance. This will leave vulnerable families, and particularly children, at increasingly severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.”
Due to limited access to WASH services and healthcare for the majority of Sudanese IDPs, there have been 23,000 new cases of cholera declared this year. With cumulative cases exceeding 73,000, UNICEF warns that the health situation in Sudan is projected to deteriorate significantly as the upcoming rainy season approaches. 
According to UNHCR, of the Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries, children bear the brunt of the crisis. It is estimated that 66 percent of refugee children lack access to educational services and roughly 30 percent have sustained serious injuries. 
“(My son’s) hand got ripped off by a shrapnel bomb, some got stuck in his right eye. He arrived at the MSF clinic in (Chad’s) Tine camp several weeks ago. Each time, doctors and nurses struggled to even access the wound as the child was traumatized and in immense pain,” said the mother of Mahanat, an eleven-year-old Sudanese refugee who fled to Chad after an April attack on the Zamzam camp in Sudan, in an interview with MSF.
UNHCR states that only 14 percent of humanitarian needs for Sudanese refugees have been met, leaving thousands particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, adverse health conditions, and violence. It is estimated that the average Sudanese refugee receives roughly 5 liters of water per day, which is about 4 times less than the global average per person. 
“Again, we ask donors, the UN, and humanitarian organizations to start providing or scaling up support in terms of food, shelter, sanitation, and medical care, including mental health services,” said Claire San Filippo, MSF’s emergency coordinator for Sudan. “The current response is grossly insufficient.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Does the UN Overstep Its Responsibility to Protect Mandate?</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/does-the-un-overstep-its-responsibility-to-protect-mandate/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:07:17 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191257</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The UN has been criticized by some member states for overstepping the mandate of its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine during a debate in the General Assembly. United Nations member states held another General Assembly meeting to discuss the 20-year-old doctrine Responsibility to Protect, where many powerful members spoke out against the political contract. On […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/UN71104897_20250625_LF_9820_Low-Resolution-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Philemon Yang (centre), President of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, chairs the 80th plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the theme responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. At left is Secretary-General António Guterres, who delivered a report on "Responsibility to protect: 20 years of commitment to principled and collective action" to the Assembly. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/UN71104897_20250625_LF_9820_Low-Resolution-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/UN71104897_20250625_LF_9820_Low-Resolution.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Philemon Yang (centre), President of the seventy-ninth session of the United
Nations General Assembly, chairs the 80th plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the theme
responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes
against humanity. At left is Secretary-General António Guterres, who delivered a report on
"Responsibility to protect: 20 years of commitment to principled and collective action" to the
Assembly.
Credit: UN Photo/Loey FelipeBy Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine UNITED NATIONS, Jul 3 2025 (IPS) The UN has been criticized by some member states for overstepping the mandate of its Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine during a debate in the General Assembly.
United Nations member states held another General Assembly meeting to discuss the 20-year-old doctrine Responsibility to Protect, where many powerful members spoke out against the political contract. 
On Tuesday, July 1, the General Assembly invited United Nations member states to resume discussion about Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the doctrine meant to prevent crimes against humanity. Previously, many member states <a href="https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/growing-gap-principle-implementation-20-years-responsibility-protect/">spoke</a> in support of the doctrine, calling for countries to reaffirm their commitment to protecting civilians and to respect the rulings of international law. Although some states speaking shared this sentiment, other powerful representatives advocated emphatically against R2P, criticizing its inefficacy and calling for its removal.
The Representative from the Russian Federation was a particularly strong critic of R2P, calling it “an instrument used repeatedly by the collective West to interfere in the internal affairs of states to replace humanitarian intervention.” Russia particularly noted the first use of R2P in 2011 during Libya’s civil war, condemning the West’s “warped interpretation” of the provisions in R2P.
This criticism is not uncommon: experts have <a href="https://insight.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1471&context=fac_works">argued</a> for years that the UN overstepped its mandate outlined in R2P by authorizing military intervention.
In line with R2P, the Security Council 1973 <a href="https://docs.un.org/en/S/RES/1973%20(2011)">authorized</a> the protection of civilians “by necessary measures.” This broad statement gave NATO powers the freedom to enter the conflict territory with troops. Russia was among five abstentions for Resolution 1973, alongside China, a fellow permanent member, Brazil, Germany and India.
Calling the UN and NATO’s actions in Libya an “act of aggression against a sovereign state,” Russia went on to criticize the International Criminal Court (ICC), what it called “an instrument of the collective West.” Accusing the ICC of destroying a “once-prosperous Arab country,” Russia condemned R2P, humanitarian intervention and the ICC as neocolonial tools to maintain Western dominance globally.
The Representative from the United States of America also criticized R2P, but for very different reasons. Calling it a dangerous concept that “opens the door to selective, politicized action under the guise of humanitarian concern,” the US called the doctrine “destabilizing” to “the very international order it claims to uphold.”
Noting that intervention in conflict often is not in a state’s individual interest, the US claimed the vague concepts of collective responsibility in the document were not effective in addressing all atrocities. Using examples of China’s treatment of the Uyghur population, the military regime in Myanmar and the current conflict in Sudan, the US said, “Some Member States must do much more to address the risks that lead to atrocities and to put an end to senseless conflicts.”
This comes at a time when UN human rights experts have <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/02/new-us-administration-must-recommit-human-rights-home-and-abroad-un-experts">criticized</a> “the United States’ escalating attacks on the international architecture of human rights, the rule of law, multilateralism, the principles of sovereign equality and self-determination, and vital international agreements on peace and security, climate change, global justice, and international cooperation.” Many states fear America’s growing isolationist practices, while others like Russia worry that they, like other Western states, are too involved in the sovereignty of other states.
The representative reiterated, “The United States will always act in accordance with our national interest and will not subordinate our sovereignty to shifting international norms, and we encourage others to do the same.” Naming R2P as a political commitment rather than a legally binding one, he suggested that each individual state protect its own populations from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity as the doctrine lays out.
Such influential member states, both of which are permanent members of the Security Council, undoubtedly have significant sway in the UN. However, several smaller states maintained support for R2P while outlining ways it could be improved.
The Representative from Ghana called R2P’s issue a “crisis of confidence” in implementation, arguing that its failures must be addressed by a reiteration of political commitment and a refusal to look away when the truth is inconvenient. Ghana emphasized a responsibility to remember the doctrine’s failures, including Libya, while moving forward to improve it as a more effective tool. He said, “when we preserve the truth of past atrocities, honor the memory of victims and confront denial, we are strengthening the foundations on which R2P stands.”
The future of R2P is unclear. Whether states will join the calls of larger states like the US and Russia, calling for the doctrine’s end, or whether they will, as Ghana said, reaffirm shared humanity with the principle, the decision will undoubtedly affect the normative culture of multilateral action in the face of humanitarian crises.
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<h1 class="section">Related Articles</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/growing-gap-principle-implementation-20-years-responsibility-protect/" >A Growing Gap between Principle and Implementation: 20 Years of Responsibility to Protect</a></li>
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<title>African Fish Workers Excluded From International Trade Deals: Report</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/african-fish-workers-excluded-from-international-trade-deals-report/</link>
<comments>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/african-fish-workers-excluded-from-international-trade-deals-report/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:39:57 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ignatius Banda</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[A new report has raised concerns about the exclusion of African fish workers from trade protocols between their governments and developed countries, resulting in impoverished communities relying on fishing. This comes as the impact of Africa’s trade protocols with blocs such as the European Union and the United States is being examined regarding how they […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="225" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/1000042509-300x225.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Fish products on sale in a supermarket in Zimbabwe. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPS" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/1000042509-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/1000042509-200x149.jpg 200w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/1000042509.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Fish products on sale in a supermarket in Zimbabwe. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPSBy Ignatius Banda BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Jul 3 2025 (IPS) A new report has raised concerns about the exclusion of African fish workers from trade protocols between their governments and developed countries, resulting in impoverished communities relying on fishing.
This comes as the impact of Africa’s trade protocols with blocs such as the European Union and the United States is being examined regarding how they are affecting local small-scale fisheries.
Millions of people rely on fisheries in Africa, where the sector provides jobs and nutrition, but there are increasing complaints among fishermen who lack organized representation and researchers who say fishermen have been pushed out of business by rich foreign companies.
In a recent update titled <a href="https://www.cffacape.org/publications-blog/from-promises-to-perils-small-scale-fisheries-overlooked-in-the-eu-gabon-sfpa?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=682dcb1d13654c0d95b4ca20&ss_email_id=682ee5af14deb24b7142b6ab&ss_campaign_name=Small-scale+fisheries+overlooked+in+the+EU-Gabon+fisheries+agreement&ss_campaign_sent_date=2025-05-22T08%3A52%3A17Z">From promises to perils: Small-scale fisheries overlooked in the EU-Gabon</a><a href="https://www.cffacape.org/publications-blog/from-promises-to-perils-small-scale-fisheries-overlooked-in-the-eu-gabon-sfpa?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=682dcb1d13654c0d95b4ca20&ss_email_id=682ee5af14deb24b7142b6ab&ss_campaign_name=Small-scale+fisheries+overlooked+in+the+EU-Gabon+fisheries+agreement&ss_campaign_sent_date=2025-05-22T08%3A52%3A17Z">,</a> the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements uses the small African nation as an example of how the continent’s fishermen are getting the short end of the stick despite being at the front line of the lucrative sector.
The coalition looks at how Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPA) have failed small-scale fishing communities as they “have almost not been involved in these decision-making processes.”
“As Gabon and the European Union (EU) now consider renewing the tuna SFPA, local fisheries remain largely excluded from negotiations and see few benefits from the agreement,” said Beatrice Gorez, coordinator for the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements.
According to the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements, Gabon entered into a trade agreement with the European Union in 2021 and granted European fishing boats the right to harvest tuna within Gabonese waters.
More than 32,000 tons of tuna are hauled from Gabonese waters annually, making the African country the European Union’s second-largest tuna fishing partner.
However, despite these huge numbers, the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements says with the trade protocol set to be reviewed next year, little protection has been put in place for local fishermen.
“The EU reiterated the crucial role of small-scale fisheries for Gabon’s economy and food security. Yet with the current protocol set to expire in 2026, the visits appeared more focused on “identifying future actions to maximize the impact of the protocol,” Gorez said.
<a href="https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/gabon/l%E2%80%99union-europ%C3%A9enne-ue-et-le-gabon-s%E2%80%99engagent-pour-b%C3%A2tir-un-partenariat-de-nouvelle-g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ration-dans_und_en#top">The European Union sets aside €2.6 million annually</a> in exchange for access to Gabon’s fisheries, and the funds go towards management of fisheries, combating illegal fishing and the protection of “fragile ecosystems contributing to the good health of stocks and the management of marine protected areas.”
Local fishermen say despite these assurances, local communities have been excluded from the negotiations.
This is confirmed by the Gabonese Federation of Small-Scale Fisheries Actors (FEGAPA), founded in 2023 and now comprising around 20 cooperatives of fishers, fishmongers, and processors. “The fishers were never consulted about the fishing agreement,” said Jean de Dieu Mapaga, President of Gabon’s Federation of Small-Scale Fisheries Actors (FEGAPA).
“It is true that we hear talk of government projects to develop certain fishing centers, but no one has ever explained that these investments are linked to sectoral support funding for small-scale fisheries under the EU-Gabon SFPA,” Mapaga says in the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements report.
Gabon is not the only African country that faces such challenges in the fisheries sector, where international fishing companies have a huge presence and small fishing communities have to compete for catches.
“This pattern is not unique to Gabon. In countries like Liberia, so-called “experimental” fishing has similarly served as a backdoor for accessing high-value resources for which a surplus had not yet been established, Gorez noted.
“Sectoral support from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements must not remain theoretical; it must contribute concretely and transparently to these national efforts—something that, to date, has not been the case,” said Gorez.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) <a href="https://www.uneca.org/stories/unlocking-the-vast-potential-of-blue-resources-in-central-africa-with-eca%E2%80%99s-blue-economy">says African countries face pressing challenges</a> in the blue economy, including declining fish catches and falling income levels for local fishermen due to overfishing.
“Africa’s blue economy holds untapped economic potential,” Claver Gatete, UNECA executive secretary, told the Africa Regional Forum On Sustainable Development held in Uganda in April this year.
“However, marine degradation, weak governance and underinvestment threaten its sustainability,” Gatete added.
These sentiments highlight the concerns raised by small fishing communities who are demanding a place at the negotiating table between their governments and blocs such as the European Union and the US.
“The Central African region has a historically uncompetitive marine and river transport system, with inadequate infrastructure and sectoral strategies,” UNECA says in a March update that seeks to unlock “the vast potential of blue resources.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization says while global fisheries have surged, Africa’s potential remains untapped.
“Targeted policies, technology transfer, capacity building and responsible investment are crucial to boost sustainable aquaculture where it is most needed, especially in Africa,” <a href="https://www.fao.org/africa/news-stories/news-detail/fao-report--global-fisheries-and-aquaculture-production-reaches-a-new-record-high--untapped-potential-remains-in-africa/en">FAO noted in a 2024 report on the state of global fisheries</a>.
The World Bank estimates that the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/africa-program-for-fisheries">fisheries and aquaculture sectors contribute USD24 billion to the African economy </a>while providing employment to over 12 million people.
The Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements says for communities to derive a dividend from the sector, consultations must be inclusive, and this will also go a long way towards addressing illegal fishing.
“Exclusion from decision-making has led to a lack of understanding of local realities,” said Gomez.
 
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<title>Post-Earthquake Myanmar Faces ‘Immense’ Suffering, Cannot Be Forgotten</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/post-earthquake-myanmar-faces-immense-suffering-cannot-be-forgotten/</link>
<comments>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/post-earthquake-myanmar-faces-immense-suffering-cannot-be-forgotten/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 07:26:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naomi Myint Breuer</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Aid]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[“Myanmar cannot become a forgotten crisis,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), has said. “This country has faced cyclones, war, conflict, violence, climate and now immense suffering.” Three months after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, humanitarian groups warn that the international community is failing to […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-03-at-10.04.23-300x200.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Teacher U Aung San standing in the ruins of his classroom, which was destroyed by the March 28 earthquake that left millions across Myanmar in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Credit: UNICEF/Minzayar Oo" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-03-at-10.04.23-300x200.png 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-03-at-10.04.23.png 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Teacher U Aung San standing in the ruins of his classroom, which was destroyed by the March 28 earthquake that left millions across Myanmar in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Credit: UNICEF/Minzayar OoBy Naomi Myint Breuer UNITED NATIONS, Jul 3 2025 (IPS) “Myanmar cannot become a forgotten crisis,” Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), has said. “This country has faced cyclones, war, conflict, violence, climate and now immense suffering.”
Three months after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, humanitarian groups warn that the international community is failing to respond. Despite the scale of need, only 36 percent of the USD 275 million requested for the earthquake response has been disbursed. Almost halfway through the year, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), which guides aid efforts throughout the country, is just 12 percent funded. 
Da Silva was speaking at a press briefing on June 24 following his visit to Myanmar. His views reflect those of others involved in bringing humanitarian aid to the country.
“The dangerously low funding for response efforts in Myanmar remains our greatest challenge,” former UN Humanitarian Coordinator Marcoluigi Corsi said in his June 20 outgoing statement.
The ongoing armed conflict and political turmoil following the 2021 military coup are also making humanitarian assistance more difficult to achieve.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported in a June 27 briefing to the Human Rights Council that the military’s attacks rose again, despite initial ceasefire announcements after the earthquake.
Since the earthquake, the military has launched more than 600 attacks, 94 percent of which were in areas where a ceasefire had been announced. Over 500 civilians were killed, and 1000 were injured. Türk said that attacks have restricted humanitarian access. WHO <a href="https://myanmar.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Myanmar%20Health%20Cluster%20Bulletin_June2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://myanmar.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Myanmar%2520Health%2520Cluster%2520Bulletin_June2025.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw2awXVZ20vZQbIgFzu6TFm0">reports</a> that 6 attacks have led to 48 health workers killed and 85 injured. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has urged that groups in these areas respect international humanitarian law.
“Every day, we face barriers that prevent or delay assistance from reaching those who need it most,” former UN Humanitarian Coordinator Marcoluigi Corsi said in his outgoing statement on June 20. “I call on all parties to ensure unrestricted humanitarian access—without conditions, without delays.”
The March 28 earthquake killed 3,800 people and injured more than 5,000, according to UN <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164881" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164881&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw3Y657defoxqoiwn3jvyMmu">estimates</a>. Tens of thousands were newly displaced, adding to the 3.2 million displaced since the coup. The UN now estimates that 3.5 million people, 6 percent of the population, are displaced, and more than 6 million are in need of urgent assistance.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Myanmar office estimates that 19.9 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance before the earthquake, and now 2 million more are.
“Myanmar is one of the countries most in need of humanitarian assistance in the Asia-Pacific region,” the ICRC <a href="https://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/myanmar-rebuilding-lives-shattered-earthquake-and-armed-conflict" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/myanmar-rebuilding-lives-shattered-earthquake-and-armed-conflict&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw2tdMEAA6pDuiwulLXXWJau">reports</a>.
So far, 61 percent of the target population in need of humanitarian health services have been reached, <a href="https://myanmar.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Myanmar%20Health%20Cluster%20Bulletin_June2025.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://myanmar.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/Myanmar%2520Health%2520Cluster%2520Bulletin_June2025.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw2awXVZ20vZQbIgFzu6TFm0">according</a> to the World Health Organization (WHO). With the monsoon season underway and active fighting restricting humanitarian access, organizations are warning about the urgency of the situation.
“We have faced many crises, including armed conflict and flooding, and now we have again been hit by the earthquake,” Daw Khin Po, who was displaced by the earthquake, told the ICRC.
The ICRC has been working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and local partners to assist over 111,000 people in Mandalay, Sagaing, Bago and Shan State. They have provided clean water, food, tarpaulins, solar streetlights, essential household items, cash and emergency health care, as well as training, agricultural and livestock materials, support for small businesses and risk awareness training. These organizations have also been supporting existing hospitals and community health centers.
“However, the scale of needs is beyond what any single organization can address,” the ICRC reported.
OCHA is currently working to respond to Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis through “coordination, advocacy, policy, information management and humanitarian financing tools and services.”
“Amid these shocks, the security environment continues to deteriorate, people are facing grave protection threats, and coping capacities are stretched to the limit,” the OCHA Myanmar office wrote.
Humanitarian partners assisted around 1.5 million people between January and March 2025, which is 27 percent of the annual target, according to the OCHA Myanmar office. These efforts have targeted internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, resettled and locally integrated IDPs, and non-displaced stateless people. The office said that local organizations are the “backbone” of the response to the humanitarian situation, especially in areas of conflict.
Without funding, though, Corsi said more people will be at risk as organizations are unable to provide necessary support.
“The world cannot look away. The international community must step up their support,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yangon, Arnaud de Baecque, said.
The monsoon season creates further threats to the population, who risk disease, flooding and displacement, and adds more urgency to the situation. WHO is currently <a href="https://myanmar.un.org/en/296005-monsoon-underway-who-steps-efforts-ensure-safe-water-quake-hit-myanmar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://myanmar.un.org/en/296005-monsoon-underway-who-steps-efforts-ensure-safe-water-quake-hit-myanmar&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw2T26GmA0U1XH_op5xMgHoz">working</a> to improve access to clean and potable water, provide health services and prevent disease outbreaks. They are collaborating with the Red Cross, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP) to improve water safety systems and disseminate health information.
But WHO <a href="https://www.who.int/southeastasia/publications/m/item/who-mmreq-Srep2805258" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.who.int/southeastasia/publications/m/item/who-mmreq-Srep2805258&source=gmail&ust=1751566591924000&usg=AOvVaw3y-Wt_zenkYEahWjZmOB41">reports</a> that people living in makeshift structures due to the earthquake are subject to extreme health risks.
Türk emphasized that the situation in Myanmar must receive continuous attention.
“Amid the turmoil, planning for a future with human rights front and center offers people a sense of hope,” he said. “We owe it to the people of Myanmar to make that hope a reality.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>UN80: Alternative Reform Pathways — Fiscal Prudence, Relocation Realities, & Underutilized Charter Mechanisms</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/un80-alternative-reform-pathways-fiscal-prudence-relocation-realities-underutilized-charter-mechanisms/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2025 05:01:56 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naima Abdellaoui</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Global]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Global Governance]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Naïma Abdellaoui is a Concerned International Civil Servant and Staff Representative
Member of the Executive Bureau of UNOG Staff Union]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="136" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/The-principles-of-the_-300x136.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/The-principles-of-the_-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/The-principles-of-the_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />The principles of the UN Charter are the foundation of the Organization’s work—guiding its mission to promote peace, development, and human rights for all. Credit: UN Photo/Amanda VoisardBy Naïma Abdellaoui GENEVA, Jul 3 2025 (IPS) Recent proposals to relocate UN operations to lower-cost duty stations ignore demonstrable economic patterns. Empirical evidence suggests that establishing UN hubs often triggers localized inflation, negating projected savings.

Case Study: UN Presence in Nairobi 
While city-wide inflation is driven by national policies, population growth, infrastructure deficits and global shocks, the UN significantly increased rents and land prices in affluent Nairobi neighborhoods, creating enclaves of hyper-inflation for premium goods and services. 
While most Nairobians struggle with costs tied to local realities, elites near UN hubs face Paris-level prices. UN operations inherently stimulate demand for premium housing, security, and bilingual services. Projected savings rarely materialize once market adjustments occur. 
The Liquidity Crisis: Self-Inflicted and Avoidable 
The Secretary-General’s 2023 definitive shift from biennial to annual budgets—contrary to historical practice—exacerbated cash-flow vulnerabilities.
This restructuring ignored the U.S. payment pattern (80% of contributions arrive in Q4), transforming manageable delays into systemic crises. 
Result: 
– Premature austerity measures (20% staff cuts) targeting high-experience personnel. 
– Erosion of institutional capacity in critical areas (peacekeeping, humanitarian law). 
Underutilized Charter Provisions: Article 6 and Article 19 
The UN Charter provides robust tools to address fiscal noncompliance and political obstruction: 
1. Article 19 (Voting Suspension): 
Permits revocation of voting rights for members exceeding two years of arrears. This was applied 13 times (e.g., Libya 2021). Yet chronic non- or late-payers (notably the U.S., owing $1.3B) face no enforcement. (Article 19 A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment of its financial contributions to the Organization shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years. (…))
2. Article 6 (Expulsion): 
Allows expulsion of states “persistently violating” Charter principles. Historically unused despite patterns of withholding funds to exert political pressure. (Article 6 A Member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council).
Alternative Reform Pathways 
Rather than relocating staff or dismantling entities, the UN could: 
A. Leverage Geopolitical Counterweights 
– Relocate HQ functions to Geneva as a deterrent against contribution withholding. 
– Impact: New York stands to lose $3.3B/year in economic activity when the US assessed contribution amounts to only $1.3B/year. 
B. Enforce Financial Accountability 
– Convert arrears into sovereign debt under international law. 
– Suspend veto rights for chronic non-payers (per Article 19). 
C. Preserve Institutional Integrity 
– Revert to biennial budgets to accommodate payment cycles and patterns. 
– Include staff unions in reform design (e.g., UN80 Task Force). 
The UN80 Paradox: Efficiency vs. Institutional Amnesia 
Accelerated consolidation without stakeholder consultation risks: 
– Operational Fragility: Loss of specialized expertise (e.g., conflict mediation, logistics). 
– Legacy Erosion: Undermining 80 years of norms (human rights, humanitarian law). 
Conclusion: A Call for Charter-Compliant Solutions 
The UN’s viability hinges on using its existing legal tools—not on self-imposed austerity. 
Member states (particularly G77+China and BRICS) could: 
1. Demand enforcement of Article 19 against non-paying states. 
2. Propose a GA Resolution 80/… (invoking Article 6) for states obstructing multilateralism. 
3. Commission an independent audit of relocation cost assumptions. 
The path to reform lies not in fragmenting the UN’s foundations, but in reclaiming the courage of its Charter. 
IPS UN Bureau
 
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<title>Pumped Storage Hydropower is an Option for Latin America</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/pumped-storage-hydropower-is-an-option-for-latin-america/</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 20:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Humberto Marquez</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Development & Aid]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Having hydroelectric power without damming rivers, dismantling the environment or displacing populations is possible in Latin America and the Caribbean, with reversible power plants that take advantage of their mountainous geography, and pave the way for only renewable sources to generate electricity. “The development of these plants requires areas with a difference in altitude, for […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="188" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-1-300x188.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-1-300x188.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-1-768x482.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-1-629x394.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-1.jpg 976w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />The Kruonis pumped-storage hydropower plant complements the one in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas. There are more than 500 of these "water batteries" in the world, and the mountainous geography favors their development in Latin America. Credit: Andrius Aleksandravicius / IgnitisBy Humberto Márquez CARACAS, Jul 2 2025 (IPS) Having hydroelectric power without damming rivers, dismantling the environment or displacing populations is possible in Latin America and the Caribbean, with reversible power plants that take advantage of their mountainous geography, and pave the way for only renewable sources to generate electricity.
“The development of these plants requires areas with a difference in altitude, for two reservoirs, one upper and one lower. And the region has hundreds of possible sites for pumped storage,” said Arturo Alarcón, a senior specialist at the Energy Division of the<a href="https://www.iadb.org/en"> Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)</a>."These plants requires areas with a difference in height, for two reservoirs, one upper and one lower. And the region has hundreds of possible sites for pumped storage. A recent IDB study identified 179 sites in 11 countries": Arturo Alarcón.
In countries crisscrossed by mountain ranges, in Brazil and even in the insular Caribbean, there are plenty of areas that could host these hydroelectric dams, says the Bolivian expert. “A recent IDB study identified 179 sites in 11 countries,” he told IPS from Washington.
Traditional hydropower plants dam the waters of a river, creating an artificial lake that provides water to drive turbines in an engine room that generates electricity. This is taken by transformers and transmission lines to consumption centres, and then the water is dumped and the river flows on to the sea.
In contrast, pumped-storage plants are fed with water from a reservoir at a certain height, which supplies the water, usually through a tunnel or canal, does the work in the engine room and deposits the water in a reservoir located at a lower altitude.
When the process is finished – after the hours of electricity generation due to increased demand, required from other sources – the water is pumped back from the lower to the upper reservoir, where it is available to start a new cycle.
These are power plants that can complement solar or wind energy parks, which are fed by solar radiation or wind power, thus subject to hourly and seasonal variations that require energy to be stored in batteries.
<div id="attachment_191244" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191244" class="wp-image-191244" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-2.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="558" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-2.jpg 842w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-2-300x266.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-2-768x681.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-2-532x472.jpg 532w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Diagram of the operation of a pumped hydro power plant. When the demand for electricity grows, the flow of water from the upper reservoir activates the turbines and, when its contribution to the system is no longer needed, the flow is reversed by pumping from the lower reservoir, leaving the whole as a water battery. Credit: Iberdrola</div>
Supplementary batteries
For this reason, pumped-storage power plants are also called “water batteries”.
By reducing the need for fossil-fuelled thermal power plants, they become tools for decarbonising the entire electricity system.
“Although these plants do not generate more energy than they consume in the pumping process (for every megawatt hour generated, approximately 1.2 MWh is consumed), they do play a critical role in the integration of variable renewable energies such as solar and wind,” says Alarcón.
For example, in Brazil, where about 90% electricity is generated from renewable sources, wind and solar installations are growing, “which depend on weather conditions and there is no constant production throughout the day,” expert Caio Leocádio told IPS from Rio de Janeiro.
“This condition creates a favourable scenario for technologies that meet these requirements, with flexibility and storage capacity, allowing energy to be stored in times of surplus and used in times of greater demand,” says Leocádio, a consultant with the Brazilian <a href="https://www.epe.gov.br/">Energy Research Company</a> (EPE).
It is not a new technology. Around the world, some 200 gigawatts (one Gw equals 1000 Mw) have been installed in 510 pumped-storage power plants, equivalent to the entire hydroelectric capacity of Latin America.
In the region, the Rio Grande Hydroelectric Complex in the central Argentine province of Cordoba, with its Cerro Pelado and Arroyo Corte reservoirs, 12 kilometres apart, has been in operation since 1986 and has an installed capacity of 750 MWh, which is currently reduced due to equipment obsolescence.
<div id="attachment_191245" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191245" class="wp-image-191245" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-3.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="500" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-3.jpg 977w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-3-300x239.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-3-768x611.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-3-593x472.jpg 593w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />The engine room of the Río Grande Complex, a reversible power plant in the province of Córdoba in north-central Argentina. Credit: Epec</div>
 Favorable cost
So far, the level of development of pumped hydroelectricity shows that costs are competitive, although the economic performance of each facility and in each country depends on the type of electricity market.
For example, if it is an electricity market that has hourly energy prices, or that values the ancillary services that reversible plants can provide, such as maintaining a constant voltage despite fluctuations, a good economic performance can be achieved.
In terms of prices, the region has very disparate tariffs. Residential rates in some Caribbean islands exceed 40 US cents per kWh, in Guatemala 29, in Honduras and Uruguay 25, in Colombia 20, in Brazil and Costa Rica 16, in Mexico 10 and in Venezuela six cents, according to the <a href="https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/"> Global Petrol Prices </a>website.
“The installation cost of reversible power plants can be high due to infrastructure and technical needs, but operating and maintenance costs are relatively low once they are up and running,” Alarcón noted.
<div id="attachment_191246" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191246" class="wp-image-191246" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-4.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="382" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-4.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-4-300x182.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-4-768x466.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-4-629x382.jpg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Nightlife on the famous Copacabana beach in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The growing demand for energy and the need to maintain a stable supply with electricity generated from renewable sources opens up opportunities for pumped-storage power plants. Credit: Inoutviajes</div>
In Brazil, “projects of this type really require high initial investments, mainly in civil works and equipment,” Leocádio said. “Values are estimates between US$1,200 and 1,600 per kilowatt (kWh) installed, within the range of medium to large projects in the sector,” he added.
In the Dominican Republic, which is considering installing pumped-storage plants in the areas of Sabaneta (northwest) and Guaigui (centre), of 200 and 300 MWh respectively, installation costs are estimated at between US$1900 and 2400 per kilowatt.
But, on the other hand, experts agree that the projects have a useful life of 50 years or more, and although the return on investment requires a long term, these plants offer a stable and predictable performance.
This is the advantage Leocádio sees in Brazil, with its highly interconnected electricity system and wealth of sites for potential installation. A recent study found that in the state of Rio de Janeiro alone (43 750 square kilometres) there are 15 locations with ideal conditions for such plants.
<div id="attachment_191247" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191247" class="wp-image-191247" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-5.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="417" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-5.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-5-300x199.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-5-768x509.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Hidroelectricas-5-629x417.jpg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Brazil’s gigantic Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River has altered watercourses, displaced populations, disrupted indigenous communities, agriculture and other livelihoods, increased deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Pumped-storage power plants can avoid many of these impacts. Credit: Bruno Batista / Vice-Presidency Brazil</div>
Regulation and environment
For Alarcón, “the biggest challenge for this technology in Latin America and the Caribbean is regulatory. Not all electricity markets have adequate remuneration mechanisms for storage technologies or those that provide flexibility to electricity systems,” he said.
Therefore, among the tasks to be addressed in the region, along with investigating the specific areas that have the greatest potential for water batteries, Alarcón identified dialogue between governments and private actors, plus conferences and regional forums “to create a regulatory framework that facilitates these projects”.
That possibility – and also the contrasts – are shown by recent cases in Chile. The Espejo de Tarapacá project, for a 300 MWh reversible power plant that plans to work with seawater, has advanced, but another, Paposo, in the north, was rejected by the Environmental Evaluation Service.
Advocates of pumped-storage power plants point out that their construction and operation require minimal alteration of the environment, as they do not require the diversion or damming of rivers, flooding of towns or farmland, or affecting the areas of indigenous peoples and peasant communities.
Since they do not alter large areas, they do not affect biodiversity, and in some cases can be sources of water for irrigation and sites that beautify or refresh landscapes.
But the central issue is their contribution to the stability of electricity systems and to the decarbonisation required by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which propose to increase the use of renewable energies along with access to electricity for all peoples.
By February 2025, according to the most recent report by the <a href="https://www.olade.org/">Latin American Energy Organisation</a> (OLADE), total electricity generation in the region will reach 152 terawatts (Twh, one million megawatts), with 68.1% from renewable sources and 31.9% using oil, gas, coal or nuclear energy.
The largest source of renewable energy is hydroelectric (53.1% of the total), followed by wind (8.5%), solar (4.5%), bioenergy (1.5%) and geothermal energy (0.5%).
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<title>Democracy under Attack: Why the World Needs a New UN Special Rapporteur</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 17:18:33 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Samuel King and Ines M Pousadela</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[When tanks rolled through Myanmar’s streets in 2021, civil society groups worldwide sounded the alarm. When Viktor Orbán systematically dismantled Hungary’s free press, democracy activists demanded international action. And as authoritarianism returns to Tanzania ahead of elections, it’s once again civil society calling for democratic freedoms to be respected. Around the world, authoritarian populists have […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="156" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Cover-photo-by-OHCHR-300x156.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Cover-photo-by-OHCHR-300x156.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Cover-photo-by-OHCHR.jpg 602w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Cover photo by OHCHRBy Samuel King and Inés M. Pousadela BRUSSELS, Belgium / MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jul 2 2025 (IPS) When tanks rolled through <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/myanmar-health-workers-in-the-militarys-firing-line/" target="_blank">Myanmar</a>’s streets in 2021, civil society groups worldwide sounded the alarm. When Viktor Orbán systematically <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/media-diversity-under-attack-in-the-heart-of-europe/" target="_blank">dismantled</a> Hungary’s free press, democracy activists demanded international action. And as <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/tanzania-back-to-the-authoritarian-routine/" target="_blank">authoritarianism returns</a> to Tanzania ahead of elections, it’s once again civil society calling for democratic freedoms to be respected.

Around the world, authoritarian populists have learned to maintain democratic language and rituals while gutting democracy’s substance. They hold fraudulent elections with no real opposition and crack down on civil society when it tries to uphold democratic freedoms. As a result, more than <a href="https://monitor.civicus.org/globalfindings_2024/" target="_blank">70 per cent</a> of the world’s population lives in countries where civic space is routinely repressed.
In response, over 175 civil society organisations and 500 activists have united behind a demand to help improve respect for democratic freedoms, calling on the UN to establish a Special Rapporteur on Democracy.
The proposal isn’t coming from diplomatic corridors or academia; it’s a grassroots call from the frontlines of a global democratic struggle. Democracy defenders who face harassment, imprisonment and violence have identified a gap in international oversight that emboldens authoritarians and lets down those fighting for democratic rights when they most need support.
Critical blind spots
While the UN investigates everything from torture to toxic waste through <a href="https://guide-humanitarian-law.org/content/article/3/special-rapporteurs/" target="_blank">specialised rapporteurs</a>, democracy – supposedly a core UN principle – receives no systematic international oversight. This is a blind spot civil society wants to change.
Today’s <a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/" target="_blank">threats to democracy</a> are often more subtle than outright coups and blatant election rigging. Repressive leaders have mastered the art of legal authoritarianism, using constitutional amendments to extend term limits, judicial re-engineering to capture courts and media laws to silence critics, all while maintaining a facade of democratic governance.
In countries from <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/belarus-a-sham-election-that-fools-no-one/" target="_blank">Belarus</a> to <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/venezuela-the-democratic-transition-that-wasnt/" target="_blank">Venezuela</a>, elections have been turned into elaborate ceremonies emptied of competition. Even established democracies face growing challenges, with foreign influence and disinformation campaigns documented across dozens of recent elections, often amplified by AI that creates deepfakes faster than fact-checkers can debunk them.
The <a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/democracy-regression-and-resilience/#:~:text=Right%2Dwing%20populism%20rises" target="_blank">rise of right-wing populism</a> across Europe and <a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/democracy-regression-and-resilience/#:~:text=Right%2Dwing%20populism%20rises" target="_blank">in the USA</a> shows how easily democratic processes can elevate leaders who systematically undermine democratic institutions from within, weaponising the law to concentrate executive authority, criminalise opposition and restrict civic space.
These evolving threats expose <a href="https://www.democracywithoutborders.org/36909/new-un-democracy-mandate-debated-at-oslo-freedom-forum-side-event/" target="_blank">fundamental gaps</a> in how the international community monitors and responds to democratic regression. The proposed UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy would help fill this gap: unlike current mandates that focus on specific rights, this role would examine how democratic systems function as a whole.
Existing UN Special Rapporteurs have recognised the urgent need for dedicated democracy oversight, with the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, freedom of opinion and expression, and the independence of judges and lawyers <a href="https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/56/62" target="_blank">highlighting</a> how democratic backsliding undermines the rights they’re mandated to protect.
A democracy rapporteur <a href="https://epd.eu/news-publications/a-united-nations-special-rapporteur-for-democracy/" target="_blank">could investigate</a> the full spectrum of threats that escape international attention: how electoral systems become compromised through legal manipulation, how parliamentary oversight gets systematically weakened while maintaining constitutional appearances, how judicial independence is eroded through seemingly legitimate reforms, and how meaningful participation beyond elections gets stifled through bureaucratic restrictions.
Crucially, the mandate could document not just obvious authoritarian crackdowns but the subtler forms of democratic erosion that often escape international notice until democratic institutions are compromised, offering early warnings about gradual processes that transform vibrant democracies into hollow shells.
Legal foundations
The proposal builds on solid legal foundations. Article 21 of the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights" target="_blank">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> establishes that ‘public authority must derive from the will of the people’, while article 25 of the <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights" target="_blank">International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights</a> recognises every citizen’s right to participate in public affairs and vote in free, fair and clean periodic elections.
Regional mechanisms provide valuable precedents. The <a href="https://www.oas.org/en/democratic-charter/" target="_blank">Inter-American Democratic Charter</a> explicitly states that ‘the peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it’. Building on this, Guatemala has recently <a href="https://corteidh.or.cr/docs/opiniones/soc_1_2025_eng.pdf" target="_blank">requested</a> an advisory opinion to clarify whether democracy constitutes a fundamental human right and what tangible obligations this imposes on states.
These foundations provide an <a href="https://www.democracywithoutborders.org/36332/proposed-un-rapporteur-to-support-democracy-fill-gaps-event-in-geneva/" target="_blank">actionable definition of democracy</a> that respects diverse democratic models while upholding universal principles, sidestepping cultural relativist <a href="https://www.democracywithoutborders.org/36909/new-un-democracy-mandate-debated-at-oslo-freedom-forum-side-event/" target="_blank">arguments</a> that some authoritarian governments use to avoid accountability.
Momentum building
The proposal has generated remarkable momentum. On the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a broad coalition of civil society groups and think tanks published a <a href="https://cdn.democracywithoutborders.org/files/UNROD_endorsements.pdf" target="_blank">joint statement</a> calling for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy.
Civil society leadership reflects widespread frustration among democracy activists who work under increasingly dangerous conditions and demand better institutional responses. Budget-conscious states should find this proposal attractive given the remarkable cost-effectiveness of the UN mandates system. Following standard UN practice, the new position would be unpaid, relying on voluntary funding from supportive states.
During its recent 58th session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a <a href="https://docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/RES/58/8" target="_blank">resolution</a> on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, conferring multilateral legitimacy on governments that want to support stronger democracy oversight. The window for action is open, but it won’t stay open indefinitely.
A test for international institutions
No single initiative will reverse global democratic decline. But this new role would enable systematic documentation, trend spotting and the sustained international attention democracy defenders desperately need. The rapporteur could investigate not just obvious authoritarian crackdowns but early signs of subtler democratic erosion, while highlighting innovations and good practices that others could adapt.
The debate over a UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy offers a test of whether international institutions can adapt to contemporary challenges or will remain trapped in outdated approaches while democracy crumbles. Creating this mandate would communicate that the international community takes democratic governance seriously enough to monitor it systematically – a signal that matters to democracy activists who need international support and serves as a warning to authoritarian leaders who thrive when nobody is watching.
With hundreds of civil society groups leading this charge from the frontlines of democratic struggle, the question isn’t whether this oversight is needed, but whether the UN will act before it’s too late.
Samuel King is a researcher with the Horizon Europe-funded research project <a href="https://www.ensuredeurope.eu/" target="_blank">ENSURED: Shaping Cooperation for a World in Transition</a> at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, writer at <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/" target="_blank">CIVICUS Lens</a> and co-author of the <a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/" target="_blank">State of Civil Society Report</a>.
For interviews or more information, please contact <a href="mailto:research@civicus.org" target="_blank">research@civicus.org</a>
 
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<title>Multi-Year Drought Gives Birth to Extremist Violence, Girls Most Vulnerable</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/multi-year-drought-gives-birth-to-extremist-violence-girls-most-vulnerable/</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:57:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Manipadma Jena</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[While droughts creep in stealthily, their impacts are often more devastating and far-reaching than any other disaster. Inter-community conflict, extremist violence, and violence and injustice against vulnerable girls and women happen at the intersection of climate-induced droughts and drought-impoverished communities. Five consecutive years of failed rain in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya brought the worst drought […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="209" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Pix-IPS-Drought-Report-300x209.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Pix-IPS-Drought-Report-300x209.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Pix-IPS-Drought-Report.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In Nairobi's Kibera, the largest urban informal settlement in Africa, girls and women wait their turn for the scarce water supply. Credit: Manipadma Jena/IPSBy Manipadma Jena SEVILLE & BHUBANESWAR, Jul 2 2025 (IPS) While droughts creep in stealthily, their impacts are often more devastating and far-reaching than any other disaster. Inter-community conflict, extremist violence, and violence and injustice against vulnerable girls and women happen at the intersection of climate-induced droughts and drought-impoverished communities.
Five consecutive years of failed rain in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya brought the worst drought in seventy years to the Horn of Africa by 2023. In Somalia, the government estimated 43,000 excess deaths in 2022 alone due to drought-linked hunger.
As of early current year, 4.4 million people, or a quarter of Somalia’s population, face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 people expected to reach emergency levels. Together, over 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa face acute hunger. Some areas have been enduring their worst ever recorded drought, finds a United Nations-backed study, <a href="https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/global-drought-hotspots-report-catalogs-severe-suffering-economic">Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025</a> released today at the<a href="https://www.effectivecooperation.org/ffd4"> 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4)</a>.
<div id="attachment_191237" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191237" class="size-full wp-image-191237" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/IPS-2-THIAW-for-drought-story.jpg" alt="UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said "Drought is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation" Photo courtesy: UNCCD" width="630" height="455" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/IPS-2-THIAW-for-drought-story.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/IPS-2-THIAW-for-drought-story-300x217.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw noted that while drought is here and escalating, it demands urgent global cooperation. Photo courtesy: UNCCD</div>
High temperatures and a lack of precipitation in 2023 and 2024 resulted in water supply shortages, low food supplies, and power rationing. In parts of Africa, tens of millions faced drought-induced food shortages, malnutrition, and displacement, finds the new 2025 drought analysis, Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025, by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (<a href="https://www.unccd.int/">UNCCD</a>) and the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (<a href="https://drought.unl.edu/">NDMC</a>).
It not just comprehensively synthesizes impacts on humans but also on biodiversity and wildlife within the most acute drought hotspots in Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia), the Mediterranean (Spain, Morocco, and Türkiye), Latin America (Panama and the Amazon Basin) and Southeast Asia.
Desperate to Cope but Pulled Into a Spiral of Violence and Conflict
“The coping mechanisms we saw during this drought grew increasingly desperate,” says lead author Paula Guastello, NDMC drought impacts researcher. “Girls pulled from school and forced into marriage, hospitals going dark, and families digging holes in dry riverbeds just to find contaminated water. These are signs of severe crisis.”
Over one million Somalis in 2022 were forced to move in search of food, water for families and cattle, and alternative livelihoods. Migration is a major coping mechanism mostly for subsistence farmers and pastoralists. However, mass migration strains resources in host areas, often leading to conflict. Of this large number of displaced Somalis, many crossed into territory held by Islamic extremists.
Drought in a Sub-Saharan district leads to 8.1 percent lower economic activity and 29.0 percent higher <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2022.100472">extremist violence,</a> an earlier study found. Districts with more months of drought in a given year and more years in a row with drought experienced more severe violence.
Drought expert and editor of the UNCCD study Daniel Tsegai told IPS at the online pre-release press briefing from the Saville conference that drought can turn into an extremist violence multiplier in regions and among communities rendered vulnerable by multi-year drought.
Climate change-driven drought does not directly cause extremist conflict or civil wars; it overlaps and exacerbates existing social and economic tensions, contributing to the conditions that lead to conflict and potentially influencing the rise of extremist violence, added Tsegai.
<div id="attachment_191238" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191238" class="size-full wp-image-191238" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/photo-for-drought.jpg" alt="Extracting water from a traditional well using a manual pulley system. Credit: Abdallah Khalili / UNCCD" width="630" height="420" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/photo-for-drought.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/photo-for-drought-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Extracting water from a traditional well using a manual pulley system. Credit: Abdallah Khalili / UNCCD</div>
Though the effects of climate change on conflict are indirect, they have been seen to be quite severe and far-reaching. An example is the 2006-2011 drought in Syria, seen as the worst in 900 years. It led to crop failures, livestock deaths and mass rural displacement into cities, creating social and political stress. Economic disparities and authoritarian repression gave rise to extremist groups that exploited individuals facing unbearable hardships.
The UN study cites entire school districts in Zimbabwe that saw mass dropouts due to hunger and school costs. Rural families were no longer able to afford uniforms and tuition, which cost USD 25. Some children left school to migrate with family and work.
Drought-related hunger impact on children
Hungry and clueless about their dark futures, children become prime targets for extremists’ recruitment.
A further example of exploitation of vulnerable communities by extremists is cited in the UNCCD drought study. The UN World Food Programme in May 2023 estimated that over 213,000 more Somalis were at “imminent risk” of dying of starvation. Little aid had reached Somalia, as multiple crises across the globe spread resources thin.
However, al-Shabab, an Islamic extremist group tied to al-Qaida, allegedly prevented aid from reaching the parts of Somalia under its control and refused to let people leave in search of food.
Violent clashes for scarce resources among nomadic herders in the Africa region during droughts are well documented. Between 2021 and January 2023 in eastern Africa alone, over 4.5 million livestock had died due to droughts, and 30 million additional animals were at risk. Facing starvation of both their families and their livestock, by February 2025, tens of thousands of pastoralists had moved with their livestock in search of food and water, potentially into violent confrontations with host regions.
Tsegai said, “Drought knows no geographical boundaries. Violence and conflict spill over into economically healthy communities this way.”
Earlier drought researchers have emphasized to policymakers that “building resilience to drought is a security imperative.”
Women and Girls Worst Victims of Drought Violence
“Today, around 85 percent of people affected by drought live in low- and middle-income countries, with women and girls being the hardest hit,” UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Andrea Meza said.
“Drought might not know boundaries, but it knows gender,” Tsegai said. Women and girls in low-income countries are the worst victims of drought-induced societal instability.
Traditional gender-based societal inequalities are what make women and girl children particularly vulnerable.
During the 2023-2024 drought, forced child marriages in sub-Saharan Africa more than doubled in frequency in the four regions hit hardest by the drought. Young girls who married brought their family income in the form of a dowry that could be as high as 3,000 Ethiopian birr (USD 56). It lessened the financial burden on girls’ parental families.
Forced child marriages, however, bring substantial risks to the girls. A hospital clinic in Ethiopia (which, though, it has outlawed child marriage) specifically opened to help victims of sexual and physical abuse that is common in such marriages.
Girls generally leave school when they marry, further stifling their opportunities for financial independence.
Reports have found desperate women exchanging sex for food or water or money during acute water scarcities. Higher incidence of sexual violence happens when hydropower-dependent regions are confronted with 18 to 20 hours without electricity and women and girls are compelled to walk miles to fetch household water.
“Proactive drought management is a matter of climate justice,” UNCCD Meza said.
Drought Hotspots Need to Be Ready for This ‘New’ Normal
“Drought is no longer a distant threat,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw, adding, “It is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water all go at once, societies start to unravel. That’s the new normal we need to be ready for.”
“This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I’ve ever seen. This report underscores the need for systematic monitoring of how drought affects lives, livelihoods, and the health of the ecosystems that we all depend on,” said Mark Svoboda, report co-author and NDMC Founding Director.
“The struggles experienced by Spain, Morocco and Türkiye to secure water, food, and energy under persistent drought offer a preview of water futures under unchecked global warming. No country, regardless of wealth or capacity, can afford to be complacent,” he added.
<a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/d492583a-en">Global Drought Outlook 2025</a> estimates the economic impacts of an average drought today can be up to six times higher than in 2000, and costs are projected to rise by at least 35% by 2035.
“It is calculated that $1 of investment in drought prevention results in bringing back $7 into the GDP lost to droughts. Awareness of the economics of drought is important for policymaking,” Tsegai said.
The report released during the International Drought Resilience Alliance (<a href="https://idralliance.global/">IDRA</a>) event at the Saville conference aims to get public policies and international cooperation frameworks to urgently prioritize drought resilience and bolster funding.
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>From Parliaments to the G20: A Call to Champion Women’s Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights</title>
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<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 04:45:25 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Priyanka Chaturvedi - Mokhothu Makhalanyane - Rajat Khosla</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[About 21 million adolescent girls get pregnant annually in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond the numbers lie lost futures and deepening cycles of poverty that undermine girls’ education, wellbeing, and, ultimately, national development. Recent geopolitical shifts, policy regressions and foreign aid reductions have deepened inequalities and disrupted essential health services, especially in fragile settings. The […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="225" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/young-mother-breastfeeds_-300x225.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/young-mother-breastfeeds_-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/young-mother-breastfeeds_-200x149.jpg 200w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/young-mother-breastfeeds_.jpg 602w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />A young mother breastfeeds a newborn child at a hospital maternity ward in Cape Town, South Africa/ photo taken 8 May 2023 / Reuben Kyama By Priyanka Chaturvedi, Mokhothu Makhalanyane and Rajat Khosla GENEVA, Jul 2 2025 (IPS) About 21 million adolescent girls get pregnant annually in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond the numbers lie lost futures and deepening cycles of poverty that undermine girls’ education, wellbeing, and, ultimately, national development.

Recent geopolitical shifts, policy regressions and foreign aid reductions have deepened inequalities and disrupted essential health services, especially in fragile settings. The combined toll of war, pandemics, and climate crises has overwhelmed systems and threatened decades of hard-won gains in women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. 
Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
Protecting and promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is not a luxury—they are foundational to sustainable development, gender equality, and economic resilience. Empowering women to make informed decisions about their reproductive lives is a proven driver of prosperity. 
Every dollar invested in family planning and maternal health in low- and middle-income countries yields a return of $8.40, improving workforce participation, family well-being, and social stability.
Despite this compelling evidence, gaps remain staggering. In 2021, 164 million women of reproductive age had an unmet need for contraception, and in 1 in 3 (30%) of women have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. 
Parliamentary Action to Protect and Promote SRHR
In these challenging times, parliamentarians are emerging as essential actors in protecting and advancing SRHR. Through progressive legislation, strategic budget allocations, and oversight of programmatic implementation, parliamentarians are uniquely positioned to ensure that the SRHR remain a national and global priority. Their work holds governments accountable and ensures that policies are grounded in the lived realities of communities.
The G20 Parliamentary Conference, held in Cape Town, South Africa, on 5 and 6 May, and co-hosted by the Government of South Africa alongside regional and global parliamentary networks—including the Eastern and Southern Africa Parliamentary Caucus for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Sustainable Development, and the Global Parliamentary Alliance for Health, Rights and Development, among other partners and with participation from regional parliamentary networks such as the Network of African Parliamentary Committees on Health – was a milestone in reinforcing this role.
Parliamentarians from across the world came together to issue a united call to action for the G20 to center women’s and girls’ health in its development agenda.
They aligned on ten shared priorities as a call to action to the presidency of the G20:
<ul>• Strengthening political will and parliamentary action; 
• Affirming global commitments for women’s health; 
• Countering Anti-Gender Politics and Protecting Women’s and Girls’ Rights; 
• Ensuring Accountability and Transparent Monitoring; 
• Investment in Women’s and Girls’ Health for Economic Prosperity; 
• Investing in Women and Girls in STEM to Strengthen Health Systems 
• Addressing Global Health Funding Gaps 
• Empowering Youth for a Healthier Future; 
• Leveraging Science and Technology to Improve Health Outcomes; 
• Addressing the Impact of Crises on Women and girl’s Health;</ul>
A working group has been established to support progress on these priorities and track results over time.
Furthermore, accelerating implementation of global and regional frameworks and instruments such as the <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/01/beijing-declaration#:~:text=Considered%20the%20most%20progressive%20blueprint%20ever%20for%20advancing,Platform%20for%20Action%20five%20years%20after%20its%20adoption." target="_blank">Beijing Political Declaration</a>, C<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women" target="_blank">onvention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women</a>, <a href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/37077-treaty-charter_on_rights_of_women_in_africa.pdf" target="_blank">Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa</a> through parliamentary action is critical to advancing SRHR.
These frameworks provide a strong foundation for gender equality and human rights, but their impact depends on national legislation, budget allocation, and policy oversight. Parliaments play a key role in translating these commitments into enforceable laws and ensuring accountability for their implementation, thereby safeguarding the rights, dignity, and health of women and girls. 
But their success also depends on how the G20 responds.
G20 Leadership on SRHR 
With its influence over 85% of global Gross World Product and approximately 60% of the world’s population, the G20 holds unparalleled power to catalyze investments, shape policy direction, and set the tone for global cooperation. 
Despite decades of progress, preventable maternal deaths, unsafe abortions, child marriage, and unmet contraceptive needs still rob millions of girls and women of their health, autonomy, and future. 
Future G20 presidencies must put women’s, children’s and adolescent health issues including SRHR at the heart of their health and development agenda — ensuring these population groups are not just beneficiaries, but agents of change.
By prioritizing SRHR, the G20 can unlock ripple effects across all development indicators—from reducing poverty and inequality to fostering inclusive economic growth. It can also reinforce democratic institutions and stabilize communities through investments that honor bodily autonomy, gender justice, and social accountability.
We call on future G20 leaders to commit to bold, coordinated action to expand access to comprehensive SRHR services: from modern contraception and maternal care to youth-responsive services and gender-based violence prevention and screening for cervical cancer. 
We urge them to fund and implement people-centered policies that reflect the lived realities of women and girls—especially those who are most marginalized.
Parliamentarians have laid a clear roadmap. It is now up to the G20 to act. This is not merely a matter of health—it is a question of justice, opportunity, and leadership. A world where every woman and girl have the power to control her body is a world that is stronger, safer, and more resilient for everyone.
The time for action is now. The G20 must lead with courage, invest with foresight, and stand with the parliamentarians and communities working tirelessly to ensure that no woman or girl is left behind. 
Priyanka Chaturvedi is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Parliament of India; Mokhothu Makhalanyane is Chair of Chairs and Chairperson of Health Committee, Parliament of Lesotho; and Rajat Khosla, is the Executive Director, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).
IPS UN Bureau
 
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<title>The Juggling of Aid: How WFP is Delivering More with Less</title>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 17:59:45 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Maximilian Malawista</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Serious-to-severe food insecurity has been widely felt among those living through the worst, protracted humanitarian crises. For organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), they must work under the “relentless demand” for humanitarian aid, including food. In their 2024 annual review, Staying and delivering amid multiple crises, the WFP noted that there was “no slowdown […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="182" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/the-World-Food_-300x182.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/the-World-Food_-300x182.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/the-World-Food_.jpg 599w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In 2024, the World Food Programme delivered emergency assistance to at least 90 million people globally. Credit: Unsplash/Imdadul HussainBy Maximilian Malawista UNITED NATIONS, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) Serious-to-severe food insecurity has been widely felt among those living through the worst, protracted humanitarian crises. For organizations like the World Food Programme (WFP), they must work under the “relentless demand” for humanitarian aid, including food.

In their <a href="https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000167134/download/?_ga=2.253979336.1541067202.1750815138-1212547333.1750815138" target="_blank">2024 annual review</a>, Staying and delivering amid multiple crises, the WFP noted that there was “no slowdown in the relentless demand for humanitarian support as new and protracted conflicts, more frequent disasters, economic volatility and persistent inflation fueled surging rates of hunger”.
Despite these challenges, the WFP made significant strides in their efforts to deliver aid in 2024. They supported 124.4 million people, including 90 million people receiving emergency assistance. Through their nutrition treatment and prevention programs, they reached 27.6 million people. Over the course of the year, WFP delivered 16.1 billion daily rations, and overall distributed 2.5 million metric tons of food. 
The WFP received USD 9.8 billion in funding, the second-highest level of funding on recorded, yet that only covered 54 percent of their requirement for its total needs. With operational costs in 2024 amounting to 18.2 billion, the WFP was forced to make critical and difficult cost-cutting calculations for their decisions. These included “severe trade-offs”, which came in the form of ration reductions and scaling back programs in key areas of operations.
Executive Director for WFP Cindy McCain <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/news/announcements/acute-food-insecurity-and-malnutrition-rise-sixth-consecutive-year-world-s-most?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">said</a>: “Like every other humanitarian organization, WFP is facing deep budget shortfalls which have forced drastic cuts to our food assistance programs. Millions of hungry people have lost, or will soon lose, the critical lifeline we provide. We have tried and tested solutions to hunger and food insecurity. But we need the support of our donors and partners to implement them.”
A focus on nutrition
Aligned with <a href="https://www.unicef.org/media/92031/file/UNICEF%2520Nutrition%2520Strategy%25202020-2030.pdf" target="_blank">UNICEF’s plan</a> for acceleration of nutrition action, WFP maintained a “laser focus” on young children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, groups with the highest nutritional needs. Through 2024, they provided malnutrition treatment and prevention to 21.4 million women and children in twenty crisis-affected countries. 
To reach and distribute aid to these populations, WFP heavily relied on school meals and social protection programs as a channel to reach its most vulnerable targets. In these efforts, the WFP provided twenty million children with school meals, take-home rations and cash-based transfers across sixty-one countries.
In addition, through their partnership with the <a href="https://schoolmealscoalition.org/" target="_blank">School Meals Coalition</a>, with the WFP as secretariat, together they were able to mobilize domestic investments from governments, unlock partnerships, and amplify global advocacy for school meals.
During the 2024 G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fourteen governments and eleven partners vowed to double the number of children reached in low to lower-middle income countries, aiming to support 150 million more children by 2030.
As a result of these campaigns, the WFP indirectly reached 119 million children, a twelve million increase from 2023, by supporting governments in establishing national school meal programs. 
The aid of technology
Innovation was paramount between 2022 and 2024, with more than 4.8 million families being uploaded to the WFP’s <a href="https://www.wfp.org/building-blocks" target="_blank">Building Blocks</a> (BB). BB is the world’s largest humanitarian blockchain technology, connecting various humanitarian organizations providing assistance, allowing a family access to cash, food, education, and health from one account, thus creating a simplified and convenient way to receive aid. BB supports four million people each month, and to date has processed USD 555 million in cash-based transfer and saved 3.5 million in bank fees.
Thirty organizations are now using BB in Ukraine, which can flag potential unintended assistance overlap, saving USD 337 million. Another tool like <a href="https://innovation.wfp.org/project/scout" target="_blank">SCOUT</a>, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for global food sourcing and delivery planning, has saved an additional USD 3 million, with estimates to generate over USD 50 million in savings over the coming years.
Despite “diminishing resources,” the WFP achieved major logistical milestones. Through their strategy, they managed on-demand supply chain services to 145 clients, managing 456,583 metric tons of cargo, aiding in support of governments and fellow humanitarian organizations, as its lead. To improve efficiency the WFP made a switch from air to land delivery in locations such as Chad and Gaza, which increased access, coverage, and cut costs, allowing more aid to be delivered.
Strengthening its grassroot network, The WFP partnered with 927 NGOs, 85 percent which were national organizations, allocating 707$ million to them. In total 62 percent of WFP aid was delivered via these partners. Additional funding of $947 million came through agreements with international finance institutions and country agreements.
Looking towards the future
<div id="attachment_191228" style="width: 634px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191228" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Amid-intense-conflicts_.jpg" alt="" width="624" height="468" class="size-full wp-image-191228" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Amid-intense-conflicts_.jpg 624w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Amid-intense-conflicts_-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Amid-intense-conflicts_-200x149.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px" />Amid intense conflicts and access restrictions, WFP has reached 2.1 million people in Palestine, reaching 1.9 million people in Gaza alone. Credit: Unsplash/Emad El Byed</div>
The outlook for 2025 is ever difficult, creating struggles for supply chains, and target areas facing deteriorating conditions. Seventy percent of people classified as “acutely food insecure” live in fragile or conflict-affected situations, placing both recipients and aid workers at major risks. 
Conflict has displaced over 123 million people, with forty-three million fleeing in search of necessities, like shelter and food. To continue meeting these urgent needs, delivering the most aid possible, the WFP requires an additional USD 5.7 billion to reach “the most vulnerable people with emergency food, nutrition, and resilience support”. With current funding estimates the WFP plans to reach ninety-eight million people in 2025, underscoring millions who are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Rania Dagash-Kamara, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Partnerships and Innovation <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uns-wfp-says-58-million-face-hunger-crisis-after-huge-shortfall-aid-2025-03-28/" target="_blank">warns</a>: “WFP is prioritizing the worst-affected regions and stretching food rations to maximize impact. But make no mistake, we are approaching a funding cliff with life-threatening consequences.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>FFD4 Must Deliver for the World’s Most Vulnerable Nations</title>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:59:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Rabab Fatima</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191216</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Five years from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we face a development emergency. The promise to eradicate poverty, combat climate change, and build a sustainable future for all is slipping away. The SDG financing gap has ballooned to over $4 trillion annually—a crisis compounded by declining aid, rising trade barriers, and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="94" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/OHRLLS-Office-Banner_-300x94.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/OHRLLS-Office-Banner_-300x94.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/OHRLLS-Office-Banner_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />OHRLLS Office Banner. Credit: OHRLLSBy Rabab Fatima UNITED NATIONS, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) Five years from the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we face a development emergency. The promise to eradicate poverty, combat climate change, and build a sustainable future for all is slipping away. The SDG financing gap has ballooned to over $4 trillion annually—a crisis compounded by declining aid, rising trade barriers, and a fragile global economy.

At the heart of this crisis is a systemic failure: the world’s most vulnerable nations—Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS)—are being left behind. The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville is a historic chance to correct course. 
We must seize it.
LDCs: Progress Stalled, Financing Denied
Three years into the Doha Programme of Action, LDCs are lagging precariously. Growth averages just 4.1%, far below the 7% target. FDI remains stagnant at a meager 2.5% of global flows, while ODA to LDCs fell by 3% in 2024. Worse, 29 LDCs now spend more on debt than health, and eight spend more on debt than education.
<div id="attachment_191214" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191214" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Rabab-Fatima_010725.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="250" class="size-full wp-image-191214" />USG Rabab Fatima</div>These numbers demand action: scaled-up concessional finance, deep debt relief, and innovative tools like blended finance to unlock private investment. Without urgent measures, the 2030 Agenda will fail its most marginalized beneficiaries.
LLDCs: Trapped by Geography, Strangled by Finances
Six months after adopting the ambitious Awaza Programme of Action, LLDCs remain hamstrung by structural barriers. Despite hosting 7% of the world’s people, they account for just 1.2% of global trade, with export costs 74% higher than coastal nations. FDI has plummeted from $36 billion in 2011 to $23 billion in 2024, while ODA continues its downward spiral. Official Development Assistance (ODA) has also declined significantly from $38.1 billion in 2020 to $32 billion in 2023, with projections indicating continued downward trends.
The Awaza Programme outlines solutions—trade facilitation, infrastructure, and resilience—but these will remain empty promises without financing. FFD4 must align with its priorities, ensuring LLDCs get the investment they need to transform their economies.
I seize the opportunity to warmly invite all of you to continue these critical discussions at the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/landlocked" target="_blank">Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3)</a>, to be held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, from 5 to 8 August 2025 under the theme “Driving Progress through Partnerships”.
SIDS: Debt, Disasters, and a Broken System
For SIDS, the crisis is existential. Over 40% are in or near debt distress; 70% exceed sustainable debt thresholds. Between 2016 and 2020, they paid 18 times more in debt servicing than they received in climate finance. This is unconscionable. Countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis should not be left on the margins of global finance. Nations drowning in rising sea level – which they did not contribute to – should not be drowning in debt.
We can continue patching over cracks in a broken system. Or we can build a more equitable foundation for sustainable development, and for that addressing debt sustainability is not only an economic necessity, but also a development imperative. No country should be forced to choose between servicing debt and protecting its future.
The Way Forward: Solidarity in Action
FFD4 must deliver:
<ul>1. Debt relief and restructuring for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS to free up resources for development. 
2. Scaling up concessional finance and honoring ODA commitments. 
3. Mobilizing private capital through de-risking instruments and blended finance. 
4. Climate finance justice, ensuring SIDS and LDCs receive grants and concessional finance, not loans, to build resilience.</ul>
The moral case is clear, but so is the strategic one: A world where billions are left in poverty and instability, should be a world of shared risks and responsibilities. FFD4 must be the moment we choose a different path—one of equity, urgency, and action. The time for excuses is over. The agreement on the Compromiso de Sevilla is the start – the real test will be its implementation. 
As we move forward on those important responsibilities s and necessary actions, my Office, UN-OHRLLS, is with you every step of the way.
Rabab Fatima, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States
IPS UN Bureau
 
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<title>Women and War: Victims of Violence and Voices of Peace</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/women-and-war-victims-of-violence-and-voices-of-peace/</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:23:35 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Juliana White</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Armed Conflicts]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191211</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In 2023, approximately 612 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone, more than 50 percent higher than a decade ago. During war, they disproportionately suffer from gender-based and sexual violence. It is estimated that over 120 countries are currently involved in armed conflict, displacing around 117.3 million people. Women and girls […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Picture1-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Women protesting against gender-based violence on International Women’s Day in Liberia. Credit: UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Picture1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Picture1.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Women protesting against gender-based violence on International Women’s Day in Liberia. Credit: UN Photo/Eric KanalsteinBy Juliana White UNITED NATIONS, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) In 2023, approximately 612 million women and girls lived within 50 kilometers of a conflict zone, more than 50 percent higher than a decade ago. During war, they disproportionately suffer from gender-based and sexual violence.
It is estimated that over 120 countries are currently involved in armed conflict, displacing around 117.3 million people. Women and girls account for nearly half of the forcibly displaced population and represent a large majority of the world’s refugees. 
<a href="https://unwomen.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4a4c7b832288dbbd2a91f5cfa&id=66a790d6f9&e=db5aacdb70">UN Women </a>found that the number of women killed in armed conflicts doubled from 2022 to 2023, making up 40 percent of all deaths in war.
During conflict women and girls experience horrific abuse, including torture, rape, sexual slavery, trafficking, torture, malnutrition, and a lack of access to vital care. Such violence is rampant in countries like Sudan, Nigeria, Palestine, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
<a href="https://e4k4c4x9.delivery.rocketcdn.me/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2024/06/202404-UN-annual-report-CRSV-factsheet-covering-2023.pdf">The Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence</a> documented 3,688 verified cases in 2023. Women and girls account for 95 percent of reports, a striking 50 percent increase compared to findings from the previous year.
Even after surviving brutal sexual attacks, warring countries provide limited care options. Hospitals are one of the few places sanctioned as safe havens during conflict. However, many are destroyed or badly damaged during attacks, forcing them to shut down.
The <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/women/womens-human-rights-and-gender-related-concerns-situations-conflict-and-instability">United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR)</a> says that the disruption of sexual and reproductive health services puts women and girls at risk. They are more likely to experience unplanned pregnancy, maternal mortality, severe sexual and reproductive injuries, and contract infections.
<a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/10/war-on-women-women-killed-in-armed-conflicts-double-in-2023">UN Women</a> also found that around 500 women and girls die daily from pregnancy and childbirth complications in countries affected by conflict.
Hospitals are not the only supposed haven sites impacted by war. Many schools in warring countries have had to close due to military takeover or destruction.
The Education under <a href="https://protectingeducation.org/publication/education-under-attack-2024/">Attack 2024 report,</a> released by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), said that there were about 6,000 attacks on education between 2022 and 2023.
Attacks on schools included death, injuries, rape, abduction and significant damage to buildings. The <a href="https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=4bd5fe1f61eea29e76411b24e&id=a13acb5901">GCPEA</a> also reported that girls affected by these attacks had a harder time resuming learning activities.
“Education is an absolute necessity, not just for the children themselves but also for global peace, stability and prosperity for all. Schools should be treated as sanctuaries, and it is our common responsibility to ensure that every child has access to an education, even at times of conflict,” said Ms. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, during the Arria Formula Meeting on the issue of attacks on schools in 2017.
Despite rampant oppressive inequality by men during conflict, women are the solution for peace. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050629.2018.1492386">Studies</a> show that when women are involved in peace negotiations, there is a higher rate of implementation. Agreements also last significantly longer than those made only by men.
Last year, Oct. 15, 2024, marked eight years of the implementation of <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15853.doc.htm">Colombia’s Peace Agreement</a>, which included women in the creation process. While Colombia’s peace process set new standards for the inclusion of women in peace processes, they are still significantly underrepresented.
Between 2020 and 2023, 8 in 10 peace talks and 7 in 10 mediation efforts had no women involved. Despite proven impact, women remain shut out of peace processes.
To improve the representation of women in peace operations, human rights organizations like the UN actively advocate for women’s rights. They hold countries accountable for creating an inclusive environment.
However, more parties to conflict, negotiators and other actors must uphold global commitments to fulfill equal and meaningful participation of women in processes. But a lack of funding and military and political powers dominated by men still create significant setbacks.
“Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/10/war-on-women-women-killed-in-armed-conflicts-double-in-2023">said</a> UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “This is happening in the context of a larger war on women. The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings. We are witnessing the weaponization of gender equality on many fronts; if we do not stand up and demand change, the consequences will be felt for decades, and peace will remain elusive.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Science Is Useless if No One Understands It</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/science-is-useless-if-no-one-understands-it/</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 07:55:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Busani Bafana</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191208</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Despite delivering life-saving medicines, more nutritious crops, and transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), science remains widely misunderstood, polarizing, and underappreciated. Much of this, experts say, comes down to one persistent issue: poor communication. Science doesn’t reach the people it’s meant to serve—not because it lacks value, but because it is locked behind technical jargon […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Harriet-Okech-a-scientist-at-the-International-Institute-of-Tropical-Agriculture-briefing-visitors-on-the-work-of-the-IITA-credit-Busani-Bafana-IPS-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Harriet Okech, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), briefing visitors to CGIAR Science Week on the work of the IITA. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPS" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Harriet-Okech-a-scientist-at-the-International-Institute-of-Tropical-Agriculture-briefing-visitors-on-the-work-of-the-IITA-credit-Busani-Bafana-IPS-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/Harriet-Okech-a-scientist-at-the-International-Institute-of-Tropical-Agriculture-briefing-visitors-on-the-work-of-the-IITA-credit-Busani-Bafana-IPS.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Harriet Okech, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), briefing visitors to CGIAR Science Week on the work of the IITA. Credit: Busani Bafana/IPSBy Busani Bafana NAIROBI, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) Despite delivering life-saving medicines, more nutritious crops, and transformative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), science remains widely misunderstood, polarizing, and underappreciated. Much of this, experts say, comes down to one persistent issue: poor communication.

Science doesn’t reach the people it’s meant to serve—not because it lacks value, but because it is locked behind technical jargon and inaccessible language. “Science is often misunderstood because it’s poorly communicated,” says Harriet Okech, a biotechnologist on a mission to demystify science and protect it from distortion in an era of rampant misinformation.
Okech, a scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (<a href="https://www.iita.org/">IITA</a>) in Kenya, believes that science must be made understandable and relatable—especially for farmers and policymakers, who are critical in translating research into real-world impact.
“Science should not stay in journals or labs. It must reach the people who need it most,” Okech told IPS.
Keen to improve the accessibility and relevance of its science research to decision-makers, the CGIAR published a <a href="https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/5891fea4-f1b6-48fa-b527-2464df5f4fab/content">report</a>, Insight to Impact: A Decision-Maker’s Guide to Navigating Food System Science, which recognized that the CGIAR’s research was not consistently being used. The report designed for leaders, policymakers and researchers, focuses on translating science into action by simplifying scientific findings into practical, understandable and relevant information with links to tools and real-world applications.
“One of the main barriers is the gap in communication between the scientist and the private sector, including the farmer who is supposed to be the key beneficiary of the materials and innovations the scientists are coming up with,” said Grace Mijiga Mhango, President of the Grain Traders and Processors Association of Malawi, one of several stakeholders consulting in the development of the report.
Commenting on the report, Lindiwe Sibanda, Chair of the <a href="https://www.cgiar.org/how-we-work/governance/system-organization/integrated-partnership-board/">CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board</a>, highlighted that policymakers need more support to navigate food systems science.
“The most powerful scaling of agricultural research that I have experienced is through policy, where a policy environment is created in a way that is conducive for CGIAR technologies to be taken up. Yet not all researchers, not all scientists, are comfortable in the science-policy interface. This report marks a step towards bridging this gap.”
Unjamming the Jargon, Plain Speak
To make science relatable, it must first be understandable.
“Scientists and journalists must work together to unpack complex research. Otherwise, the message gets lost—or worse, misinterpreted,” said Okech.
Often, journalists simply reproduce scientific jargon without fully understanding it, leading to confusion and public distrust. “Scientists need to own their narratives and communicate their work clearly—without causing panic or watering it down,” she explained.
Through science communication training programs for researchers and journalists, Okech is helping build this critical skill set.
The biotechnology sector, in particular, has been a frequent casualty of misinformation.
“There’s a lot of fear around biotech because people don’t understand what it is,” Okech noted.
She recalled explaining the basics of GM technology to an Uber driver following Kenya’s decision to lift its ban on genetically modified crops.
“He thought GMOs were just oversized vegetables injected with chemicals. That moment reminded me how important it is to engage beyond the lab.”
Today, Okech writes science-based opinion pieces for the media and creates video content on platforms like YouTube to explain innovations in biotechnology and genome editing in a simple, visual, and engaging way. Her work spans key crops like cassava and ensete—a vital food crop in Ethiopia related to bananas—where she focuses on improving traits for disease resistance and resilience through genetic transformation and gene editing.
As the world works to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), science information must be accessible and inclusive in helping tackle development challenges, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-science-decade-end-just-beginning">UNESCO</a>). Through its Open<a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/open-science/about"> Science</a> initiative, UNESCO has championed the need to simplify science communication to promote public understanding and engagement.
Science in Her Cells
Having transitioned from the lab to the front line of science communication, Okech sees herself as a bridge between researchers and the public.
“When I worked in the lab, my dream was to help others understand science, especially those without a scientific background,” she said.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Leena Tripathi—Director of the Eastern Africa Hub and Head of the Biotechnology Program at IITA—Okech has led communications efforts for the institute’s biotechnology and cassava seed systems programs.
Science, for Okech, is more than a career. It is a calling.
“It’s in my DNA,” she chuckled. “But what good is science if no one understands it?”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>US Mayors Renew Call for US to Lead World–Back from Nuclear Brink</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/us-mayors-renew-call-for-us-to-lead-world-back-from-nuclear-brink/</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:37:36 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Jacqueline Cabasso</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191206</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Jacqueline Cabasso is Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation and Mayors for Peace, North American Coordinator]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="136" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/US-Mayors-Renew_-300x136.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/US-Mayors-Renew_-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/US-Mayors-Renew_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Credit: ICAN/Tim WrightBy Jacqueline Cabasso OAKLAND, California, USA, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) July 16, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of “Trinity,” the first nuclear test detonation, at Alamagordo, New Mexico, and August 6 and 9 will mark the 80th anniversaries of the United States atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rather than commemorating those somber anniversaries as a grim reminder of the past, this year they serve as a foreboding warning of what may be to come.

The Russian Federation’s nuclear threats in its war on Ukraine have made clear that the dangers of nuclear war are real and present. Tensions around the world, including between the United States and China over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and the chronic security crises on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, constitute other potential nuclear flashpoints. 
The recent armed clashes between India and Pakistan have demonstrated that the near-term risks of nuclear war are multifaceted and global.
Reflecting the urgency of this moment, on June 20, the day before the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear technology infrastructure, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) International Affairs Standing Committee unanimously adopted a timely new resolution, “<a href="https://www.usmayors.org/the-conference/resolutions/?category=u42015&meeting=93rd%20Annual%20Meeting" target="_blank">Urging the United States to Lead the World Back From the Brink of Nuclear War and Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race</a>.” It was officially adopted at the closing session of the USCM’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida, on June 22.
During the committee meeting, Acting Chair, Mayor Martha Guerrero, of West Sacramento, California, one of the resolution’s cosponsors, noted, “In an increasingly interconnected world, mayors are stepping into the role of diplomats…. U.S. and international mayors are shaping foreign policy from the ground up.” This is the twentieth consecutive year that the USCM has adopted a resolution submitted by U.S. members of Mayors for Peace. 
The USCM is the official nonpartisan association of more than 1,400 American cities with populations over 30,000. Resolutions adopted at its annual meetings become USCM official policy that guide the organization’s advocacy efforts for the coming year. 
The new Mayors for Peace resolution points out that world military expenditures rose to $2718 billion in 2024, and that the U.S. accounted for 37% of global military spending, more than the next nine countries combined, more than three times as much as China, and nearly seven times as much as Russia. 
It notes that the Congressional Budget Office has projected that, if carried out, U.S. plans to operate, sustain, and modernize its strategic and tactical nuclear delivery systems and the weapons they carry would cost a total of $946 billion over the 2025–2034 period, an average of about $95 billion a year, an amount 25 percent ($190 billion) larger than its 2023 estimate of $756 billion for the 2023–2032 period.
In response to these escalating nuclear dangers and spiraling costs, the USCM “calls on the President to lead a global effort to move the world back from the nuclear brink, halt and reverse a global nuclear arms race, and prevent nuclear war, by engaging in good faith negotiations with the other eight nuclear armed states, in particular the Russian Federation and China, to halt any further buildup of nuclear arsenals and to verifiably reduce and eliminate nuclear arsenals according to negotiated timetables; seeking the renunciation by all nuclear-armed states of the option of using nuclear weapons.
First; implementing effective checks and balances on the Commander in Chief’s sole authority to order the use of U.S. nuclear weapons; ending the Cold War-era ‘hair-trigger alert’ posture; ending plans to produce and deploy new nuclear warheads and delivery systems; and maintaining the de facto global moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.” 
Second, the USCM also “calls on the President to protect communities and workers affected by nuclear weapons by fully remediating the deadly legacy of environmental contamination from past and current nuclear weapons testing, development, production, storage, and maintenance activities, and by providing health monitoring, compensation, and medical care to those who have and will be harmed by nuclear weapons research, testing, and production, including through an expanded Radiation Exposure Compensation Act program.”
Third, the USCM also “calls on the President to actively plan a just economic transition for the civilian and military workforce involved in the development, testing, production, management, and dismantlement of nuclear weapons and for the communities that are economically dependent on nuclear weapons laboratories, production facilities, and military bases.”
And it urges Congress to pass <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/317/text" target="_blank">H. Res. 317</a>, “Urging the United States to Lead the World Back From the Brink of Nuclear War and Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race,” which encompasses the above points, introduced by Representative Jim McGovern (MA) on April 9, 2025.
Finally, the resolution calls on the Administration and Congress to cut increases in military and nuclear weapons spending and to restore funding for programs that are critical to American cities, including the Community Development Block Grant Program and the HOME Investment Partnership Program, and to preserve and strengthen Medicaid as a matter of public safety.
The resolution’s lead sponsor, Mayor Quentin Hart of Waterloo, Iowa, commented, “As an elected official and original sponsor, I recognize the value of human life and our duty as leaders to leave a better world for future generations. In this heightened hour of conflict and division this resolution rings as a reminder that we have so much work to do”. 
“It is essential to examine how we use nuclear weapons and to foster meaningful global dialogue to prevent nuclear conflict and promote peace. I am honored to stand alongside fellow mayors worldwide as a member of Mayors for Peace, advocating for a safer, more peaceful future.”
As recognized in the resolution, Mayors for Peace, led by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is working for a world without nuclear weapons, safe and resilient cities, and a culture of peace. As of June 1, 2025, Mayors for Peace has grown to 8,487 cities in 166 countries and territories, with 230 U.S. members. 
The USCM has once again charted a responsible path. It’s long past time for the federal government to listen to the elected representatives who are closest to the people. This resolution could not be timelier – or more urgent. 
The shared common-sense commitment of mayors across the country and around the world to the global elimination of nuclear weapons is a beacon of hope in these dark times. 
The 2025 USCM Mayors for Peace resolution was sponsored by Mayor Quentin Hart, of Waterloo, Iowa, and cosponsored by Mayor Lacey Beaty, of Beaverton, Oregon; Mayor LaToya Cantrell, of New Orleans, Louisiana; Mayor Brad Cavanagh, of Dubuque, Iowa; Mayor Joy Cooper, of Hallandale Beach, Florida; Mayor Malik Evans, of Rochester, New York; Mayor Martha Guerrero, of West Sacramento, California; Mayor Adena Ishii, of Berkeley, California; Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, of Burnsville, Minnesota; Mayor Kim Norton, of Rochester, Minnesota; Mayor Andy Schor, of Lansing, Michigan; Mayor Matt Tuerk, of Allentown, Pennsylvania; Mayor Ellen Kamei, of Mountain View, California; Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, of Riverside, California; Mayor Joshua Garcia, of Holyoke, Massachusetts; and Mayor S.M. Fazlul Kabir, of College Park, Maryland.
IPS UN Bureau
 
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Excerpt: Jacqueline Cabasso is Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation and Mayors for Peace, North American Coordinator]]></content:encoded>
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<title>As FfD4 Kicks Off in Spain, Global Cooperation Still Matters</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/as-ffd4-kicks-off-in-spain-global-cooperation-still-matters/</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:24:27 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Michael Jarvis</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Michael Jarvis is Executive Director, Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI)]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="75" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/4th-International-Conference_-300x75.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/4th-International-Conference_-300x75.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/07/4th-International-Conference_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), began 30 June and will conclude 3 July 2025 in <a href="https://fibes.es/en/" target="_blank">FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre, Spain</a>.
   
According to the UN, FFD4 aspires to build a renewed global financing framework that will unlock greater volumes of capital at a lower cost. In Sevilla, and through a renewed global financing framework, leaders are taking action to deliver an SDG investment push and to reform the international financial architecture to enable the transformative change that the world urgently needs.By Michael Jarvis WASHINGTON DC, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) As the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) kicks off in Sevilla, Spain, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

At a moment when much of the world is distracted by geopolitical rivalries, battles over tax and spending, and declining aid, FfD4 is quietly assembling nearly every government on earth to discuss how we fund the future. 
Behind the formal speeches and policy jargon is a rare and vital opportunity to rethink the global financial system in a way that is fairer, more inclusive, and better equipped to serve both people and planet.
This isn’t just another international summit. It’s the first such meeting in a decade, and it comes at a time when development finance systems are under unprecedented strain. Climate shocks, austerity measures, and widening inequality are colliding with falling aid budgets and a debt crisis affecting over 50 countries. For many in the Global South, the question isn’t how to accelerate progress, it’s how to avoid collapse.
And yet, amid all this, 193 countries will show up. They’ve come not just to debate, but to negotiate, align, and hopefully act. That, in itself, is worth noting. Multilateralism isn’t dead. Leadership is coming from new sources and the <a href="https://financing.desa.un.org/sites/default/files/ffd4-documents/2025/Compromiso de Sevilla for action 16 June.pdf" target="_blank">Compromiso de Sevilla</a> demonstrates that agreement is still possible. 
From Global Goals to Ground-Level Gaps
The world has made bold promises, such as meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, but we are falling far behind. Financing gaps are widening, and trust in international institutions is eroding. But FfD4 offers a chance to restore some of that trust by showing that global cooperation can still deliver practical, people-centered solutions.
This week, governments will be pressed to move from vague commitments to concrete steps. That means scaling up fair tax systems that generate domestic revenue without deepening inequality. It means reimagining the way sovereign debt is taken on and managed so that countries aren’t forced to choose between paying creditors and paying teachers. 
And it means strengthening the transparency and accountability mechanisms that ensure resources reach the people who need them most.
Quiet Achievements, Real Stakes
It’s easy to dismiss global conferences as talk shops. But in a fractured world, dialogue is essential. Even before the conference began, diplomats reached consensus on a shared outcome document. It won’t satisfy every stakeholder, and it’s far from revolutionary, but it affirms something many feared lost: a willingness to work together.
The document supports stronger domestic resource mobilization, enhanced transparency in fiscal systems, more equitable tax cooperation, and steps toward reforming the debt architecture. These are not minor tweaks, they’re foundational issues that will determine whether countries can invest in health, education, and climate resilience.
The real test, of course, begins after Sevilla. Commitments on paper mean little without follow-through. That’s why the implementation phase must include robust accountability, and why funders and civil society have a critical role to play in sustaining momentum.
Where Philanthropy Comes In
One glaring omission in both the lead-up to this conference and the outcome document itself is the role of philanthropy. Mentioned only once in the official document and only as a potential contributor to pooled capital, there has been little consideration of the role of philanthropy in future development finance.
That’s a mistake.
Philanthropy isn’t a substitute for public finance, but it is a powerful complement. It can take risks governments can’t. It can move resources quickly. And it can help ensure that the most marginalized voices, often excluded from elite negotiating tables, are heard and heeded.
At the Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative, we’ve seen how funders can drive progress by supporting more inclusive decision making and helping watchdogs, media and open government champions help shine a light on how money is spent and whether it’s truly serving the public interest.
Philanthropy can also help Global South governments navigate the technical and political complexities of international tax and debt processes, ensuring they’re not just at the table, but empowered to lead.
And critically, funders can support civil society organizations that encourage civic participation, monitor progress, demand results, and build public trust. In an age of growing authoritarianism and civic space closures, this kind of support is more important than ever.
A Moment to Build On
Sevilla will not solve the world’s financing challenges in four days. But it can mark a turning point. It can begin to restore trust in a multilateral system that too often feels distant, slow, or captured by narrow interests. It can elevate issues like financial integrity, equitable taxation, and debt justice that are too often buried in technical discussions. 
And it can create space for new actors, especially from philanthropy and civil society, to step up and help turn ambition into action.
We are not powerless in the face of global fragmentation. Progress is still possible. FfD4 reminds us that the machinery of cooperation still exists. The question is whether we are willing to use it.
IPS UN Bureau
 
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Excerpt: Michael Jarvis is Executive Director, Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI)]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Trump Undresses Rival Trade Myths</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/07/trump-undresses-rival-trade-myths/</link>
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<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 05:57:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Jomo Kwame Sundaram</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[President Trump’s tariffs have exposed neoliberal trade ideology and undermined corporate lobbying in the name of free trade. But his rhetoric has also exposed the fallacies of his own economic strategy. Ideological shift? To be sure, there has never really been an era of truly free trade in centuries. International trade has typically been partially […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By Jomo Kwame Sundaram KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jul 1 2025 (IPS) President Trump’s tariffs have exposed neoliberal trade ideology and undermined corporate lobbying in the name of free trade. But his rhetoric has also exposed the fallacies of his own economic strategy. 

Ideological shift? 
To be sure, there has never really been an era of truly free trade in centuries. International trade has typically been partially and unevenly free and, more often than not, regulated. 
<div id="attachment_157782" style="width: 190px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-157782" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2018/09/jomo_180.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="212" class="size-full wp-image-157782" />Jomo Kwame Sundaram</div>Most supposed neoliberals have never consistently promoted free trade regardless of circumstances, but only when it seemed to serve their national and corporate interests well, e.g., via <a href="https://wid.world/document/unequal-exchange-and-north-south-relations-evidence-from-global-trade-flows-and-the-world-balance-of-payments-1800-2025-world-inequality-lab-working-paper-2025-11/" target="_blank">unequal exchange</a>.
 Trump’s tariffs claim to revive manufacturing jobs, which the US has lost to cheaper imports. But employment lost to automation will be almost impossible to regain. Worse, his tariffs will regressively tax US consumers.
Free trade does not help selective investment and technology promotion. Biden sought to <a href="https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/04/27/remarks-by-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-on-renewing-american-economic-leadership-at-the-brookings-institution/" target="_blank">promote new industries</a>, often at high cost, with his <a href="https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/the-inflation-reduction-act-ira-a-brief-assessment" target="_blank">Inflation Reduction Act</a>, <a href="https://prospect.org/economy/2025-01-30-chips-on-the-table/" target="_blank">CHIPS and Science Act</a>, and other industrial policy measures.
However, these have been undermined by Trump’s insistence on repudiating earlier administrations’ initiatives and cutting non-military government spending even when they serve his ostensible strategic ends. 
With tariffs, his main policy weapon in his bullying transactional approach to exclusively bilateral bargaining, Trump’s reindustrialisation ambitions may only partially succeed. 
His refusal to bargain collectively enhances the US advantage in such asymmetric negotiations. Others anxious to curry favour have already conceded excessive concessions, even exceeding Washington’s expectations! 
The fates of the worst-off thus only worsen, generating widespread resentment and antagonism. But few tangible gains are likely from the weakest, except for mineral concessions.
Bretton Woods over 
In the 1960s, French President Charles de Gaulle complained the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement (BWA) had given the US an ‘exorbitant privilege’. The price of an ounce of gold was set at $35. 
This peg allowed the US to borrow cheaply from those who needed US dollars. Selling US Treasury bonds to the world thus closed both its current account (trade) and fiscal deficits. 
Pressure on the greenback rose over the 1960s, especially with sharply rising Vietnam War spending. France then led others to demand gold instead of holding dollars. 
In August 1971, President Nixon unilaterally repudiated the US’s BW obligation to redeem gold at the promised dollar price. But this did not end the US’s exorbitant privilege. 
The US allowed the Saudi-led OPEC to raise the oil price if payments were in dollars. The petroleum price hike also set back its emerging European and Japanese industrial rivals. 
Since 1971, US dollar acceptance has relied on the belief that it will continue as the international reserve currency. Thus, exorbitant privilege has become a matter of faith.
Ironically, while Eurodollars had undermined the BWA, petrodollars saved the dollar’s reserve currency status and exorbitant privilege, with oil becoming the ‘new gold’. 
Neoliberal trade myths 
Half a century of neoliberal trade rhetoric has claimed ‘trade liberalisation’ benefits all, e.g., free trade lifts all boats, its leading myth. 
Although this has not even been true of the Global North, it has not deterred economic policy pundits from advocating free trade agreements with the US as the solution to Trump’s tariffs!
But even trade mahaguru Jagdish Bhagwati insists that only an equitable multilateral trade agreement can lift all boats. He denounced bilateral, regional, and other plurilateral agreements as termites detracting from it.
The most popular computable general equilibrium (CGE)-based trade simulations assume unchanging full employment, trade, and fiscal balances. 
Such estimates of free trade gains are misleading, as their methodologies typically ignore trade liberalisation’s significant problematic effects, such as output and job losses and trade and fiscal imbalances. 
Unsurprisingly, cost-benefit studies by the <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/d104c3cd-3d4a-5077-aaa5-43441ae768b8" target="_blank">World Bank</a> and <a href="https://www.cepii.fr/PDF_PUB/wp/2004/wp2004-18.pdf" target="_blank">others</a> projected net losses for most of the Global South from the 2001 Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.
False narratives 
Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ Liberation Day announcement brought much of the world to heel in one fell swoop. As the president bragged, scores of governments rushed to “kiss his arse”. 
However, Trump’s priorities, especially his proposed tax cuts, the changing world political economy, and the diverse nature of US interests, will erode public support for his agenda. 
Trump’s policy narrative is unashamedly incoherent and self-contradictory. The Financial Times noted, “The US president wants both to protect domestic manufacturing and hold the dollar as the reserve currency.” 
Self-servingly dismissive of received conventional wisdom, his jingoistic rhetoric and self-congratulatory style successfully target his faithful with cherry-picked evidence and half-truths. 
Even if Trump’s tariffs fail on his own terms, he can still claim to have tried to make America great again. He will continue to blame opposition within and without to secure his jingoist <a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/how-trump-justifies-his-tariffs-from-budget-balancing-to-protecting-the-soul-of-america/" target="_blank">MAGA</a> base. 
IPS UN Bureau
 
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<title>When Life-Saving Treatment Disappears: The Coming Crisis in Child Malnutrition</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/when-life-saving-treatment-disappears-the-coming-crisis-in-child-malnutrition/</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:40:52 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Heather Stobaugh</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Economy & Trade]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Dr. Heather Stobaugh is Associate Director of Research and Innovation, <a href="https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/" target="_blank">Action Against Hunger</a> ]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="136" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/young-boy-in-Mozambique_-300x136.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/young-boy-in-Mozambique_-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/young-boy-in-Mozambique_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />A young boy in Mozambique sleeps next to a bag of food aid donated by USAID and distributed by the UN’s World Food Programme. Credit: WFP/Rein SkullerudBy Heather Stobaugh NEW YORK, Jun 30 2025 (IPS) On July 1st, USAID <a href="https://www.state.gov/on-delivering-an-america-first-foreign-assistance-program/#:~:text=HomeOffice%20of%20the%20Spokesperson,America%20First%20Foreign%20Assistance%20Program" target="_blank">officially shuts down</a> and transfers operations to the U.S. State Department. Amid growing uncertainty about the future of U.S. foreign assistance structures and funding, supply chains that deliver life-saving treatment to malnourished children worldwide have broken down, triggering a global nutrition crisis.

We are witnessing the dismantling of a system that has saved millions of children’s lives for decades. The consequences will reverberate across the world: from peanut farms in Georgia to remote clinics in South Sudan, creating a humanitarian catastrophe that could have been prevented.
For more than two decades, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/supply/stories/saving-lives-rutf-ready-use-therapeutic-food" target="_blank">the American people have supported the production, shipment, and administration of treatment packets, called ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)</a>, to save the lives of children suffering from a severe form of malnutrition, which affects <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/12-01-2023-urgent-action-needed-as-acute-malnutrition-threatens-the-lives-of-millions-of-vulnerable-children" target="_blank">19 million children worldwide</a> at any given moment.
These RUTF packets of specially-formulated nutrient-dense paste, often branded as “Plumpy’nut”, boast <a href="https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/stories/unpacking-rutf" target="_blank">recovery rates exceeding 90%</a> and can bring a child from medical crisis to health in as little as 45 days. Without treatment, survival rates are low, as a malnourished child is <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/12-01-2023-urgent-action-needed-as-acute-malnutrition-threatens-the-lives-of-millions-of-vulnerable-children" target="_blank">11 times more likely to die</a> than a healthy one.
Today, it all hangs in the balance. Our world has seen immense progress in preventing child deaths from malnutrition; unless we act fast and funding cuts are reversed, all our progress will regress 30 years seemingly overnight.
A System in Collapse
The numbers tell a devastating story. The closure of USAID and transfer of operations to the U.S. State Department has left 90% of all USAID contracts terminated, including $1.4 billion in emergency nutrition programming that, in part, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usaid-cuts-threaten-gods-food-made-georgia-children-need-2025-06-09/" target="_blank">supported approximately 50 percent of the global RUTF supply</a>. 
As a result, production of RUTF has halted, with most manufacturers <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usaid-cuts-threaten-gods-food-made-georgia-children-need-2025-06-09/" target="_blank">receiving no new orders since December 2024</a>. Eighteen countries face RUTF stockouts set to begin this month, creating a shortage of <a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/foreign-aid-funding-cuts-harm-worlds-children" target="_blank">over two million cartons that could treat over two million malnourished children</a>.
With supply chains requiring 3-6 months to produce, transport, and deliver the life-saving treatment to children who need it, time has run out. 
Countries like South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria that are already grappling with conflict, climate shocks, and displacement will be among the first and hardest hit. In South Sudan alone, <a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/foreign-aid-funding-cuts-harm-worlds-children" target="_blank">nutrition response funding has been slashed nearly in half</a>, leaving one in two severely malnourished children without treatment. <a href="https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/foreign-aid-funding-cuts-harm-worlds-children" target="_blank">UNICEF estimates that Ethiopia will run out of RUTF supplies</a> imminently.
The reality on the ground is stark: RUTF stockouts mean mothers will bring their children to health and nutrition centers only to be turned away because there’s no available treatment. Even before the current crisis, millions of children would lose the fight against malnutrition, given limited resources. Now, that number is going to rise rapidly. 
Beyond the Numbers: Human Cost
Nutrition and health services have always been integrated: Malnourished children with medical complications often require referral to health facilities for further medical care in addition to the nutrition treatment. A malnourished child with a weakened immune system who contracts malaria may not survive because their body cannot fight off the simple illness. 
But now, funding cuts for health programs have drastically reduced treatment for illnesses, such as <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-03-04/the-life-saving-programs-disappearing-as-a-result-of-the-usaid-funding-cuts" target="_blank">tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV</a>, which, alongside cuts to nutrition programs, create a perfect storm. These preventable, treatable conditions become matters of life and death.
Progress Was Being Made:
RUTF’s introduction nearly 30 years ago has revolutionized our fight against child mortality. Experts estimate that <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/04/25/g-s1-62165/malnutrition-children-plumpynut-lifesaving-u-s-aid" target="_blank">before RUTF, child survival from malnutrition was about 25%</a>; with RUTF, it’s over 90%. Leading scientists and researchers were conducting rigorous research investigating <a href="https://bmcnutr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40795-025-01054-w" target="_blank">how to optimize the dosage of RUTF</a> and piloting <a href="https://www.powerofnutrition.org/news/this-game-changing-plant-based-malnutrition-treatment-is-finally-getting-the-recognition-it-deserves" target="_blank">new formulations</a> to make limited resources stretch to reach more children in need of treatment.
Other innovative <a href="https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/how-innovations-gut-health-can-help-treat-global-hunger" target="_blank">research on preventing relapse through gut microbiome restoration</a> was showing tremendous promise for sustainable solutions and conserving resources. Together with improved public health programs, our world has seen annual <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/topic-details/GHO/child-mortality-and-causes-of-death" target="_blank">child mortality rates drop from 12.9 million in 1990 to 4.8 million in 2023</a>.
With the current uncertainty around U.S. humanitarian aid funding, the immediate outlook is very bleak, and doubts grow every day regarding the longer-term projections for any continuation in reducing child mortality worldwide. From a humanitarian perspective, it’s criminally irresponsible to stop trying to give every child a chance at life past their fifth birthday. 
American Communities Feel the Impact
The crisis is not confined to remote nutrition clinics in foreign countries. American agricultural communities that supply raw ingredients for the life-saving RUTF are also hit hard. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usaid-cuts-threaten-gods-food-made-georgia-children-need-2025-06-09/" target="_blank">Peanut farmers in rural Georgia and dairy farmers across the country</a>, critical to the RUTF supply chain, now face canceled contracts and uncertain futures. 
MANA Nutrition in Fitzgerald, Georgia – which has produced RUTF to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usaid-cuts-threaten-gods-food-made-georgia-children-need-2025-06-09/" target="_blank">treat 10 million children across the globe since 2010</a> – estimates it has enough cash to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usaid-cuts-threaten-gods-food-made-georgia-children-need-2025-06-09/" target="_blank">keep running through August at best</a> if no new contracts materialize.
The irony is profound: feeding children, mothers, and families has always been a deeply bipartisan American value. Emergency food assistance aligns with foreign policy priorities: it’s measurable, cost-effective, and builds lasting goodwill. These relationships also helped American farmers put food on their own families’ tables.
Other efforts were ongoing to increase local production of RUTF in countries where it is needed the most, creating jobs, bolstering local economies, and establishing self-sustaining solutions within each country’s challenges. But these smaller and newer RUTF manufacturers in the global south can only supply a fraction of what’s needed and have less reserves to be able to withstand the gap in revenue. 
A Call for Urgent Action
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department announced <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-reveals-plan-deliver-life-saving-meals-1-4-million-starving-children" target="_blank">approval of $50 million for RUTF</a>, representing <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-reveals-plan-deliver-life-saving-meals-1-4-million-starving-children" target="_blank">1.4 million boxes of the life-saving supplies</a> that could “nourish over one million of the world’s most vulnerable children.” While this represents welcome progress after months of uncertainty, the amount is minimal compared to the need, and still no contracts have been confirmed. So we wait.
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.unicef.ie/stories/6-things-you-should-know-about-malnutrition/" target="_blank">every 11 seconds, a child dies from malnutrition-related causes</a>. These aren’t abstract statistics—they’re preventable deaths of children who could be saved for about $150 a child. The dismantling of USAID represents more than a policy change—it’s a moral choice about America’s role in the world and our commitment to the most vulnerable.
There’s nothing more devastating than looking a mother in the eyes when both of you know that her child probably won’t make it to their next birthday, or perhaps even to the end of the week. Previously, that situation was becoming less frequent. However, now, I shudder to think how many more mothers around the world will be in this situation.
The clock is ticking, and children’s lives hang in the balance. As supply chains collapse and treatment centers close, the time to act is now, before this preventable crisis becomes an irreversible global tragedy.
IPS UN Bureau
 
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Excerpt: Dr. Heather Stobaugh is Associate Director of Research and Innovation, <a href="https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/" target="_blank">Action Against Hunger</a> ]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Global Tobacco Control Efforts Protect up to 6.1 Billion People</title>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:31:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Maximilian Malawista</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit, a grim reality that highlights the urgent mission of global tobacco control. A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while many countries have followed the organization’s protocols to reduce tobacco use, major gaps still remain in broader implementation. The Global Tobacco […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Over-7-million-people_-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Over-7-million-people_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Over-7-million-people_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Over 7 million people die from smoking-related deaths every year. The World Health Organization’s protocols to control and reduce tobacco have been adopted in at least 155 countries. Credit: Unsplash/Kouji TsuruBy Maximilian Malawista UNITED NATIONS, Jun 30 2025 (IPS) Tobacco kills up to half its users who don’t quit, a grim reality that highlights the urgent mission of global tobacco control. A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that while many countries have followed the organization’s protocols to reduce tobacco use, major gaps still remain in broader implementation.

The <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240112063" target="_blank">Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report</a> was launched on June 23 at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, where global health leaders emphasized a renewed commitment towards reducing tobacco-related deaths, which <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco" target="_blank">claim</a> more than seven million lives each year. At least 80 percent of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries, where the risk of tobacco-related illness and death is much higher.
The report focuses on the WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures, the steps that countries need to take to reduce tobacco usage. The <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/23-06-2025-tobacco-control-efforts-protect-6.1-billion-people-who-s-new-report" target="_blank">WHO MPOWER</a> tobacco control measures include:
<ul>· Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; 
· Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation; 
· Offering help to quit tobacco use; 
· Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media; 
· Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and 
· Raising taxes on tobacco.</ul>
The WHO MPOWER measures were first introduced in 2007, where only forty-four countries had implemented at least one tobacco control measure, protecting 1.2 billion people. Their implementation can be viewed through the <a href="https://mpowerportal.org/" target="_blank">new data portal</a>, which tracks countries’ progress from 2007-2025.
155 countries have successfully implemented at least one control measure at the best-practice level, the highest marker of implementation. This protects up to 6.1 billion people, or about 75 percent of the global population. Additionally, countries with two or more measures have seen “a nearly tenfold increase,” from 11 to 107 countries, which protects 4.8 billion people. Forty of these countries have adopted two or more measures, while seven of them have implemented four measures, and four have adopted five of the MPOWER measures. Altogether, fifty-one countries have at least three of these measures in place, accounting for the protection of 1.8 billion people.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/23-06-2025-tobacco-control-efforts-protect-6.1-billion-people-who-s-new-report" target="_blank">said</a>, “Twenty years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we have many successes to celebrate, but the tobacco industry continues to evolve and so must we.” He added, “By uniting science, policy, and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer claims lives, damages economies or steals futures. Together, we can end the tobacco epidemic.”
The report highlights that one practice — graphic health warnings and plain packaging — has made significant progress, with 56 percent of countries having reached ‘best-practice’ level. As one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), it makes it difficult for people to ignore the health risks. It has been proven that cigarette packaging that contain graphic visual health warnings are effective in informing people about tobacco risks. They can be understood by people across all demographics and countries of all income levels.
Additionally, 110 countries at some levels have adopted these measures, accounting for approximately five billion people, or 62 percent of the world’s population. 36 percent of the global population now live in countries which run best-practice campaigns, which is up from 19 percent in 2022. WHO is urging countries to “invest in message-tested evaluated campaigns”.
Despite this, forty countries have zero MPOWER measures at the best-practice level. More than thirty countries allow the sale of cigarettes without mandatory health warnings. Even as many of the measures are being adopted, WHO notes that enforcement is “inconsistent”. Packaging for smokeless tobacco remains “poorly regulated”, as these items come in irregular packaging, are developed by smaller local producers, and may be found illegally produced and sold. These factors make it difficult to enforce packaging regulations. Furthermore, since 2022 at least 110 countries have failed to run anti-tobacco campaigns.
Many countries are failing to enact policies that would restrict access to cigarettes through taxation. Since 2022, only three counties have increased their taxes on tobacco at the best-practice level. Sixty-eight countries have adopted anti-tobacco media campaigns in the best practice, educating 25 percent globally. Additionally, cost-covered quitting services are accessible to about 33 percent of the world’s population.
While media campaigns and taxation policies target tobacco users, tobacco also affects people second hand. Around 1.6 million people die each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases exacerbated by exposure to second-hand smoke. To combat this, seventy-nine countries have implemented “comprehensive smoke-free environments,” which protects at least one-third of the global population. The regulation of e-cigarette devices or ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) has also begun to pick up traction. As of 2024, 133 countries are regulating or outright banning e-cigarette devices.
To <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/23-06-2025-tobacco-control-efforts-protect-6.1-billion-people-who-s-new-report" target="_blank">account</a> for the notable lags in progress and enforcement, Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO Director of Health Promotion said, “Governments must act boldly to close remaining gaps, strengthen enforcement, and invest in the proven tools that save lives. WHO calls on all countries to accelerate progress on MPOWER and ensure that no one is left behind in the fight against tobacco.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Mexico’s Judicial Elections: A Democratic Mirage</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/mexicos-judicial-elections-a-democratic-mirage/</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:13:03 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Ines M Pousadela</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[On 1 June, Mexico made history by becoming the only country in the world to elect all its judges by popular vote, from local magistrates to Supreme Court justices. This unprecedented process saw Mexican voters choose candidates for 881 federal judicial positions, including all nine Supreme Court justices, plus thousands at local levels across 19 […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Toya-Sarno-Jordan-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Toya-Sarno-Jordan-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Toya-Sarno-Jordan.jpg 602w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Credit: Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters via Gallo ImagesBy Inés M. Pousadela MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jun 30 2025 (IPS) On 1 June, Mexico made history by becoming the only country in the world to elect all its judges by popular vote, from local magistrates to Supreme Court justices. This unprecedented process saw Mexican voters choose candidates for <a href="https://portal.ine.mx/preguntas-frecuentes-eleccion-poder-judicial/" target="_blank">881 federal judicial positions</a>, including all nine Supreme Court justices, plus thousands at local levels across 19 states. Yet what the government heralded as a transformation that made Mexico the ‘<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-elections-for-judges-make-mexico-the-most-democratic-country-in-the-world-critics-fear-the-opposite-257730" target="_blank">the most democratic country in the world</a>’ may turn out to be a dangerous deception.

Judicial independence under attack
The judicial election was the culmination of a <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20240911-m%C3%A9xico-adopta-la-controvertida-reforma-que-permite-la-elecci%C3%B3n-popular-de-jueces" target="_blank">controversial constitutional reengineering</a> pushed through by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and embraced by his successor, President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The ruling National Regeneration Movement (Morena) party promoted the change as a bold democratic measure to eliminate corruption, increase transparency and make judges accountable to the people rather than political or economic elites. But this narrative masked a more troubling reality. The judicial overhaul was the final piece in a <a href="https://www.iconnectblog.com/symposium-on-the-judicial-overhaul-in-mexico-part-1-judicial-overhaul-and-democratic-backsliding-in-mexico/" target="_blank">systematic assault</a> on institutions that checked executive power during López Obrador’s presidency. Between 2018 and 2024, the National Electoral Institute faced repeated budget cuts and <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ES_Informe-Mexico_Independencia-Judicial.pdf" target="_blank">legislative attacks</a>. The National Institute for Access to Public Information was <a href="https://directoriolegislativo.org/es/tras-el-cierre-del-inai-cuales-son-los-cambios-en-materia-de-transparencia-y-acceso-a-la-informacion-en-mexico/" target="_blank">eliminated</a> in late 2024, leaving oversight of public information access in the hands of an executive-dependent secretariat.
The judiciary became a prime target after the Supreme Court repeatedly <a href="https://elpais.com/mexico/2023-07-01/los-choques-entre-lopez-obrador-y-la-suprema-corte-atascan-la-politica-mexicana.html" target="_blank">struck down</a> López Obrador’s key legislative proposals as unconstitutional. The president responded with aggressive public criticism, <a href="https://elpais.com/mexico/2023-05-18/lopez-obrador-vuelve-a-cargar-contra-los-jueces-el-poder-judicial-esta-tomado-por-la-delincuencia-organizada-y-de-cuello-blanco.html" target="_blank">accusing judges of corruption</a> and <a href="https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/politica/AMLO-perfila-recorte-a-presupuesto-del-Poder-Judicial-de-la-Federacion-20230830-0052.html" target="_blank">cutting</a> the judiciary’s budget. When the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2023/04/19/amlo-se-lanzo-contra-la-corte-por-invalidar-el-pase-de-la-guardia-nacional-al-ejercito/" target="_blank">invalidated</a> his attempt to put the civilian National Guard under military command, López Obrador declared the judiciary needed democratisation.
Following Sheinbaum’s landslide victory in June 2024, when she won with <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/mexicos-first-female-president-an-opportunity-for-change/" target="_blank">close to 60 per cent</a> and Morena secured a <a href="https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/08/29/morena-mayoria-calificada-congreso-tribunal-electoral-orix/" target="_blank">supermajority</a> in Congress, the outgoing government introduced constitutional amendments as part of ‘<a href="https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2024/08/23/que-es-el-plan-c-esta-es-la-penultima-reforma-del-paquete-de-amlo-que-se-vota-hoy-en-el-congreso/" target="_blank">Plan C</a>’, with judicial elections the centrepiece. Despite <a href="https://www.france24.com/es/am%C3%A9rica-latina/20240908-trabajadores-estudiantes-y-opositores-marchan-en-m%C3%A9xico-contra-la-reforma-judicial" target="_blank">protests</a> by <a href="https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2024/09/28/amlo-cierra-semana-entre-protestas-en-su-contra-por-reforma-al-poder-judicial" target="_blank">judicial workers</a>, students and opposition groups, the bill <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20240911-m%C3%A9xico-adopta-la-controvertida-reforma-que-permite-la-elecci%C3%B3n-popular-de-jueces" target="_blank">passed</a> in September.
The new system replaced merit-based appointments with a process where candidates are pre-screened by <a href="https://animalpolitico.com/verificacion-de-hechos/te-explico/comites-evaluacion-reforma-judicial" target="_blank">Evaluation Committees</a> controlled by the executive, legislative and judicial branches before facing popular election. Judicial terms have been shortened and aligned with political cycles, while judicial salaries are now tied to the president’s, effectively giving the executive control over judicial remuneration in violation of <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/2024/11/05/la-reforma-judicial-en-mexico-viola-obligaciones-internacionales-en-materia-de-derechos-humanos/" target="_blank">international standards</a> requiring stable, politically independent judicial funding.
Another concerning development is the new <a href="https://contralacorrupcion.mx/como-funcionara-el-tribunal-de-disciplina-judicial/" target="_blank">Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal</a>, whose five popularly elected members have broad powers to investigate and sanction judicial personnel through final, unappealable decisions. This tribunal threatens to become a tool of political intimidation against judges who rule against government interests, fundamentally undermining judicial independence.
Corrosive effect on rights
As it turned out, the judicial elections achieved only a <a href="https://www.as-coa.org/articles/six-facts-understand-mexicos-2025-judicial-elections" target="_blank">13 per cent voter turnout</a>, light years from the 61 per cent who voted at the last general election. This suggested widespread public disconnection from the process, calling into question the democratic legitimacy its proponents claimed to seek. The complexity of choosing between so many unknown candidates appears to have deterred many voters.
Troublingly, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/05/31/nx-s1-5415951/mexico-holds-first-of-its-kind-nationwide-judicial-elections" target="_blank">dozens of candidates</a> were identified as having potential ties to drug cartels, including the former defence lawyer for notorious drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, who got <a href="https://elpais.com/mexico/2025-06-18/silvia-delgado-la-exabogada-de-el-chapo-guzman-gana-la-eleccion-para-jueza-en-chihuahua.html" target="_blank">elected</a> in Chihuahua state. Vulnerability to criminal infiltration is particularly alarming given Mexico’s context, where political violence has reached <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/mexicos-first-female-president-an-opportunity-for-change/" target="_blank">unprecedented levels</a> – with at least 32 candidates and 24 public officials murdered during the 2024 campaign – and where criminal organisations exercise de facto governmental control in many territories.
The international community has responded with condemnation. The Rule of Law Impact Lab at Stanford Law School joined the Mexican Bar Association in <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/2024/11/05/new-court-filings-argue-mexicos-judicial-reform-violates-international-human-rights-obligations/" target="_blank">filing an amicus curiae</a> – friend of the court – brief before the Mexican Supreme Court challenging the reform’s constitutionality. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed ‘<a href="https://www.oas.org/en/iachr/jsForm/?File=/en/iachr/media_center/preleases/2024/213.asp" target="_blank">grave concern</a>’ about judicial independence, access to justice and the rule of law. These concerns were echoed by <a href="https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29251" target="_blank">United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers</a> and the <a href="https://www.ibanet.org/The-International-Bar-Association-expresses-its-great-concern-about-the-speed-with-which-Mexico-is-promoting-a-far-reaching-reform-of-the-judiciary" target="_blank">International Bar Association</a>.
The judicial elections will likely have a corrosive effect on democracy and human rights. By making judges accountable to popular majorities rather than constitutional principles, the new system will likely <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/mexicos-judicial-reform-feminist-critique-its-risks-rule-law-migration-and-human-rights" target="_blank">weaken protection</a> for excluded groups including women, migrants and Indigenous communities who depend on judicial intervention for protection against discrimination.
Early analysis suggests that judges aligned with the ruling party performed well in the elections, potentially giving Morena unprecedented influence over judicial decision-making. From the government’s perspective, the elections appear to have achieved their underlying political objective: consolidating control across all branches of government. This eliminates the accountability mechanisms needed to prevent authoritarian drift.
Mexico’s experience highlights the dangerous tension between populism and constitutional democracy. With fewer institutional barriers remaining to prevent further concentration of power, the country’s democratic institutions now face their greatest test. For the rest of the world, Mexico offers a cautionary tale about how populist claims to democratic legitimacy can systematically undermine the institutional foundations democracy depends on.
Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, co-director and writer for <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/" target="_blank">CIVICUS Lens</a> and co-author of the <a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/" target="_blank">State of Civil Society Report</a>.
For interviews or more information, please contact <a href="mailto:research@civicus.org" target="_blank">research@civicus.org</a>
 
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<title>The Young Nigerian Innovator Lighting Up Communities With Recycled Solar Innovation</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/the-young-nigerian-innovator-lighting-up-communities-with-recycled-solar-innovation/</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 09:13:20 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Promise Eze</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[When Stanley Anigbogu heard his name announced as the 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year in London earlier in March, he could hardly believe it. He had not expected to win, especially among a pool of brilliant nominees from across the globe. The 25-year-old Nigerian energy innovator was recognised for transforming waste into solar-powered […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="185" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC_6490-300x185.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Celebrating the opening of this brightly coloured charging station made using recycled plastic tiles. Stanley Anigbogu projects bring vibrant solutions to underserved communities. Credit: LightEd" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC_6490-300x185.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC_6490.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Celebrating the opening of this brightly coloured charging station made using recycled plastic tiles. Stanley Anigbogu projects bring vibrant solutions to underserved communities. Credit: LightEdBy Promise Eze ABUJA, Jun 30 2025 (IPS) When Stanley Anigbogu heard his name announced as the 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year in London earlier in March, he could hardly believe it. He had not expected to win, especially among a pool of brilliant nominees from across the globe.
The 25-year-old Nigerian energy innovator was recognised for transforming waste into solar-powered innovations that deliver clean energy to over 10,000 refugees in Africa. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanley-anigbogu/">Anigbogu</a> is the co-founder of<a href="https://lightedimpact.org/"> LightEd</a>, a company that turns plastic waste into<a href="https://lightedimpact.org/products/charging-station"> solar-powered charging stations</a>. These stations supply electricity to communities with little or no access to power. LightEd works in hard-to-reach areas and serves people in different parts of Nigeria, including thousands of displaced persons.
“I really was not expecting to win the award,” he said. “When my name was called, I was shocked. It took me a moment to believe it. I was really grateful because it was an amazing accomplishment. Just representing Africa, being the best from Africa out of 56 countries. I knew the work we were doing was important, but the other finalists were doing amazing things as well. I was grateful that my work was spotlighted because it gives the work that I do a different level of recognition. It is a very big accomplishment.”
For Anigbogu, the award is not just a personal achievement. He sees it as a moment of pride for Nigeria and for young people across the continent.
“This award gives me hope,” he said. “It shows that people see our work and that it matters.”
<div id="attachment_191180" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191180" class="size-full wp-image-191180" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/52404005655_692b2522a0_o.jpg" alt="Stanley Anigbogu, 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Credit: LightEd" width="630" height="421" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/52404005655_692b2522a0_o.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/52404005655_692b2522a0_o-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Stanley Anigbogu, 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Credit: LightEd</div>
The <a href="https://commonwealth-youthexcellence.awardsplatform.com/">Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work</a>, known as the Commonwealth Youth Awards, is a flagship project of the Commonwealth Secretariat, which has supported youth development for over 50 years. The Secretariat’s Head of Social Policy Development, Layne Robinson, underscored the importance of highlighting the work of young leaders like Anigbogu and empowering them to do more.
He said, “These awards enable us to learn more about the work being done by young people across the Commonwealth and offer us an opportunity to support them tangibly. By amplifying their work, the awards help them become beacons to others and contribute to building the next generation of leaders.”
<div id="attachment_191181" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191181" class="size-full wp-image-191181" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250203121255_0041_D.jpg" alt="In pursuit of the waste-to-energy approach, Stanley Anigbogu’s project has repurposed more than 5 tonnes of plastic waste. Reducing harm to the environment is central to his innovations. Credit: LightEd" width="630" height="354" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250203121255_0041_D.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250203121255_0041_D-300x169.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />In pursuit of the waste-to-energy approach, Stanley Anigbogu’s project has repurposed more than 5 tonnes of plastic waste. Reducing harm to the environment is central to his innovations. Credit: LightEd</div>
Lighting Up Communities
Anigbogu grew up in Onitsha, a bustling town in southeastern Nigeria. Like many homes in the country, his family did not have reliable electricity. Power cuts were frequent. Sometimes, they had electricity for only a few hours in an entire week. He often had to study using candles or kerosene lamps.
These struggles sparked his curiosity about how electricity worked. He became interested in finding solutions to the challenges around him. At the age of 15, he began building small inventions. He created robots and rockets using scraps and second-hand electronic components. He built simple tools to help with tasks at home and even started a science club in school.
<div id="attachment_191183" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191183" class="size-full wp-image-191183" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D.jpg" alt="Stanley Anigbogu stands inside a work in progress. Credit: LightEd " width="630" height="630" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D-144x144.jpg 144w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205115152_0076_D-472x472.jpg 472w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" /> Stanley Anigbogu stands inside a work in progress. Credit: LightEd</div>
After secondary school, Anigbogu moved to Morocco for university. While there, he founded a start-up which aimed to turn orange peels into energy. The project failed, but it taught him valuable lessons.
“I made a lot of mistakes because I did not understand business well,” he said. “But I learnt a lot from it.”
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Anigbogu returned to Nigeria. He wanted to create something useful that could help poor communities. That’s how LightEd started. His innovation is helping to address Nigeria’s electricity problem.<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2021/02/05/nigeria-to-improve-electricity-access-and-services-to-citizens"> According to the World Bank</a>, 85 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity from the national grid. This means about 43 percent of the population lives without regular power, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of people without electricity.
<div id="attachment_191186" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191186" class="size-full wp-image-191186" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC07440.jpg" alt="Stanley Anigbogu’s projects work towards providing electricity to underserved people; the community is at the heart of the decisions on where to place the solar-powered charging stations. Credit: LightEd" width="630" height="420" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC07440.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DSC07440-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Stanley Anigbogu’s projects work towards providing electricity to underserved people; the community is at the heart of the decisions on where to place the solar-powered charging stations. Credit: LightEd</div>
One of LightEd’s flagship projects is the construction of charging stations made from plastic and recycled waste, fitted with solar panels. People use them to charge phones, lamps, and small devices. In many of these areas, it is the only source of electricity available.
LightEd has trained over 6,000 students and recycled more than 20,000 kilograms of plastic. The company has also raised over 500,000 dollars from donors and partners to expand its work.
“Our goal is to make clean energy available to everyone,” said Anigbogu, who added that the company works closely with communities to create solutions tailored to their needs.
<div id="attachment_191187" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191187" class="size-full wp-image-191187" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Day-1_191-min.jpg" alt="" width="630" height="945" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Day-1_191-min.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Day-1_191-min-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Day-1_191-min-315x472.jpg 315w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Stanley Anigbogu finds light in waste. Credit: LightEd</div>
“The solutions we provide are community-led. Each community has different needs. We begin by asking questions like: where should the station be built? What is their energy need? What does the community require? We also add artwork to the stations, designed to reflect what the community feels the station represents. When we work with an artist, we hold a workshop and collect input from the people. We also work with them to decide how the station will be managed. Once it is built, we hand it over to the community.”
Helping Displaced People
Anigbogu’s interest in helping displaced people began while he was in Morocco. He joined a volunteer group that visited families living in the Atlas Mountains. Many had been displaced and lacked access to electricity and clean water.
LightEd has set up solar charging stations in two big camps for displaced people in Nigeria. They also provided solar lights and lamps, making it easier and safer for people to move around at night, especially women and children.
“I want kids in refugee camps to be able to study at night. Before, everywhere used to be dark, and when you put in streetlights, it lights up the surroundings and creates a sense of safety and also supports their mental health. I think when you’re living in a dark environment and you’re already in an inhospitable situation, having proper lighting helps give you a sense of security. That contributes to an overall stronger feeling of safety. Aside from that, it also helps reduce costs, such as the money spent on things like kerosene or candles, because all you need to do is go and charge your lamp or other device. It also reduces the negative health effects from the smoke and fumes people inhale when using traditional lighting solutions,” Anigbogu said.
Looking Ahead
Anigbogu’s journey has not been without challenges. In the early days, one of the biggest obstacles was the lack of clear guidance on how to start an organisation in Nigeria, including navigating registration, documentation, and taxes. Today, his main challenge is scaling. While funding is important, Anigbogu says the harder task is finding the right strategies and structures to expand into new regions and countries.
<div id="attachment_191188" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191188" class="size-full wp-image-191188" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1.jpg" alt="Stanley Anigbogu hopes to use access to energy to bring people of different faiths together, helping them resolve the many conflicts in the region. Credit: LightEd" width="630" height="630" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1-144x144.jpg 144w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/DJI_20250205143149_0129_D-1-472x472.jpg 472w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Stanley Anigbogu hopes to use access to energy to bring people of different faiths together, helping them resolve the many conflicts in the region. Credit: LightEd</div>
But for Anigbogu, none of this is a reason to give up. He is now working on building charging stations that also double as spaces for peace dialogue.
“I am working with the <a href="https://thecommonwealth.org/news/cd2025/inaugural-commonwealth-peace-prize-winners-nigeria-lauded-their-contributions">Commonwealth Peace Prize</a> winners, who are also Nigerians. We are discussing building a charging station that can serve as a space for intergenerational and interreligious dialogue. In Nigeria, where there are many religious conflicts, I believe it is a good idea to use access to energy as a way to bring people of different faiths together to talk and understand each other,” he said.
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<title>The Demographic Struggle Over International Migration</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/the-demographic-struggle-over-international-migration/</link>
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<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jun 2025 08:52:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Joseph Chamie</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Global]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Approximately 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, wish to leave their country permanently, while over a billion people believe that fewer or no immigrants should be allowed into their countries. This demographic struggle between the two sides over international migration is causing significant social, economic, and political repercussions for nations and their […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="180" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/migration-300x180.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="The number of people desiring to emigrate permanently exceeds the number of immigrants countries are willing to admit, leading many individuals to migrate without authorization. Credit: Shutterstock." decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/migration-300x180.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/migration.jpg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />The number of people desiring to emigrate permanently exceeds the number of immigrants countries are willing to admit, leading many individuals to migrate without authorization. Credit: Shutterstock.By Joseph Chamie PORTLAND, USA, Jun 30 2025 (IPS) Approximately 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, wish to leave their country permanently, while over a billion people believe that fewer or no immigrants should be allowed into their countries. This demographic struggle between the two sides over international migration is causing significant social, economic, and political repercussions for nations and their citizens.
The 1.3 billion individuals desiring to emigrate to another country is over four times the size of the estimated total number of immigrants worldwide in 2025, which is around 305 million. If all the people desiring to emigrate could do so, the global number of immigrants would increase to about 1.6 billion.
While an estimate of the total number of immigrants in the world is readily available, estimating the total number of unauthorized immigrants is much more challenging, with few reliable estimates available on a global scale.
If the percentage of unauthorized immigrants among all immigrants in the United States, approximately 25%, applies to the global immigrant population, the estimated number of unauthorized immigrants worldwide would be around 75 million (Figure 1).
 
<div id="attachment_191182" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191182" class="size-full wp-image-191182" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration1.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="518" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration1.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration1-300x247.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration1-573x472.jpg 573w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Source: United Nations and Gallup Polls.</div>
 
The global proportion desiring to emigrate permanently to another country has increased significantly in recent years, rising from 12% in 2011 to 16% in 2023.
Additionally, the desire to emigrate varies greatly across the different regions of the world. In 2023, Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest proportion desiring to emigrate at 37%, a significant increase from its 29% in 2011 (Figure 2).
 
<div id="attachment_191184" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191184" class="size-full wp-image-191184" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration2.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="581" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration2.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration2-300x277.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration2-511x472.jpg 511w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Source: Gallup Polls.</div>
 
In almost all major regions, the proportion desiring to emigrate permanently saw a substantial increase between 2011 and 2023. For instance, the proportions for the regions of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, rose from approximately 18% to 28%.
The desire to emigrate is not exclusive to developing regions. In the European Union, nearly 20% of the population in 2023 expressed a desire to emigrate. Similarly, in the United States and Canada, around 18% of their populations in 2023 desired to emigrate, a significant increase from the 10% reported in 2011.
The significant imbalance between the desire to emigrate and the number of immigrants countries are accepting is a major demographic factor contributing to unauthorized migration. Thousands of migrants die annually on migration routes in their attempts to reach their desired destination country 
 The number of people desiring to emigrate permanently exceeds the number of immigrants countries are willing to admit, leading many individuals to migrate without authorization.
For example, while approximately 170 million adults wish to emigrate to the United States, the country’s annual number of immigrants granted legal permanent residence has ranged from 1 to 2 million, with net immigration expected to average just over 1 million annually in the future. Similarly, in Canada, about 85 million people desire to emigrate, but the annual number of immigrants admitted ranges from 400,000 to 500,000.
The significant imbalance between the desire to emigrate and the number of immigrants countries are accepting is a major demographic factor contributing to unauthorized migration. Thousands of migrants die annually on migration routes in their attempts to reach their desired destination country.
In addition to the demographic imbalance, other important factors contributing to unauthorized migration include poverty, unemployment, low wages, harsh living conditions, violence, crime, persecution, political instability, armed conflict, lack of health care, limited education opportunities, and climate change.
Many migrant destination countries are experiencing record-high numbers of unlawful border crossings, unauthorized arrivals, and visa overstays, leading to millions of individuals living unlawfully within those countries.
Human rights regarding international migration are relatively straightforward. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country”. While all people have the right to leave and return to their country, they do not have the right to enter another without permission nor to overstay a temporary visit.
However, Article 14 of the Universal Declaration also states that “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”. As a result, many migrants entering a country without authorization claim asylum to escape persecution.
To be granted asylum, an individual must meet the internationally recognized definition of a refugee.
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees codified the right of asylum. The right to asylum is for anyone with “a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
The Convention and its Protocol, however, do not require governments to grant asylum to those who qualify.
By claiming asylum, migrants lacking legal authorization to enter are in principle permitted to remain in the destination country while their asylum claims are being adjudicated. Typically, the adjudication process takes several years and the large majority of asylum claims are denied.
For example, in the United States, approximately 70 percent of asylum claims have been denied over the past several years. Similarly, high levels of asylum claim denials, often exceeding 70 percent in first-instance asylum applications, are reported among many European countries, including France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Sweden.
Many destination countries, especially wealthy, more developed nations, view the extensive use of asylum claims by unauthorized migrants as a means of avoiding deportation. Although most claims are judged to lack merit, the large numbers of claims overwhelm the ability of countries to review them in a timely manner and enforce negative rulings to send people back to their home countries.
To address the large number of asylum claims, some countries are adopting various policies. For example, some countries are requiring unauthorized migrants to wait abroad while their asylum claims are being considered. Other countries are mandating that unauthorized migrants seek asylum in another country and have also implemented policies to transfer the migrants to different third countries for processing their asylum claim or for resettlement.
Looking towards the future, the world’s population, currently at 8.2 billion, is expected to increase by another two billion people over the next fifty years. During this time, the population of more developed regions is projected to decline by around 70 million.
In contrast, by 2075, the population of less developed regions, excluding the least developed countries, is projected to grow by close to 700 million. This significant population increase is about half the level expected for the least developed countries, which as a group are expected to increase by about 1.4 billion (Figure 3).
 
<div id="attachment_191185" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191185" class="size-full wp-image-191185" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration3.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="598" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration3.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration3-300x285.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/internationalmigration3-496x472.jpg 496w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Source: United Nations.</div>
 
While countries are addressing unauthorized migration, many of them are also experiencing or anticipating population decline. Despite the current and expected decreases in population size, countries are not ready to accept large numbers of immigrants.
Instead of increasing immigration numbers, countries are focusing on raising their low fertility rates, which have dropped and remain well below the replacement level.
Business leaders, employers, various non-governmental organizations, families, and some government officials acknowledge the benefits of international migration and may even tolerate some unauthorized migration.
However, many citizens in destination countries, particularly those on the political far right, increasingly view newcomers, especially those living in the country without authorization, as a threat to jobs, cultural integrity, national security, and a financial burden on public funds. Consequently, many governments in these countries have implemented policies and actions to deport migrants, especially those who are unauthorized.
Furthermore, opponents of increased immigration are worried that it will negatively impact their traditional culture, shared values, and national identity. They believe that immigration, particularly unauthorized migration, undermines their way of life, national security, ethnic heritage and social cohesion.
In conclusion, international migration has always been a fundamental, defining demographic phenomenon with significant economic, social and political implications worldwide. Currently, the global population of over 8.2 billion people is grappling with an escalating struggle over international migration.
On one side of this struggle are approximately 1.3 billion people desiring to emigrate, with many choosing to do so without authorization and often risking their lives to reach their destination. On the other side are over a billion people in destination countries attempting to prevent this emigration, reduce the rising numbers of immigrants, and deport those living in their territories without authorization, including many who are seeking asylum.
Given the demographics, significant differences between the two sides, and the current situations in various countries, it is likely that the struggle over international migration will persist throughout the 21st century.
 
Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division, and author of many publications on population issues, including his recent book, <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-22479-9?source=shoppingads&locale=en-jp#toc">“Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”</a>.
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<title>UN Drug Office Warns that Global Drug Crisis Will Intensify</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/un-drug-office-warns-global-drug-crisis-will-intensify/</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:58:09 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Oritro Karim</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Since 1989, the United Nations (UN) has recognized June 26 as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in an effort to raise awareness around the global drug problem and foster a more compassionate world, free of drug abuse. Through this year’s campaign, “Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime”, the UN underscores the importance of […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Ghada-Waly_-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Ghada-Waly_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Ghada-Waly_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime addresses the high-level debate of the General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters. Credit: UN Photo/Loey FelipeBy Oritro Karim UNITED NATIONS, Jun 27 2025 (IPS) Since 1989, the United Nations (UN) has recognized June 26 as the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-drug-abuse-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking</a> in an effort to raise awareness around the global drug problem and foster a more compassionate world, free of drug abuse. Through this year’s campaign, “Break the Cycle. #StopOrganizedCrime”, the UN underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of global drug abuse and illegal drug trading, and investing in reliable systems that prioritize prevention, education, and health.

Concurrently, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its annual <a href="https://www.unodc.org/unodc/data-and-analysis/world-drug-report-2025.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">World Drug Report</a>, in which it analyzed the current trends in global drug abuse amid a “new era of global instability”. In the report, UNODC emphasizes the wide ranging implications of drug use on the economy, the environment, global security, and human society. 
According to the report, roughly 316 million people used drugs (excluding tobacco and alcohol) around the world in 2023. UNODC also estimates that nearly half a million people around the world die annually as a result of drug use disorders, indicating a “global health crisis”. Roughly 28 million years of life are lost annually from disabilities and premature deaths due to addiction. Furthermore, there is an overwhelming lack of healthcare and education resources for individuals with drug use disorders, as only one in twelve people are estimated to have received treatment in 2023.
Cocaine has been described as the world’s fastest growing illicit drug in terms of global usage, production, and seizures. In 2023, approximately 3,708 tons of cocaine were produced, marking a 34 percent increase from the previous year. Roughly 2,275 tons were seized in 2023, a 68 percent increase from 2019’s figures. Additionally, global usage of cocaine has inflated to 25 million users in 2023. 
As nations began to implement harsher crackdowns on drug production, the use and transportation of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, has reached record-highs, accounting for nearly half of all global drug seizures. Drug trafficking groups have found ways to chemically conceal these drugs, making distribution much easier. 
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Fathi Waly states that organized drug trafficking groups around the world continue to exploit global crises, disproportionately targeting the most vulnerable communities. With worldwide synthetic drug consumption having surged in recent years, the UNODC forecasts that civilians displaced by armed conflicts face heightened risks of drug abuse and addiction. 
Although the cocaine market was once contained in Latin America, trade has extended through to Asia, Africa, and Western Europe, with Western Balkans having greater shares in the market. This is a testament to the influence of organized crime groups in areas facing instability, natural disasters, and economic challenges. 
According to the report, since the end of the Assad regime in Syria and the subsequent political transition, nationwide use of fenethylline — also known as captagon, a cheap, synthetic stimulant — has soared. Although the transitional government of Syria has stated that there is zero tolerance for captagon trade and consumption, UNODC warns that Syria will remain a significant hub for drug production. 
Angela Me, the Chief of Research and Analysis at UNODC, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164696" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">states</a> that captagon use in the Arabian peninsula was spurred by regional violence, with members of terrorist organizations using it on battlefields to stay alert. Due to its highly addictive properties, as well as its severe impacts on physical and mental health, the drug has seen widespread consumption over the past several years. 
“These groups have been managing Captagon for a long time, and production is not going to stop in a matter of days or weeks,” said Me. “We see a lot of large shipments going from Syria through, for example, Jordan. There are probably still stocks of the substance being shipped out, but we’re looking at where the production may be shifting to. We’re also seeing that the trafficking is expanding regionally, and we’ve discovered labs in Libya.” 
Global drug trafficking is estimated to generate billions of dollars per year. National budgets to combat drug trafficking, in terms of law enforcement and prosecution, cost governments millions to billions annually as well. Healthcare systems, which are often underfunded for addiction-related treatments, are overwhelmed by the vast scale of needs. Furthermore, damages related to theft, vandalism, violence, and lost productivity in the workplace have significant impacts on gross domestic products.
Additionally, increased rates of deforestation and pollution are linked with global drug cultivation. Additional adverse environmental impacts include ecosystem damage from drug waste, which yields notable costs in environmental restoration efforts. 
It is imperative for governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders to invest in programs that disrupt illicit drug trafficking groups and promote increased security, especially along borders, which are critical hubs for transporting concealed substances. Furthermore, cooperation at an international level is instrumental for the transfer of information and promoting a joint and multifaceted approach. 
“We must invest in prevention and address the root causes of the drug trade at every point of the illicit supply chain. And we must strengthen responses, by leveraging technology, strengthening cross-border cooperation, providing alternative livelihoods, and taking judicial action that targets key actors driving these networks,” said Waly. “Through a comprehensive, coordinated approach, we can dismantle criminal organizations, bolster global security, and protect our communities.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>UN80: Beyond Disposable Staff Distracting Reforms Restoring UN Effectiveness</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/un80-beyond-disposable-staff-distracting-reforms-restoring-un-effectiveness/</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 08:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naima Abdellaoui</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[Naïma Abdellaoui, Concerned International Civil Servant and Staff Representative. Member of the Executive Bureau of UNOG Staff Union]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="205" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Beyond-Disposable_-300x205.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Beyond-Disposable_-300x205.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Beyond-Disposable_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />By Naïma Abdellaoui GENEVA, Jun 27 2025 (IPS) In an era defined by the gig economy and pervasive job insecurity, advocating for permanent contracts within the United Nations might seem anachronistic, even counterintuitive.

Yet, clinging to a culture of short-term, precarious contracts is not just detrimental to staff well-being; it’s a strategic and financial misstep that undermines the UN’s core mission. 
Simultaneously, while internal restructuring under the banner of “UN 2.0” or “UN80” absorbs significant energy, the world burns with geopolitical fires demanding urgent, credible multilateral action. It’s time to re-focus: prioritize quality hires with stability AND make multilateralism genuinely effective, starting where it matters most – preventing mass atrocities.
The False Economy of Job Insecurity
The argument for limiting permanent contracts often hinges on perceived flexibility and cost savings. However, the reality is starkly different:
1. The High Cost of Turnover: Constantly recruiting, onboarding, and training staff for short-term roles is immensely expensive. Studies consistently show replacing an employee can cost 50-200% of their annual salary. For complex UN roles requiring deep institutional knowledge, context-specific understanding, and intricate diplomatic networks, these costs are amplified exponentially. Permanent staff represent a long-term investment whose value compounds over time.
2. Loss of Institutional Memory & Expertise: The UN tackles the world’s most complex challenges – climate change, pandemics, conflict resolution. Success requires deep historical understanding, nuanced relationships, and specialized expertise. A revolving door of staff erodes this vital institutional memory. Permanent contracts foster the accumulation and retention of irreplaceable knowledge critical for navigating protracted crises.
3. Diminished Loyalty & Engagement: Job insecurity breeds anxiety and disengagement. Staff on short-term contracts, constantly worried about renewal, are less likely to invest fully in long-term projects, challenge inefficient practices, or build the deep cross-departmental collaborations essential for UN effectiveness. Permanent status fosters commitment, psychological safety, and the courage to speak truth to power – vital assets for any organization, especially this one.
4. Quality Over Contract Length: The focus should shift decisively from “how long”someone is hired to “how well” they are selected and perform. Rigorous recruitment processes aimed at securing the best talent, coupled with robust performance management and accountability mechanisms, are the true guarantors of efficiency and effectiveness. 
Permanent contracts for highly qualified, competitively selected, high-performing staff provide the stability needed for excellence, not complacency. It’s penny-wise and pound-foolish to sacrifice long-term capability for illusory short-term budget flexibility.
UN80 Reforms: A Distraction from Existential Challenges?
 While streamlining processes and modernizing tools under initiatives like UN80 has merit, it risks becoming a consuming internal exercise that diverts attention from the UN’s fundamental crisis: the erosion of effective multilateralism in the face of escalating global turmoil.
The world confronts a resurgence of conflict, climate catastrophe accelerating faster than responses, democratic backsliding, and a fragmenting international order. Yet, the UN Security Council, the body charged with maintaining peace and security, remains paralyzed by the very tool meant to ensure great power buy-in: the veto. 
The ghost of the League of Nations haunts us – an institution fatally weakened by its inability to act decisively against aggression because powerful members could simply block consensus.
Reform Must Prioritize Action, Especially Against Genocide
 True UN reform cannot be confined to internal restructuring. It must courageously address the structural flaws that prevent the organization from fulfilling its primary mandate:
1. Veto Restraint on Atrocity Crimes: The most urgent starting point is suspending the use of the veto in Security Council resolutions aimed at preventing or stopping genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. 
When a permanent member wields its veto to shield perpetrators of these most heinous crimes, it betrays the UN’s foundational purpose and renders collective security a mockery. This specific, targeted reform is not about abolishing the veto wholesale but about preventing its most morally indefensible application. It is a litmus test for the credibility of UN reform.
2. Effectiveness Over Bureaucracy: Reforms must demonstrably enhance the UN’s ability to deliver tangible results on the ground – mediating conflicts effectively, delivering humanitarian aid unhindered, holding human rights abusers accountable, and implementing climate agreements with urgency. This requires empowering agencies, improving coordination, and ensuring mandates are matched with resources and political backing.
3. Reinvigorating Multilateralism: The UN must become a platform that fosters genuine dialogue and compromise, not just a stage for grandstanding. Reform should seek ways to better integrate emerging powers, strengthen the role of the General Assembly where feasible, and rebuild trust among member states around shared principles of the Charter.
Conclusion
 Advocating for permanent contracts is not a retreat into comfort; it’s a strategic investment in the UN’s human capital – the bedrock of its effectiveness. It fosters the expertise, loyalty, and long-term perspective needed to tackle generational challenges. 
Simultaneously, obsessing over internal restructuring while the mechanisms for global peace and security remain fundamentally broken is a dangerous distraction.
The UN was born from the ashes of catastrophic failure. Its reformers must have the courage to confront the structural impediments – including the unchecked veto enabling atrocity and the erosion of staff stability – that threaten to lead it down the same path. 
Let’s prioritize permanent expertise and permanent purpose. The world, beset by crisis, demands nothing less than a United Nations capable of fulfilling its promise. 
IPS UN Bureau
 
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Excerpt: Naïma Abdellaoui, Concerned International Civil Servant and Staff Representative. Member of the Executive Bureau of UNOG Staff Union]]></content:encoded>
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<title>‘Enabling Machines to Make Life and Death Decisions Is Morally Unjustifiable’</title>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:56:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>CIVICUS</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[  CIVICUS discusses autonomous weapons systems and the campaign for regulation with Nicole van Rooijen, Executive Director of Stop Killer Robots, a global civil society coalition of over 270 organisations that campaigns for a new international treaty on autonomous weapons systems. In May, United Nations (UN) member states convened in New York for the first […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By CIVICUS Jun 27 2025 (IPS)   
CIVICUS discusses autonomous weapons systems and the campaign for regulation with Nicole van Rooijen, Executive Director of Stop Killer Robots, a global civil society coalition of over 270 organisations that campaigns for a new international treaty on autonomous weapons systems. 

<div id="attachment_191143" style="width: 286px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191143" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Nicole-van-Rooijen.jpg" alt="" width="276" height="276" class="size-full wp-image-191143" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Nicole-van-Rooijen.jpg 276w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Nicole-van-Rooijen-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Nicole-van-Rooijen-144x144.jpg 144w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px" />Nicole van Rooijen</div>In May, United Nations (UN) member states convened in New York for the first time to confront the challenge of regulating autonomous weapons systems, which can select and engage targets without human intervention. These ‘killer robots’ pose unprecedented ethical, humanitarian and legal risks, and civil society warns they could trigger a global arms race while undermining international law. With weapons that have some autonomy already deployed in conflicts from Gaza to Ukraine, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has set a 2026 deadline for a legally binding treaty.
What are autonomous weapons systems and why do they pose unprecedented challenges?
Autonomous weapons systems, or ‘killer robots’, are weapons that, once activated by a human, can select and engage targets without further human intervention. These systems make independent decisions – without the intervention of a human operator – about when, how, where and against whom to use force, processing sensor data or following pre-programmed ‘target profiles’. Rather than using the term ‘lethal autonomous weapons systems’, our campaign refers to ‘autonomous weapons systems’ to emphasise that any such system, lethal or not, can inflict serious harm.
The implications are staggering. These weapons could operate across all domains – air, land, sea and space – during armed conflicts and law enforcement or border control operations. They raise numerous ethical, humanitarian, legal and security concerns.
The most troubling variant involves anti-personnel systems triggered by human presence or individuals or groups who meet pre-programmed target profiles. By reducing people to data points for algorithmic targeting, these weapons are dehumanising. They strip away our inherent rights and dignity, dramatically increasing the risk of unjust harm or death. No machine, computer or algorithm can recognise a human as a human being, nor respect humans as inherent bearers of rights and dignity. Autonomous weapons cannot comprehend what it means to be in a state of war, much less what it means to have – or to end – a human life. Enabling machines to make life and death decisions is morally unjustifiable.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has noted it is ‘difficult to envisage’ scenarios where autonomous weapons wouldn’t pose significant risks of violating international humanitarian law, given the inevitable presence of civilians and non-combatants in conflict zones.
Currently, no international law governs these weapons’ development or use. As the technology advances rapidly, this legal vacuum creates a dangerous environment where autonomous weapons could be deployed in ways that violate existing international law while escalating conflicts, enabling unaccountable violence and harming civilians. This is what prompted the UN Secretary-General and the ICRC president to <a href="https://www.icrc.org/en/document/joint-call-un-and-icrc-establish-prohibitions-and-restrictions-autonomous-weapons-systems" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jointly call for urgent negotiations</a> on a legally binding international instrument on autonomous weapons systems by 2026.
How have recent consultations advanced the regulatory agenda?
The informal consultations held in New York in May, mandated by UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 79/62, focused on issues raised in the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 <a href="https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4059475?v=pdf&ln=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report</a> on autonomous weapons systems. They sought to broaden awareness among the diplomatic community and complement the work around the <a href="https://disarmament.unoda.org/the-convention-on-certain-conventional-weapons/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons</a> (CCW), emphasising risks that extend far beyond international humanitarian law.
The UNGA offers a crucial advantage: universal participation. Unlike the CCW process in Geneva, it includes all states. This is particularly important for global south states, many of which are not a party to the CCW.
Over two days, states and civil society explored human rights implications, humanitarian consequences, ethical dilemmas, technological risks and security threats. Rich discussions emerged around regional dynamics and practical scenarios, examining how these weapons might be used in policing, border control and by non-state actors or criminal groups. While time constraints prevented exhaustive exploration of all issues, the breadth of engagement was unprecedented. 
The Stop Killer Robots campaign found these consultations energising and strategically valuable. They demonstrated how UN processes in Geneva and New York can reinforce each other: while one forum provides detailed technical groundwork, particularly in developing treaty language, the other fosters inclusive political leadership and momentum. Both forums should work in tandem to maximise global efforts to achieve an international legally binding instrument on autonomous weapons systems. 
What explains the global divide on regulation?
The vast majority of states support a legally binding treaty on autonomous weapons systems, favouring a two-tier approach that combines prohibitions with positive obligations.
However, roughly a dozen states oppose any form of regulation. Among them are some of the world’s most heavily militarised states and the primary developers, producers and likely users of autonomous weapons systems. Their resistance likely stems from the desire to preserve military superiority and protect economic interests, and the belief in inflated claims about these weapons’ supposed benefits promoted by big tech and arms industries. Or perhaps they simply favour force over diplomacy.
Whatever their motivations, this opposition underscores the urgent need for the international community to reinforce a rules-based global order that prioritises dialogue, multilateralism and responsible governance over unchecked technological ambition.
How do geopolitical tensions and corporate influence complicate international regulation efforts?
It is undeniable that geopolitical tensions and corporate influence are challenging the development of regulations for emerging technologies.
A handful of powerful states are prioritising narrow military and economic advantages over collective security, undermining the multilateral cooperation that has traditionally governed arms control. Equally troubling is the expanding influence of the private sector, particularly large tech companies that operate largely outside established accountability frameworks while wielding significant sway over political leaders.
This dual pressure is undermining the international rules-based order precisely when we most need stronger multilateral governance. Without robust regulatory frameworks that can withstand these pressures, development of autonomous weapons risks accelerating unchecked, with profound implications for global security and human rights.
How is civil society shaping this debate and advocating for regulation?
Anticipating the challenges autonomous weapons systems would pose, leading human rights organisations and humanitarian disarmament experts founded the Stop Killer Robots campaign in 2012. Today, our coalition spans over 270 organisations across more than 70 countries, working at national, regional and global levels to build political support for legally binding regulation.
We’ve played a leading role in shaping global discourse by highlighting the wide-ranging risks these technologies pose and producing timely research on weapons systems evolution and shifting state positions.
Our multi-level strategy targets all decision-makers who can influence this agenda, at local, regional and global levels. It’s crucial that political leaders understand how autonomous weapons might be used in warfare and other contexts, enabling them to advocate effectively within their spheres of influence for the treaty we urgently need.
Public pressure is key to our approach. Recent years have seen growing weapons systems autonomy and military applications, particularly in ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, alongside rising use of technologies such as <a href="https://lens.civicus.org/facial-recognition-the-latest-weapon-against-civil-society/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facial recognition</a> in civilian contexts. Public concern about the dehumanising nature of these technologies and the lack of regulation has grown online and offline. We frame these concerns along the whole spectrum of automated harm, with autonomous weapons representing the extreme, and highlight the critical need to close the gap between innovation and regulation.
We also collaborate with experts from arms, military and technology sectors to bring real-world knowledge and credibility to our treaty advocacy. It is crucial to involve those who develop and deploy autonomous weapons to demonstrate the gravity of current circumstances and the urgent need for regulation.
We encourage people to take action by signing our <a href="https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/take-action/now/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">petition</a>, asking their local political representatives to sign our <a href="https://www.stopkillerrobots.org/parliamentary-pledge/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Parliamentary Pledge</a> or just spreading the word about our campaign on social media. This ultimately puts pressure on diplomats and other decision-makers to advance the legal safeguards we desperately need.
GET IN TOUCH 
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/stopkillerrobots.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/stopkillerrobots" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a> 
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/stopkillerrobots/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a> 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/campaign-to-stop-killer-robots/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> 
<a href="https://x.com/BanKillerRobots" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> 
<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nicolevanrooijen.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nicole/Bluesky</a> 
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-van-rooijen/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nicole/LinkedIn</a>
SEE ALSO 
<a href="https://lens.civicus.org/facial-recognition-the-latest-weapon-against-civil-society/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facial recognition: the latest weapon against civil society</a> CIVICUS Lens 23.May.2025 
<a href="https://lens.civicus.org/weaponised-surveillance-how-spyware-targets-civil-society/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Weaponised surveillance: how spyware targets civil society</a> CIVICUS Lens 24. Apr.2025 
<a href="https://publications.civicus.org/publications/2025-state-of-civil-society-report/technology-human-perils-of-digital-power/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Technology: Human perils of digital power</a> CIVICUS | 2025 State of Civil Society Report
 
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<title>Fixing the House the World Built: A Realistic Plan for UN Reform</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/fixing-house-world-built-realistic-plan-un-reform/</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:52:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Stephanie Hodge</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[I’ve spent much of my life in the machinery of international development, navigating acronyms, crises, and committee rooms with stale coffee. Through it all—amid war zones, climate summits, and remote island consultations—one institution has remained constant: the United Nations. Revered, ridiculed, relied upon. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the UN, in its current form, is […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Fixing-the-House_-300x200.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Fixing-the-House_-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Fixing-the-House_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Credit: United NationsBy Stephanie Hodge NEW YORK, Jun 27 2025 (IPS) I’ve spent much of my life in the machinery of international development, navigating acronyms, crises, and committee rooms with stale coffee. Through it all—amid war zones, climate summits, and remote island consultations—one institution has remained constant: the United Nations.

Revered, ridiculed, relied upon.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the UN, in its current form, is not fit for purpose.
That’s not a call to abandon it. It’s a call to fix the house the world built before the roof collapses entirely. Because while the UN remains the only institution with near-universal legitimacy, its structures are badly outdated. 
The world it was built for in 1945 no longer exists. Today’s threats—climate collapse, mass displacement, AI-driven inequality—demand a smarter, leaner, more inclusive United Nations. Reform is no longer a luxury. It’s an obligation.
So, how do we get there?
Start with Governance.
The Security Council is the UN’s most glaring anachronism. It reflects post-WWII power, not today’s multipolar reality. But full-scale reform has failed for decades. So let’s be pragmatic. Expand the Council to include regional permanent seats without veto, allowing Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and SIDS a permanent voice. 
Introduce term-based rotation for new seats, and bind permanent members to veto restraint in the face of mass atrocities. These reforms won’t fix everything, but they’ll chip away at the legitimacy deficit.
Follow the Money.
One of the UN’s biggest problems isn’t policy—it’s how it’s funded. Over 70% of UN development work is paid for by earmarked, donor-driven funds, creating a patchwork of pet projects and weakened country ownership. The solution? Cap earmarked funding. Reinvest in core funding mechanisms. 
Introduce a Global Solidarity Contribution—a small levy on air travel or financial transactions—to create independent funding for global public goods. Because right now, the people who suffer most from climate collapse or pandemics have the least say in how UN funds are spent.
Empower the Country Level.
Ask any government where the UN matters most, and the answer is the country office—not New York. Yet the UN Development System remains fragmented and turf-driven. 
It’s time to give Resident Coordinators real authority across agencies, consolidate back-office functions, and scrap duplicative structures. One-UN should mean one plan, one budget, one voice. Let’s stop pretending otherwise.
Reclaim Technical Integrity.
The UN’s comparative advantage was never its bureaucracy. It was its expertise. But too often, technical roles are politicized or handed to parachuted consultants with little country context. We need a Global Technical Corps—a pool of deployable UN experts drawn from all regions, especially the Global South. 
We need to enforce merit-based hiring and ensure at least 30% of senior posts go to nationals from least developed countries. Diversity shouldn’t be window dressing—it should drive decisions.
Make It Democratic.
The UN Charter begins with “We the peoples”—not “We the diplomats.” Yet citizens have little say in the institution that governs global rules. We need a UN Parliamentary Assembly—an advisory body elected or nominated by regional blocs. 
We need to formally include civil society in decision-making and ensure transparency in how leaders are chosen and money is spent. If the UN doesn’t reflect people’s voices, it risks irrelevance.
These aren’t utopian dreams. They are strategic, staged, and long overdue reforms. Start small. Pilot in willing countries. Build coalitions across the Global South and reform-minded donors. Anchor reform in crisis moments, when political will opens a window for change.
Because the next time there’s a war the UN can’t stop, a climate emergency it’s too slow to respond to, or a famine it’s too bureaucratic to prevent—people won’t ask why the system failed. They’ll ask why we didn’t fix it when we had the chance.
The UN doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to work. For everyone. 
Let’s get to work.
Stephanie Hodge is an international evaluator and former UN advisor who has worked across 140 countries. She writes on governance, multilateral reform, and climate equity. 
IPS UN Bureau
 
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<title>A Crisis-Stricken UN’s Frantic Hunt for Low-Cost Locations—away from New York & Geneva</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/crisis-stricken-uns-frantic-hunt-low-cost-locations-away-new-york-geneva/</link>
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<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2025 05:01:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Thalif Deen</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[In the US, the success of a business enterprise or the value of real estate is reflected in a repetitive and alliterative phrase: “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION”. As the UN continues its plans for system-wide restructuring– amidst a growing liquidity crisis– one of the key issues on the negotiating table is the re-location of UN agencies: […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="101" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/UN-geneva_-300x101.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/UN-geneva_-300x101.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/UN-geneva_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), housed at the historic Palais des Nations, is the second largest United Nations centre after the UN Headquarters in New York. The facility, an outstanding testimony to twentieth century architecture, is situated in the Ariana Park in Geneva, Switzerland.By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Jun 27 2025 (IPS) In the US, the success of a business enterprise or the value of real estate is reflected in a repetitive and alliterative phrase: “LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION”.
As the UN continues its plans for system-wide restructuring– amidst a growing liquidity crisis– one of the key issues on the negotiating table is the re-location of UN agencies: a choice between high-cost and low-cost duty stations. 

The two major UN locations, New York and Geneva, are described as “among the most expensive cities in the world”, making it challenging for the UN to operate within its current budget. 
Besides the UN headquarters, New York city is also home to several UN agencies, including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women and the UN children’s agency UNICEF.
The city of Geneva, considered “a hub for global diplomacy”, is hosting more than 40 international organisations and UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation, the World Trade Organisation, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), among others.
Reacting to a possible partial UN pullout from Geneva, the Swiss Government last week announced “a generous financial package of support to the United Nations presence in Geneva.”
 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is “very much appreciative of the Swiss Federal Council for this decision”. The United Nations is determined to continue working in partnership with Switzerland to advance the cause of multilateralism. 
“Our presence in Geneva remains an integral part of the UN system. The Swiss support is crucial for this continued endeavour”, said Guterres.
According to a report from Reuters, Switzerland will spend 269 million Swiss francs ($329.37 million) to support Geneva as a hub for international diplomacy.
The 269 million francs covers the period from 2025 to 2029, with the government requesting a credit of 130.4 million francs from parliament later this year, a 5% increase from the previous period. The government has already approved 21.5 million francs for urgent measures to help Geneva-based organisations.
Asked for his comments, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters: “You know, we see it as an act of generosity on the part of the Swiss Federal Government to support the United Nations’ work in Geneva. The UN’s presence in Geneva is critical. It is also historical, and we very much welcome the efforts of the Swiss Government in that regard.” 
Somar Wijayadasa, formerly Director and Representative of UNAIDS at the United Nations in New York (1995-2000), told IPS “It is a generous move– but to dole out about $60 million extra each year is “peanuts” for the Swiss Govt. considering the billions of dollars that the 40 UN Agencies in Geneva contribute annually to its coffers.” 
In the “UN80” initiative to audit and merge overlapping bureaucracies across all UN agencies, it can move some programs to more affordable locations around the world. 
A good example, he said, is the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) that was created in 1995, in the height of the AIDS pandemic (with 3.3 million people with HIV and almost a million died) has successfully curtailed the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic – from a death sentence to a manageable disease with proven treatments.
“UNAIDS can be easily re-merged with WHO, and located in countries in the Global South – with lower operational costs – where the burden of behavioral transmission challenges of HIV/AIDS remain highest. A leaner, regional, behavior-focused program could maintain awareness, and continue essential work without the legacy overhead.”
Another example, he pointed out, is the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in New York and its branch in Geneva. The UN cannot, or has failed, to disarm or reduce the annually-increasing military budgets of the US, Russia, India or China. 
For example, the UN finally adopted the now legally binding TPNW Treaty but which country has given up its nuclear weapons or stopped other countries’ urge to create a nuclear weapon to protect themselves from hegemonic warmongers?
In this modern age of communications, there are many bloated UN departments in costly New York and Geneva that can effectively, and cost efficiently, function from any developing country, declared Wijayadasa.
Meanwhile, as part the UN’s relocation plans, there are reports that the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women may be moved out of New York and relocated to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, described as the fourth-largest UN headquarters and the only one in the Global South.
Currently Nairobi serves as the global headquarters for <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNEP&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQIAxAB&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNEP</a> (United Nations Environment Programme) and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UN-Habitat&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQIAxAC&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UN-Habitat</a>. Besides these, several other UN agencies have offices in Nairobi, including <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNICEF&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAB&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNICEF</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNDP&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAC&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNDP</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=FAO&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAD&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAO</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNIDO&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAE&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNIDO</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNODC&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAF&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNODC</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=UNV&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAG&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNV</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=031453346484e3fe&cs=0&sxsrf=AE3TifMsHnZ5ozC9wIN3IbfpkpxwaYtFHA%3A1750942609468&q=WHO&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjenvjBkY-OAxX4lokEHZiKDLoQxccNegQICxAH&mstk=AUtExfCWsxC84W5bRfAUEuFSvMY6qLcMdQnVPB5BEtmyxplyCvX1fe2OUd-E1AwZLHtagPo0T24jtTTigjEvv42irMbdJKlgn8S9l5sahggwwzMueZIThDkeNkMU5Lp1Uk90RfemPrEHnJumDRHhaDViA7e4-xM3HTtNCSJAL24YiVtB0Tc&csui=3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">WHO</a>.
But Kenya is currently embroiled in a political crisis. If the turmoil continues, the UN may have second thoughts on relocating more of its offices in Nairobi.
A New York Times report June 26 and titled “Kenyans Battle the Police a Year After Deadly Tax Protests” says at least 8 people were killed and hundreds injured amid nation-wide protests “laid bare the anger at President William Ruto’s government”
On June 26, the UN Human Rights Office said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of several deaths of protesters and many more injuries – of protesters and police officers – during demonstrations in Kenya on Wednesday.”
 “We are concerned by reports that some protesters had gunshot wounds. Under international human rights law, lethal force by law enforcement officers, such as firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary in order to protect life or prevent serious injury from an imminent threat.”
Asked about the death toll and injuries in Nairobi, Dujarric told reporters June 26 said: “We’re obviously concerned about the violence that we’ve seen in Kenya. We’re closely monitoring the situation, very saddened by the loss of life”
“We look forward to an independent and transparent investigation. And it bears reminding that under international law, under human rights law, lethal force by law enforcement such as firearms should only be used when strictly necessary in order to protect life or prevent serious injury of an imminent threat,” declared Dujarric.
Additionally, some of the other European countries hosting UN agencies include: 
<ul>• Austria: Vienna hosts the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 
• Netherlands: The Hague is the seat of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), one of the principal organs of the UN. 
• France: Paris hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 
• Italy: Rome is home to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Brindisi hosts the UN Global Service Centre (UNGSC), including the UN Humanitarian Response Depot. 
• Germany: Bonn hosts several UN organizations, including the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program, and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). 
• Denmark: Copenhagen houses the headquarters of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). 
• United Kingdom: London is home to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). 
• Spain: Madrid hosts the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). 
• Belgium: Brussels hosts the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), a Regional Office for Europe of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and a Liaison Office of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). </ul>
Besides Nairobi, the UN is also exploring three other possible relocation sites: Doha, Qatar Kigali, Rwanda and Valencia, Spain.
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Brazil’s Most Sustainable Capital Puts Value on its Waste</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/brazils-sustainable-capital-puts-value-waste/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:23:08 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Mario Osava</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Development & Aid]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Living with her neighbours, getting to know them and chatting with them is what Lucila Neves enjoys most in the community orchard of Portal de Ribeirão, a neighbourhood in the south of Florianopolis, considered the most sustainable of Brazil’s 27 state capitals. The biodegradable packaging entrepreneur chose to live in the capital of the southern […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="225" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1-300x225.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Community orchard in Ribeirão, a neighbourhood in Florianopolis, the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. There are more than 150 such orchards in the city, which serve as a final destination for the compost produced from their organic waste. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1-200x149.jpg 200w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-1.jpg 976w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Community orchard in Ribeirão, a neighbourhood in Florianopolis, the capital of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. There are more than 150 such orchards in the city, which serve as a final destination for the compost produced from their organic waste. Credit: Mario Osava / IPSBy Mario Osava FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) Living with her neighbours, getting to know them and chatting with them is what Lucila Neves enjoys most in the community orchard of Portal de Ribeirão, a neighbourhood in the south of Florianopolis, considered the most sustainable of Brazil’s 27 state capitals.
The biodegradable packaging entrepreneur chose to live in the capital of the southern state of Santa Catarina, where she came from Ribeirão Preto, 950 kilometres to the north.
She is one of the people who voluntarily take care of the huge variety of vegetables, medicinal plants and fruit trees planted on about 1000 square metres.
The neighbourhood’s residents accepted the planting started 15 months ago, because it cleaned up the area where a private company used to compost organic waste for the municipality, without the necessary care.
Gone are the mice, mosquitoes, cockroaches and the bad smell that had infested the place, said biologist Bruna do Nascimento Koti, a primary school teacher and permanent volunteer in the garden, where she was together with Neves on the day IPS visited the space.
Now the state-owned Capital Improvement Company (Comcap) also makes clean compost there, with organic waste collected by the population in closed plastic buckets distributed by the Florianopolis city government.
In addition to providing inexpensive and healthy vegetables without agrochemicals, the orchard promotes conviviality, with a Thursday tea gathering and sometimes collective cultivation on Saturdays, Koti said.
<div id="attachment_191149" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191149" class="wp-image-191149" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2.jpg" alt="Bruna do Nascimento Koti is one of the volunteers who tends the garden at Portal de Ribeirão, in the south of the Brazilian city of Florianopolis, where community life is promoted and healthy food is provided to neighbours and volunteer gardeners. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS" width="629" height="472" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-2-200x149.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Bruna do Nascimento Koti is one of the volunteers who tends the garden at Portal de Ribeirão, in the south of the Brazilian city of Florianopolis, where community life is promoted and healthy food is provided to neighbours and volunteer gardeners. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS</div>
The Florianopolis <a href="https://www.pmf.sc.gov.br/">municipality</a> has chosen composting and recycling as the main alternatives for managing the solid waste generated by the city’s 537 000 people, to which many tourists and seasonal residents are added during the southern summer.
It is estimated that of the 700 tonnes of daily waste, 43% is dry recyclable waste and 35% organic waste, the use of which is to be increased in order to reduce the proportion of waste destined for landfill. There is 22% of non-recyclable waste left over.
Currently only 13% of the total is recycled, while the remaining 87% goes to the landfill in the neighbouring municipality of Biguaçu, 45 kilometres from Florianopolis, which receives waste from 23 cities, Karina de Souza, director of solid waste at the Florianopolis Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development, told IPS.
But official statistics point to significant progress. Food waste used in composting increased more than four times, from 1175 tonnes in 2020 to 5126 tonnes in 2024, according to Souza’s records.
Green organics, as waste from tree pruning and other vegetation is called, more than doubled during that period. Glass also increased by a factor of 2.5 and materials that arrive mixed and go through separation before recycling almost quadrupled.
The ‘Zero Waste’ programme adopted by the mayor’s office in 2018 sets a target of recycling 60% of dry waste and 90% of organic waste by 2030, a goal that seems far off.
<div id="attachment_191150" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191150" class="wp-image-191150" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3.jpg" alt="Waste already separated for recycling, in this case glass. Tyres, plastics and cardboard are other materials collected for recycling at the Waste Recovery Centre near the city centre of Florianopolis in southern Brazil. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS" width="629" height="472" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-3-200x149.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Waste already separated for recycling, in this case glass. Tyres, plastics and cardboard are other materials collected for recycling at the Waste Recovery Centre near the city centre of Florianopolis in southern Brazil. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS</div>
Waste has value
The Comcap Waste Recovery Centre, located in the Itacorubi neighbourhood, near the city centre and next to the Botanical Garden, is at the heart of the municipal policy to solve the waste challenge.
It concentrates the city’s large composting yard, a central facility for separating recyclable waste and another for transferring disposable waste and compacting it into larger trucks for transport to the landfill.
It also includes a Waste Museum, especially for environmental education, and an ecopoint where residents deposit their recyclable waste, such as wood, electronics, paper, plastics and glass.
There are nine ecopoints distributed throughout the city, which receive around 11 000 tonnes of recyclable waste per year for sorting and handling.
This waste, also collected from other sources, is transferred to warehouses where glass, packaging cartons, corrugated paper, plastics and tyres are collected separately for recycling. But they arrive mixed with rubbish and have to go through human separation and sorting, called triage.
This is the area of the Association of Collectors of Recyclable Material, which, hired by Comcap, separates the waste for the buyers, generally the recycling industry.
Of the 75 members, about 40% are immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, but also Peruvians, Haitians and Colombians, according to Volmir dos Santos, the association’s president, during IPS’ visit to the facility.
Founded in 1999, the group was initially made up of street waste collectors. With the advance of municipal management, selective collection in residences, industries and commerce, in addition to the ecopoints, they became ‘triadores’, those who separate, classify and sell the waste ready for recycling.
“We suffered prejudice, discrimination and shame, now we gain respect,” Dos Santos celebrated.
<div id="attachment_191151" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191151" class="wp-image-191151" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4.jpg" alt="Two young Venezuelans who immigrated to Brazil and found employment at the Waste Valorisation Centre in Florianopolis. Haitian and Peruvian migrants also work at the facility. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS" width="629" height="472" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-4-200x149.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Two young Venezuelans who immigrated to Brazil and found employment at the Waste Valorisation Centre in Florianopolis. Haitian and Peruvian migrants also work at the facility. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS</div>
No incineration of waste
But the broad movement of recycling workers, from various associations and cooperatives, seeks to influence municipal plans. It opposes, for example, the burning of non-recyclable waste for energy generation, an alternative that is growing among industrial countries.
There are at least 3035 solid waste combustion plants in the world, known as Waste-to-Energy, said Yuri Schmitke, president of the <a href="https://abren.org.br/">Brazilian Association of Energy from Waste</a> (Abren), which brings together 28 companies in the sector.
It is the way to achieve the goal of ‘zero waste’ or the elimination of landfills, since recycling has limits –there is always a percentage that cannot be reused and incineration replaces fossil fuels, he argued.
Countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Nordic European nations have managed to use 100% of their waste, he said, by eliminating these landfills or final solid waste deposits.
Restrictions and allegations of environmental and even sanitary damage have been dispelled in several European countries, Japan and Korea, with the implementation of these plants even in central parts of large cities, without such negative effects, he pointed out.
Paris already has three of them in its so-called extended city centre, where the population density reaches 15 000 people per square kilometre, he said.
“Incineration puts an end to the cycle, it excludes recycling definitively, and Brazil is very different from Europe, it has already had failed experiences,” countered Dorival Rodrigues dos Santos, president of the Federation of Associations and Cooperatives of Waste Pickers of Santa Catarina, which claims to represent 28,000 workers.
It calls for a broad debate between technicians and collectors on the subject, given that this alternative is beginning to gain followers in Brazil. The municipality of Joinville, with 616 000 inhabitants and 170 kilometres from Florianopolis, has plans to install a plant to generate electricity by burning waste.
Florianopolis is looking to send non-recyclable waste to the cement industry, which is interested in using it as fuel instead of fossil fuels, said De Souza, Florianopolis’ director of solid waste.
<div id="attachment_191152" style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191152" class="wp-image-191152" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5.jpg" alt="Aparecida Napoleão leads a waste collection movement in her building, an example of the benefits of separating and recycling different materials in the southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS" width="629" height="472" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5.jpg 976w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Basura-5-200x149.jpg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" />Aparecida Napoleão leads a waste collection movement in her building, an example of the benefits of separating and recycling different materials in the southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS</div>
Recycling first
“We defend the primacy of recycling over incineration. The goal is to improve recycling, we have not exhausted the advances,” according to Karolina Zimmermann, the engineer who works with the collectors.
Progress in recycling depends not only on new technologies, such as those that separate mixed or even melted materials, dyes and chemical elements in plastics or paperboard. The environmental education of consumers in order to separate waste is key to increase reuse.
Aparecida Napoleão is an example of how recycling monitoring has taken hold. In her building of 126 luxury flats, she spearheads a movement to separate all waste, from the small glass containers she sends to artisanal jelly producers to special papers that can be turned into notebooks, plastics and even bottle caps.
A retired social worker from the Florianopolis municipality, she has organised a chain of shelves and bins on the ground floor of the building for dozens of different types of materials. She tries to guide her neighbours, but recognises that even so, there are always those who put rubbish in the wrong place.
“It’s a lot of work, you have to be patient, explain, ask repeatedly until they understand the importance of separation,” she says.
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<title>What the Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran Means for Israel-Palestine Conflict</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/what-the-ceasefire-between-israel-and-iran-means-for-the-israel-palestine-conflict/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:24:04 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Naomi Myint Breuer</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Armed Conflicts]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The Trump administration announced on June 23 that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran had been reached following 10 days of conflict between the two nations and the United States’ bombardment of three nuclear sites in Iran. The establishment of the ceasefire will return focus back to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="195" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/ISRAEL-300x195.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="A family in Der Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip, who received clothing from UNICEF. Communities in the Gaza Strip were affected by the recent exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran, as well as the ceasefire announced on June 23. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed Nateel" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/ISRAEL-300x195.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/ISRAEL-768x499.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/ISRAEL-629x409.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/ISRAEL.jpg 936w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />A family in Der Al Balah, in the Gaza Strip, who received clothing from UNICEF. Communities in the Gaza Strip were affected by the recent exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran, as well as the ceasefire announced on June 23. Credit: UNICEF/Mohammed NateelBy Naomi Myint Breuer UNITED NATIONS, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) The Trump administration announced on June 23 that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran had been reached following 10 days of conflict between the two nations and the United States’ bombardment of three nuclear sites in Iran. The establishment of the ceasefire will return focus back to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations estimates that 610 Iranians and 28 Israelis were killed due to the exchange of strikes between Israel and Iran. With the cessation of the conflict, the region can recover from these damages, as well as come closer to stability, peace and a chance to focus on their already existing humanitarian crises.
Amid fears of an escalating global conflict, humanitarian organizations expressed concern about the far-reaching humanitarian implications in regions such as Gaza and the West Bank, where conditions are already dire. With the ongoing blockade in Gaza, civilians are unable to acquire food, clean water, humanitarian aid, healthcare and fuel. These regions have also been subject to routine bombardment by Israel, and conditions worsened after some communities were impacted by the strikes between Israel and Iran, according to American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA).
“Nothing since WWII can equal it, with bombs deliberately targeting hospitals and civilians and UN agencies like the World Food Program and World Health Organization being blocked,” James E. Jennings, president of Conscience International and Executive Director of U.S. Academics for Peace, told IPS.
The 10 day conflict between Israel and Iran led to increased military raids, arrests, violence and damage to infrastructure. The period shifted focus away from Palestinians, reducing donations and advocacy.
The ceasefire and potential de-escalation of tensions between its neighbors should bring the international focus back to Palestine’s humanitarian crisis.
With Iran severely weakened, former New York University (NYU) international relations professor Dr. Alon Ben-Meir says the country will not be able to support its Axis of Resistance in the near future. He predicts Iran will attempt to come to an agreement with the U.S. in regard to its nuclear program. Israel, on the other hand, is now in a powerful position as it has diminished Hamas’, Hezbollah’s, and now Iran’s threat against them, according to Ben-Meir.
“Sadly, Israel’s triumphant assault on Iran may further embolden Netanyahu to try to attain his ‘total victory’ in Gaza, which, in my view, is elusive at best,” Ben-Meir said.
Israel seemed to confirm this prediction.
“Now the focus shifts back to Gaza—to bring the hostages home and to dismantle the Hamas regime,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military chief, said.
With Iran and Hamas temporarily out of the equation, Ben-Meir said Trump has a chance to demand an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and “to think in terms of changing the dynamic” of the conflict.
Ben-Meir said that only if Trump pushes for an end to the war can a resolution be reached. Yet, he said that while Netanyahu remains in power, it is unlikely that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will end, which will still leave the region in an unstable state.
“Although this will not lead to a regional peace that would include all the players, it has created a more positive regional atmosphere,” he said.
Ben Meir also predicts that the cessation of tensions with Iran is unlikely to change the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“Netanyahu is riding high and will relent only if Trump tells him to stop using humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages,” he said.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on June 22 after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites. Following pushing for peace in the region, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres praised the ceasefire.
“I urge the two countries to respect it fully,” Guterres wrote on X. “The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much.”
IPS UN Bureau Report 
 
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<title>A Growing Gap between Principle and Implementation: 20 Years of Responsibility to Protect</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/growing-gap-principle-implementation-20-years-responsibility-protect/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:28:51 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Armed Conflicts]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[United Nations member states this week reiterated their commitment to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity—at a time when world powers are failing to meet these obligations. On the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, the UN held a Plenary Meeting to discuss the landmark commitment […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="225" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate-300x225.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the debate at the UN on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. The debate marked the 20th anniversary of its adoption at the 2005 World Summit. Credit: Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate-629x472.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate-200x149.jpg 200w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/un-debate.jpg 936w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the debate at the UN on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine. The debate marked the 20th anniversary of its adoption at the 2005 World Summit. Credit: Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin LevineBy Jennifer Xin-Tsu Lin Levine UNITED NATIONS, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) United Nations member states this week reiterated their commitment to the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity—at a time when world powers are failing to meet these obligations.

On the 20th anniversary of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine, the UN held a Plenary Meeting to discuss the landmark commitment to the doctrine. Although many speakers praised the policy’s work on prevention capacity, members largely criticized the inconsistency and hypocrisy of states that have failed to adhere to the doctrine’s guidelines.
The representative from Slovenia criticized the Security Council permanent members’ veto power on issues addressing genocide and human rights violations, arguing that the veto slows the quick response needed for such issues when people’s dignity is threatened. She further suggested that there should be no veto power from Permanent Members in cases where R2P is involved.
This statement, although not explicitly, calls out the United States and the Russian Federation, the two Permanent Member states who have exercised their veto power in the past year—for the US, in regard to the Middle East and Palestine specifically, and for Russia, in regard to Sudan and South Sudan.
This critique is not new; the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) coalition of small and medium-sized states proposed a <a href="https://www.globalr2p.org/resources/code-of-conduct-regarding-security-council-action-against-genocide-crimes-against-humanity-or-war-crimes/">“Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes,”</a> which, according to the R2P website, “calls upon all members of the <a href="https://www.globalr2p.org/calling-for-a-unsc-code-of-conduct/">Security Council</a> (both permanent and elected) to not vote against any credible draft resolution intended to prevent or halt mass atrocities.” As of 2022, 121 member states and two observers have signed.
By reframing the protection of civilians from mass atrocities as a governmental duty and responsibility, R2P was <a href="https://www.globalr2p.org/what-is-r2p/">created</a> after inadequate responses to genocide in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Although the initiative has been successful for mediating in regions like The Gambia and Kenya, as Secretary-General António Guterres noted in his report entitled “<a href="https://www.globalr2p.org/resources/sg-2025-report/">Responsibility to Protect: 20 years of commitment to principled and collective action</a>,” R2P has failed to push the UN towards action in places like Syria or Myanmar, where veto deadlock prevented aid or policy change.
Another hindrance to R2P’s efficacy, as both Slovenia and a representative from Australia noted, is what the latter referred to as general impunity and lack of accountability for many states.
Criticizing sanctions and dismissal of international court rulings such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), this statement may have been in response to US sanctions towards four ICC judges after the court opened investigations concerning both the US and Israel’s military actions.
Neither nation recognizes the ICC’s authority, making them not subject to ICC rulings.
In a statement from the White House, President Donald Trump said, “The United States will impose tangible and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s transgressions, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, as well as their immediate family members, as their entry into our Nation would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”
Multiple representatives reaffirmed their respect for impartial judicial rulings and international courts and tribunals in the General Assembly meeting despite verbal and economic pushback from some of the most influential member states.
The R2P’s most glaring inconsistency between principle and implementation lies in the conflict in Gaza. The representative from Indonesia highlighted the genocide against Palestine as “the R2P’s most urgent test,” urging member states to revive the sanctity of international law and restore trust in the UN’s ability to enforce their policy. As trust in the UN has <a href="https://theglobalobservatory.org/2025/05/is-public-trust-in-the-un-falling-a-look-at-global-survey-data/">waned</a>, many feel a growing pressure to re-legitimize the institution through their actions, particularly regarding crimes against humanity.
As one representative noted, “History will judge us all.”
IPS UN Bureau Report 
 
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<title>Increased Demand for Cobalt Fuels Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/increased-demand-for-cobalt-fuels-ongoing-humanitarian-crisis-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:09:44 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Juliana White</dc:creator>
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<description><![CDATA[The demand for cobalt and other minerals is fueling a decades-long humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In pursuit of money to support their families, Congolese laborers face abuse and life-threatening conditions working in unregulated mines. Used in a variety of products ranging from vitamins to phone and car batteries, minerals […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/INTENALLY-DISPLACED-300x200.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Living in Camp Roe in the Democratic Republic of Congo Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/INTENALLY-DISPLACED-300x200.png 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/INTENALLY-DISPLACED-768x512.png 768w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/INTENALLY-DISPLACED-629x419.png 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/INTENALLY-DISPLACED.png 936w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Living in Camp Roe in the Democratic Republic of Congo Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder DebebeBy Juliana White UNITED NATIONS, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) The demand for cobalt and other minerals is fueling a decades-long humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In pursuit of money to support their families, Congolese laborers face abuse and life-threatening conditions working in unregulated mines.
Used in a variety of products ranging from vitamins to phone and car batteries, minerals are a necessity, making daily tasks run smoothly. The DRC is currently known as the world’s largest producer of cobalt, accounting for nearly 75 percent of global cobalt production. With such high demands for the mineral, unsafe and poorly regulated mining operations are widespread across the DRC.
The exploitation of workers is largely seen in informal, artisanal, small-scale mines, which account for 15 to 30 percent of the DRC’s cobalt production. Unlike large industrial mines with access to powerful machines, artisanal mine workers typically excavate by hand. They face toxic fumes, dust inhalation, and the risk of landslides and mines collapsing daily.
Aside from unpaid forced labor, artisanal small-scale mines can be a surprisingly good source of income for populations with limited education and qualifications. The <a href="https://ipisresearch.be/">International Peace Information Service (IPIS)</a> reports that miners can make around 2.7 to 3.3 USD per day. In comparison, about 73 percent of the population in the DRC makes 1.90 USD or less per day. However, even with slightly higher incomes than most, miners still struggle to make ends meet.
Adult workers are not the only group facing labor abuse. Due to minimal regulations and governing by labor inspectors, artisanal mines commonly use child labor. The <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab">U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs</a> reports that children between the ages of 5 and 17 years old are forced to work in mineral mines across the DRC.
“They are unremunerated and exploited, and the work is often fatal as the children are required to crawl into small holes dug into the earth,” said Hervé Diakiese Kyungu, a Congolese civil rights attorney.
Kyungu testified at a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 14, 2022. The hearing was on the use of child labor in China-backed cobalt mines in the DRC. Kyungu also said that in many cases, children are forced into this work without any protection.
Children go into the mines “…using only their hands or rudimentary tools without protective equipment to extract cobalt and other minerals,” said Kyungu.
Despite the deadly humanitarian issue at hand, the solution to creating a more sustainable and safe work environment for miners is not simple. The DRC has a deep history of using forced labor for profit. Starting in the 1880s, Belgium’s King Leopold relied on forced labor by hundreds of ethnic communities across the Congo River Basin to cultivate and trade rubber, ivory and minerals.
While forced and unsafe conditions kill thousands each year, simply shutting down artisanal mining operations is not the solution. Mining can be a significant source of income for many Congolese living in poverty.
Armed groups also control many artisanal mining operations. These groups use profits acquired from mineral trading to fund weapons and fighters. It is estimated that for the past 20 years, the DRC has experienced violence from around 120 armed groups and security forces.
“The world’s economies, new technologies and climate change are all increasing demand for the rare minerals in the eastern Congo—and the world is letting criminal organisms steal and sell these minerals by brutalizing my people,” said Pétronille Vaweka during the 2023 U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) award ceremony.
Vaweka is a Congolese grandmother who has mediated peace accords in local wars.
“Africans and Americans can both gain by ending this criminality, which has been ignored too long,” said Vaweka.
One way to mitigate the crisis is through stricter laws and regulations. Many humanitarian organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and the <a href="https://www.ilo.org/">International Labour Organization (ILO)</a>, strongly advocate for such change.
The UN has deployed a consistent stream of peacekeepers in the DRC since the country’s independence in 1960. Notable groups such as the <a href="https://peacekeeping.un.org/ar/mission/past/onucB.htm">UN Operation in the Congo (ONUC)</a> and the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) were established to ensure order and peace. MONUC later expanded in 2010 to the <a href="https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/monusco">UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO)</a>.
Alongside peace missions, the UN has made multiple initiatives to combat illegal mineral trading. They also created the <a href="https://www.unicef.org/">United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)</a>, which is dedicated to helping children in humanitarian crises.
The ILO has seen success through its long-standing project called the <a href="https://www.ilo.org/projects-and-partnerships/projects/global-accelerator-lab-galab">Global Accelerator Lab (GALAB)</a>. Its goal is to increase good practices and find new solutions to end child labor and forced labor worldwide. Their goal markers include innovation, strengthening workers’ voices, social protection and due diligence with transparency in supply chains.
One group they have set up to coordinate child protection is the <a href="https://www.cocoainitiative.org/our-work/operational-support/child-labour-monitoring-and-remediation-systems">Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS)</a>. In 2024, the ILO reported that the program had registered over 6,200 children engaged in mining in the Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces.
Additionally, GALAB is working on training more labor and mining inspectors to monitor conditions and practices.
While continued support by various aid groups has significantly helped the ongoing situation in the DRC, more action is needed.
“This will require a partnership of Africans and Americans and those from other developed countries. But we have seen this kind of exploitation and war halted in Sierra Leone and Liberia—and the Africans played the leading role, with support from the international community,” Vaweka said. “We need an awakening of the world now to do the same in Congo. It will require the United Nations, the <a href="https://au.int/">African Union</a>, our neighboring countries. But the call to world action that can make it possible still depends on America as a leader.”
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Lawmakers in Maldives Pledge to Support Women Leaders</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/lawmakers-in-maldives-pledge-to-support-women-leaders/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 11:18:43 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Cecilia Russell</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191126</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A meeting of parliamentarians in Malé, the Maldives, pledged to provide an enabling environment for emerging women leaders by supporting them and promoting a political culture rooted in mutual respect, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. This was one of the main features of the Malé Declaration, agreed to by more than 40 participants from parliaments, governments, […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="200" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1200-300x200.jpeg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Delegates at AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, which focused on the ICPD Program of Action and 2030 Agenda. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of Maldives" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1200-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1200-629x419.jpeg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1200.jpeg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Delegates at AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, which focused on the ICPD Program of Action and 2030 Agenda. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of MaldivesBy Cecilia Russell MALÉ & JOHANNESBURG, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) A meeting of parliamentarians in Malé, the Maldives, pledged to provide an enabling environment for emerging women leaders by supporting them and promoting a political culture rooted in mutual respect, inclusivity, and equal opportunity.

This was one of the main features of the Malé Declaration, agreed to by more than 40 participants from parliaments, governments, international organizations, NGOs, youth organizations, and academia across 15 countries during the AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, which focused on the ICPD Program of Action and 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, aiming to address youth and women empowerment.
The meeting was co-hosted by the People’s Majlis of the Maldives and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) through the Japan Trust Fund (JTF).
The lawmakers agreed to commission evidence-based research on barriers to women’s political participation. The research will “examine the social, cultural, economic, and institutional impediments to women’s pursuit of political office and leadership roles in the member states in Asia, including the Maldives,” the declaration said, with the outcomes serving as a foundation for targeted policy interventions and legislative reforms to enhance women’s political engagement.
<div id="attachment_191128" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191128" class="size-full wp-image-191128" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195.jpeg" alt="Dr. Anara Naeem (MP, Huraa Constituency/Maldives)" width="630" height="630" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195.jpeg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195-100x100.jpeg 100w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195-144x144.jpeg 144w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1195-472x472.jpeg 472w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Dr. Anara Naeem, MP, Huraa Constituency/Maldives</div>
In an interview ahead of the meeting, Dr. Anara Naeem (MP, Huraa Constituency/Maldives) told IPS that advocating for women’s rights started when they were young and parliamentarians had an active role in ensuring that women are encouraged to become involved in the economy.
Reacting to a question on the UNFPA research, which shows that 40 percent of young women are not engaged in employment, education, or training (NEET), she noted many core challenges, including high youth unemployment despite free education up to a first university degree. The country, like others, had to deal with gender stereotypes that prioritized women’s domestic role over careers—and with social participation barriers, “stereotypes limit women’s public engagement.”
Policymakers, Naeem said, were focusing on addressing these using multiple strategies, including promoting postgraduate scholarships and vocational training (tourism, tech, and healthcare aligned with job markets), encouraging women into STEM and non-traditional fields via mentorship, and integrating leadership and career advancement programs to address the glass ceiling.
Parliamentarians were also looking at innovative ways to boost the public sector hiring of women and incentivize private sector partnerships through tax benefits, flexible work, and career progression pathways.
“We also host community dialogues (haa saaba) and engage religious leaders to shift mindsets,” Naeem said.
<div id="attachment_191130" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191130" class="size-full wp-image-191130" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/oX1iFDj4JNIH39gysd5qzaInO4mbxAsWbubAX3dk-1.jpg" alt="AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, held in Malé, Maldives. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of Maldives" width="630" height="420" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/oX1iFDj4JNIH39gysd5qzaInO4mbxAsWbubAX3dk-1.jpg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/oX1iFDj4JNIH39gysd5qzaInO4mbxAsWbubAX3dk-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/oX1iFDj4JNIH39gysd5qzaInO4mbxAsWbubAX3dk-1-629x419.jpg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, held in Malé, Maldives. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of Maldives</div>
 
<div id="attachment_191131" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-191131" class="size-full wp-image-191131" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1201.jpeg" alt="AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, held in Malé, Maldives. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of Maldives" width="630" height="420" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1201.jpeg 630w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1201-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IMG_1201-629x419.jpeg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px" />Speakers at the AFPPD’s Sub-Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Women Empowerment and Investment in Young People, held in Malé, Maldives. Credit: People’s Majlis of the Republic of Maldives</div>
The Maldivian government was working to enforce gender equality laws (anti-discrimination, parental leave, and addressing the glass ceiling) and allocate a budget for childcare, job programs, and women’s grants, including the enforcement of paid maternity leave for up to six months and no-pay leave for a year in all government offices. It was also encouraging the private sector to do likewise.
However, the success of these plans requires “coordinated action across government, the private sector, NGOs, and communities to create relevant jobs, dismantle cultural barriers (including the glass ceiling), provide critical support (childcare, robust maternity leave), and enable flexible pathways for young women’s economic and social participation.”
Parliamentarians also committed to working with the relevant Maldivian authorities to undertake a thorough “review and enhancement of national school curriculum to align it with job matrix. This initiative shall integrate principles of gender equality, women’s rights, civic responsibility, leadership, and sustainable youth development, fostering transformative educational content to instill progressive values from an early age.”
Naeem said lawmakers were also playing a special role in addressing issues affecting the youth like drug use and mental health, where they were “combining legislative action, oversight, resource allocation, and public advocacy.”
This included updating drug laws to target traffickers, decriminalizing addiction, and prioritizing treatment. While parliamentarians were lobbying for increased funding for rehab centers and the training of psychologists and medication subsidies, they were using national media to create awareness and holding local dialogues.
“Our key focus in law reform includes better rehab frameworks, funding oversight, public awareness partnerships, building support systems, minimizing service delivery gaps, and reducing relapse—shifting towards prevention and recovery in the Maldivian context,” Naeem said.
Participants at the meeting recommitted themselves to working with all stakeholders to advance the ICPD PoA and achieve the 2030 Agenda and reaffirmed the 2024 Oslo Statement of Commitment.
IPS UN Bureau Report
 
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<title>Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a New Insurance Protects India’s Poorest Women</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/rising-temperatures-rising-inequalities-how-a-new-insurance-protects-indias-poorest-women/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 06:09:24 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Manipadma Jena</dc:creator>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191120</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<img src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2023/09/BURNING-PLANET-illustration_text_100_2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="108" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-181966" /> For streetside sellers of artificial jewelry and for recyclers toiling under the increasingly torrid temperatures caused by climate change, innovative insurance means not all is lost when their wares are ruined or it is too hot to work. But is this a panacea or an opportunity for the authorities to ignore their responsibilities to the poorest workers of India?]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2023/09/BURNING-PLANET-illustration_text_100_2.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="108" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-181966" /> For streetside sellers of artificial jewelry and for recyclers toiling under the increasingly torrid temperatures caused by climate change, innovative insurance means not all is lost when their wares are ruined or it is too hot to work. But is this a panacea or an opportunity for the authorities to ignore their responsibilities to the poorest workers of India?]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Iran— Deja Vu All Over Again</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/iran-deja-vu/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 05:17:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>James E. Jennings</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Armed Conflicts]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191118</guid>
<description><![CDATA[James E. Jennings, PhD is President of Conscience International]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="136" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IAEA-chief-Rafael-Grossi_-300x136.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IAEA-chief-Rafael-Grossi_-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/IAEA-chief-Rafael-Grossi_.jpg 624w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Iran has reported no increase in radiation levels outside Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites. After surprise US bombing raids on Iranian uranium enrichment facilities over the weekend, the head of the UN-backed nuclear watchdog on Monday appealed for immediate access to the targeted sites to assess the damage that is likely “very significant”. 23 June 2025. Credit: Dean Calma/IAEABy James E. Jennings ATLANTA, USA, Jun 26 2025 (IPS) Chest thumping “Mission Accomplished” claims by President Trump that he ordered the world’s biggest conventional bombs to be dropped on a sleeping nation of 90 million people, were premature. To top it off he bragged that Iran’s nuclear capacity was devastated and that the whole nation fired “not a single shot” back.

That rosy scenario was greatly tempered a couple of days later when the US Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Iran’s nuclear program was set back only a few months. And the New York Times listed the doppelganger effect of echoing the Bush Administration’s claim of “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq, when in fact years of struggle and loss followed. 
The US withdrew from Iraq not with a bang but a whimper. Saddam Hussein never had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) as Bush alleged.
At least George W. Bush had the decency to wait awhile before making his widely mocked “Mission Accomplished” claim after invading Iraq, which proved to be ten years premature. The US attack on Iran on June 21 was based on the same kind of hallucinatory paranoia about a non-existent nuclear bomb threat as had fueled the Iraq War hysteria in Washington in 2003. 
Both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the President’s own Director of National Intelligence denied that Iran has either a nuclear weapons program or enough high-grade uranium to produce a bomb. 
Even the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Trump’s pal in Jerusalem, Bibi Netanyahu, admit that 60% enrichment is not 90%, the percentage required to make a bomb. 
Administration advocates are therefore reduced to claiming that the US bombed Iran solely on “suspicious intentions,” which is exactly what the George W. Bush Administration used as a pretext to attack a practically defenseless Iraq in 2003. 
A criminal charge based on a that claim would get the plaintiff tossed out, if not laughed out, of every courtroom in the United States.
The marvelously choreographed US stealth attack on Iran, long urged by Israel, was based on protecting not just Israel’s security, but its total domination of the Middle East with US backing. There are two things wrong with that policy. Neither a secure ally in Jerusalem nor a steady partner in Washington supports it. 
Israel is a tiny country in a vast area and cannot hope to forever dominate the countries around it, as a glance at the map will demonstrate. The thin margin in the Israeli Knesset is sure to be unstable. Then too, American support is variable, depending on public attitudes, budget constraints, a volatile Congress, and events and political parties that change over time.
The main reason for the 2003-2011 war, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, was false. The claim of the G.W. Bush Administration that the US faced the threat of a “mushroom cloud” over Washington was a wild fantasy. Vice President Cheney went so far as to say that there is “no doubt” that Iraq already has WMD. 
The idea that Iraq somehow supported the 9/11 attacks against the US was also untrue. None of the reasons given for the war were true—all were lies. The evidence was available and plain to see, but the war was started anyway.
The world was shocked when Israel went ahead and attacked Iran, presumably with a green light from Mr. Trump, only a few days before diplomatic talks were scheduled to begin. That deception is reminiscent of the deadly Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into WW II while diplomacy was being simultaneously offered in Washington. 
 The fact is that this war has been advocated and planned for decades by Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu. If you use the WW II test for which side is guilty of blatant aggression, Hitler and his Axis allies in Tokyo or Roosevelt, you would say Hitler and Tojo. 
Today the shoe is on the other foot. Israel and the United States, acting in concert, have indeed launched an illegal war of aggression (which defenders call “choice”) against Iran. No matter how many talking heads and newspapers cheer the attack, it was still illegal.
The UN charter has been breached and the American Constitution violated. What are US citizens going to do about it? 
Violence cannot make friends, bring peace with 90 million Iranians whose sovereignty has been violated, or enable Israel to rule the Palestinian people. Their watchword is sumud, steadfast resistance.
IPS UN Bureau
 
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Excerpt: James E. Jennings, PhD is President of Conscience International]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Small-Scale Enterprise Becomes a Beacon of Hope for Afghan Women</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/small-scale-enterprise-becomes-beacon-hope-afghan-women/</link>
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<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:05:53 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>External Source</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Asia-Pacific]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=191113</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="273" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/cellarrestaurant-300x273.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/cellarrestaurant-300x273.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/cellarrestaurant-518x472.jpg 518w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/cellarrestaurant.jpg 629w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />A bustling Kabul street near the unmarked stairway down to the women-only restaurant—located in a basement to ensure no women can be seen from outside, since they are barred from working or dining in public with men. Credit: Learning Together.By External Source KABUL, Jun 25 2025 (IPS) It was a sunny winter day in Kabul. I decided to step out and take a stroll around my surroundings. With my long dress and hijab on, I left the house. Since I was not too far from home, I did not need the company of a Mahram, a male guard, by my side – a strict restriction placed on Afghan women by the Taliban.
Life in the city was bustling, children selling plastic bags by the roadside while ordinary people went about in various ways.
As I walked, my eyes caught a sign that indicated a restaurant for women only, serving a variety of local and national dishes. I was intrigued, given that in a city filled with numerous hotels and restaurants, mostly run by men, this particular one was operated by women catering to only women customers.
I decided to pursue further. The sign took me fifteen stairs deep into the basement of a building, where the women working in the restaurant could not be seen from outside.
 
From Home-Kitchen Hustle to Full-Blown Restaurant
I was met by a woman who friendly welcomed me. As I sat in the restaurant, memories of the past flooded my mind. I had visited restaurants with my family and friends prior to the Taliban takeover of our country. There used to be laughter, we shared meals and enjoyed each other’s company without fear or restriction.
We could sit together, converse openly, and enjoy life, free from the oppressive atmosphere that now defines our current situation. Those days were full of joy and possibility, and the memories are among the happiest I have ever had; now they feel like a distant, almost unreachable past.
A waitress snapped me back to the present as she took my order. I was curious to know how the women had managed to set up a workplace outside home in the heart of Kabul.
One of the proprietors who wanted to remain anonymous narrated the story: “My daughter and I were driven by unemployment and poverty into preparing delicious food at home and selling it online at low price”.
“The business gradually flourished, even though initially we made many mistakes”, said the young woman, a law degree holder, forced by the Taliban to abandon further studies.
After saving 800,000 Afghanis, and an additional 100,000 <a href="https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/countries/afghanistan_en">European Union support</a>, they decided to start their own restaurant. The rented place has a fully equipped kitchen and a large hall for customers.
Inside the beautifully decorated walls, girls are busy preparing dough for bolani, a thin-crusted flat bread widely consumed in Afghanistan often filled with potatoes, leeks, grated pumpkin, or chives.
Due to the Taliban crack down on women outside home, the restaurant has become a lifeline to most of the women working there, who recently lost their jobs.
Among them is Wahida, a young girl who said she lost her job as an office worker. “It has been over three years since my colleagues and I lost our jobs with the arrival of the Taliban,” she said, adding, “I was left wondering what to do”.
But now with the opening of the women-only restaurant by the two enterprising women, she and ten of her colleagues, have had a salaried job for the past one month.
And that was precisely one of the motivations for Farhard and her mother opening the restaurant – creating jobs and providing financial independence for women who had been thrown out of jobs by the Taliban.
“Women’s work outside the home has brought great hope to the women working in our restaurant, because they can support their families with their salaries”, said Farhard.
“Besides that”, she continued, “a restaurant is a good source of income and reintroduces the culture of cooking authentic Afghan food for people in the most beautiful way possible”.
They are licensed by the Ministry of Commerce and their customer base is steadily increasing. The proprietors provide training in catering and service to applicants before hiring them.
 
Navigating the Tightrope of Taliban Rules
Ever since the Taliban burst onto the political scene four years ago with indiscriminate ban on women from working outside home, Afghan women are exploring income-generating business options. Tailoring and custom-made dressmaking are among the most common, while the restaurant sector also provides a viable alternative for many others.
This women-only restaurant can only operate because it strictly follows all Taliban rules. It’s located in a basement to ensure that no women can be seen from outside, as women are not allowed to work outside or eat in public with men.
They pay monthly taxes to the Taliban, all staff are women, and they follow hijab and other religious regulations set by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.
Yet in spite of the great lengths, which women take to generate incomes, the Taliban are still looming not far behind.
“Officials from the so-called Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice conduct weekly inspection visits to our restaurant,” complains Wahida.
The inspections, she says, “ensure that all the women are wearing their hijabs properly, with their faces covered, and dressed in the appropriate long dress, as the regulations demand”.
Apart from that, they thoroughly check the entire restaurant to ensure no men are working there, since women are strictly forbidden to work in the same place as men.
To the women working in the restaurant, these inspections are undoubtedly viewed as unnecessary harassment. They feel scrutinized and yet powerless to fight against it.
However, Wahida has a message for the brave Afghan women: “Don’t despair, find the small niches the private sector allows, and keep moving forward.”
 
 
Excerpt: The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons]]></content:encoded>
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<title>How the Commonwealth Climate Access Hub Reaches the Most Vulnerable</title>
<link>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/commonwealth-climate-access-hub-reaches-vulnerable/</link>
<comments>https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/commonwealth-climate-access-hub-reaches-vulnerable/#respond</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:43:10 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>External Source</dc:creator>
<category><![CDATA[Climate Action]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[  The Commonwealth Climate Access Hub responds to the needs of its member countries, including their most vulnerable people to build resilience and climate-smart communities. The hub, which started with USD 10 million ten years ago, now has supported countries to unlock close to USD 500 million in climate finance and has half a billion […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img width="300" height="182" src="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Commonwealth-Climate-Access-Hub_-300x182.jpg" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Commonwealth-Climate-Access-Hub_-300x182.jpg 300w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Commonwealth-Climate-Access-Hub_-629x382.jpg 629w, https://www.ipsnews.net/Library/2025/06/Commonwealth-Climate-Access-Hub_.jpg 630w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />By External Source Jun 25 2025 (IPS-Partners)
The Commonwealth Climate Access Hub responds to the needs of its member countries, including their most vulnerable people to build resilience and climate-smart communities. 

The hub, which started with USD 10 million ten years ago, now has supported countries to unlock close to USD 500 million in climate finance and has half a billion dollars worth of projects in the pipeline. 
<iframe loading="lazy" width="630" height="355" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CwVvhVNbn1k" title="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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