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News and Views from the Global South

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African Fish Workers Excluded From International Trade Deals: Report

Thu, 07/03/2025 - 09:39

Fish products on sale in a supermarket in Zimbabwe. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPS

By 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 From promises to perils: Small-scale fisheries overlooked in the EU-Gabon, 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.

The European Union sets aside €2.6 million annually 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) says African countries face pressing challenges 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,” FAO noted in a 2024 report on the state of global fisheries.

The World Bank estimates that the fisheries and aquaculture sectors contribute USD24 billion to the African economy 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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Categories: Africa

Post-Earthquake Myanmar Faces ‘Immense’ Suffering, Cannot Be Forgotten

Thu, 07/03/2025 - 09:26

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

By 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 reports 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 estimates. 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 reports.

So far, 61 percent of the target population in need of humanitarian health services have been reached, according 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 working 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 reports 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

What the Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran Means for Israel-Palestine Conflict

Categories: Africa

UN80: Alternative Reform Pathways — Fiscal Prudence, Relocation Realities, & Underutilized Charter Mechanisms

Thu, 07/03/2025 - 07:01

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 Voisard

By 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

Excerpt:

Naïma Abdellaoui is a Concerned International Civil Servant and Staff Representative Member of the Executive Bureau of UNOG Staff Union

Categories: Africa

Pumped Storage Hydropower is an Option for Latin America

Wed, 07/02/2025 - 22:26

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 / Ignitis

By 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 Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)."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.

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

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 Energy Research Company (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.

The engine room of the Río Grande Complex, a reversible power plant in the province of Córdoba in north-central Argentina. Credit: Epec

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 Global Petrol Prices 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.

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

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.

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

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 Latin American Energy Organisation (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%).

Categories: Africa

Democracy under Attack: Why the World Needs a New UN Special Rapporteur

Wed, 07/02/2025 - 19:18

Cover photo by OHCHR

By Samuel King and Inés M. Pousadela
BRUSSELS, Belgium / MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jul 2 2025 (IPS)

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 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 70 per cent 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 specialised rapporteurs, democracy – supposedly a core UN principle – receives no systematic international oversight. This is a blind spot civil society wants to change.

Today’s threats to democracy 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 Belarus to Venezuela, 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 rise of right-wing populism across Europe and in the USA 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 fundamental gaps 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 highlighting how democratic backsliding undermines the rights they’re mandated to protect.

A democracy rapporteur could investigate 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 Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes that ‘public authority must derive from the will of the people’, while article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 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 Inter-American Democratic Charter 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 requested an advisory opinion to clarify whether democracy constitutes a fundamental human right and what tangible obligations this imposes on states.

These foundations provide an actionable definition of democracy that respects diverse democratic models while upholding universal principles, sidestepping cultural relativist arguments 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 joint statement 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 resolution 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 ENSURED: Shaping Cooperation for a World in Transition at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Inés M. Pousadela is CIVICUS Senior Research Specialist, writer at CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

For interviews or more information, please contact research@civicus.org

Categories: Africa

Multi-Year Drought Gives Birth to Extremist Violence, Girls Most Vulnerable

Wed, 07/02/2025 - 14:57

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/IPS

By 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, Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025 released today at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4).

UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw noted that while drought is here and escalating, it demands urgent global cooperation. Photo courtesy: UNCCD

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 (UNCCD) and the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC).

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 extremist violence, 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.

Extracting water from a traditional well using a manual pulley system. Credit: Abdallah Khalili / UNCCD

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.

Global Drought Outlook 2025 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 (IDRA) 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

Categories: Africa

From Parliaments to the G20: A Call to Champion Women’s Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights

Wed, 07/02/2025 - 06:45

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:

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 Beijing Political Declaration, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa 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

Categories: Africa

The Juggling of Aid: How WFP is Delivering More with Less

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 19:59

In 2024, the World Food Programme delivered emergency assistance to at least 90 million people globally. Credit: Unsplash/Imdadul Hussain

By 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 2024 annual review, 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 said: “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 UNICEF’s plan 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 School Meals Coalition, 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 Building Blocks (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 SCOUT, 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

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

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 warns: “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

Categories: Africa

FFD4 Must Deliver for the World’s Most Vulnerable Nations

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 10:59

OHRLLS Office Banner. Credit: OHRLLS

By 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.

USG Rabab Fatima

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 Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3), 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:

1. Debt relief and restructuring

2. Scaling up concessional finance

3. Mobilizing private capital

4. Climate finance justice

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

Categories: Africa

Women and War: Victims of Violence and Voices of Peace

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 10:23

Women protesting against gender-based violence on International Women’s Day in Liberia. Credit: UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein

By 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.

UN Women 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).

The Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence 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 United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) 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.

UN Women 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 Attack 2024 report, 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 GCPEA 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. Studies 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 Colombia’s Peace Agreement, 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,” said 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

Increased Demand for Cobalt Fuels Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Categories: Africa

Science Is Useless if No One Understands It

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 09:55

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

By 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 (IITA) 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 report, 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 CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board, 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 (UNESCO). Through its Open Science 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

Categories: Africa

US Mayors Renew Call for US to Lead World–Back from Nuclear Brink

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 08:37

Credit: ICAN/Tim Wright

By 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, “Urging the United States to Lead the World Back From the Brink of Nuclear War and Halt and Reverse the Nuclear Arms Race.” 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 H. Res. 317, “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

Excerpt:

Jacqueline Cabasso is Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation and Mayors for Peace, North American Coordinator

Categories: Africa

As FfD4 Kicks Off in Spain, Global Cooperation Still Matters

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 08:24

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), began 30 June and will conclude 3 July 2025 in FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre, Spain.

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 Compromiso de Sevilla 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

Excerpt:

Michael Jarvis is Executive Director, Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative (TAI)

Categories: Africa

Trump Undresses Rival Trade Myths

Tue, 07/01/2025 - 07:57

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.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram

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 unequal exchange.

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 promote new industries, often at high cost, with his Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, 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 World Bank and others 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 MAGA base.

IPS UN Bureau

Categories: Africa

When Life-Saving Treatment Disappears: The Coming Crisis in Child Malnutrition

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 19:40

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 Skullerud

By Heather Stobaugh
NEW YORK, Jun 30 2025 (IPS)

On July 1st, USAID officially shuts down 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, the American people have supported the production, shipment, and administration of treatment packets, called ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), to save the lives of children suffering from a severe form of malnutrition, which affects 19 million children worldwide at any given moment.

These RUTF packets of specially-formulated nutrient-dense paste, often branded as “Plumpy’nut”, boast recovery rates exceeding 90% 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 11 times more likely to die 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, supported approximately 50 percent of the global RUTF supply.

As a result, production of RUTF has halted, with most manufacturers receiving no new orders since December 2024. Eighteen countries face RUTF stockouts set to begin this month, creating a shortage of over two million cartons that could treat over two million malnourished children.

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, nutrition response funding has been slashed nearly in half, leaving one in two severely malnourished children without treatment. UNICEF estimates that Ethiopia will run out of RUTF supplies 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 tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV, 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 before RUTF, child survival from malnutrition was about 25%; with RUTF, it’s over 90%. Leading scientists and researchers were conducting rigorous research investigating how to optimize the dosage of RUTF and piloting new formulations to make limited resources stretch to reach more children in need of treatment.

Other innovative research on preventing relapse through gut microbiome restoration was showing tremendous promise for sustainable solutions and conserving resources. Together with improved public health programs, our world has seen annual child mortality rates drop from 12.9 million in 1990 to 4.8 million in 2023.

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. Peanut farmers in rural Georgia and dairy farmers across the country, critical to the RUTF supply chain, now face canceled contracts and uncertain futures.

MANA Nutrition in Fitzgerald, Georgia – which has produced RUTF to treat 10 million children across the globe since 2010 – estimates it has enough cash to keep running through August at best 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 approval of $50 million for RUTF, representing 1.4 million boxes of the life-saving supplies 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, every 11 seconds, a child dies from malnutrition-related causes. 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

Excerpt:

Dr. Heather Stobaugh is Associate Director of Research and Innovation, Action Against Hunger

Categories: Africa

Global Tobacco Control Efforts Protect up to 6.1 Billion People

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 18:31

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 Tsuru

By 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 Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report 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 claim 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 WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures include:

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 new data portal, 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 said, “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 account 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

Categories: Africa

Mexico’s Judicial Elections: A Democratic Mirage

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 12:13

Credit: Toya Sarno Jordan/Reuters via Gallo Images

By 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 881 federal judicial positions, 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 ‘the most democratic country in the world’ may turn out to be a dangerous deception.

Judicial independence under attack

The judicial election was the culmination of a controversial constitutional reengineering 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 systematic assault on institutions that checked executive power during López Obrador’s presidency. Between 2018 and 2024, the National Electoral Institute faced repeated budget cuts and legislative attacks. The National Institute for Access to Public Information was eliminated 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 struck down López Obrador’s key legislative proposals as unconstitutional. The president responded with aggressive public criticism, accusing judges of corruption and cutting the judiciary’s budget. When the Supreme Court invalidated 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 close to 60 per cent and Morena secured a supermajority in Congress, the outgoing government introduced constitutional amendments as part of ‘Plan C’, with judicial elections the centrepiece. Despite protests by judicial workers, students and opposition groups, the bill passed in September.

The new system replaced merit-based appointments with a process where candidates are pre-screened by Evaluation Committees 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 international standards requiring stable, politically independent judicial funding.

Another concerning development is the new Judicial Disciplinary Tribunal, 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 13 per cent voter turnout, 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, dozens of candidates were identified as having potential ties to drug cartels, including the former defence lawyer for notorious drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, who got elected in Chihuahua state. Vulnerability to criminal infiltration is particularly alarming given Mexico’s context, where political violence has reached unprecedented levels – 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 filing an amicus curiae – friend of the court – brief before the Mexican Supreme Court challenging the reform’s constitutionality. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed ‘grave concern’ about judicial independence, access to justice and the rule of law. These concerns were echoed by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and the International Bar Association.

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 weaken protection 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 CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

For interviews or more information, please contact research@civicus.org

Categories: Africa

The Young Nigerian Innovator Lighting Up Communities With Recycled Solar Innovation

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 11:13

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

By 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. Anigbogu is the co-founder of LightEd, a company that turns plastic waste into solar-powered charging stations. 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.”

Stanley Anigbogu, 2025 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Credit: LightEd

The Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work, 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.”

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

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.

Stanley Anigbogu stands inside a work in progress. Credit: LightEd

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. According to the World Bank, 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.

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

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.

Stanley Anigbogu finds light in waste. Credit: LightEd

“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.

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

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 Commonwealth Peace Prize 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.

IPS UN Bureau Report

Categories: Africa

The Demographic Struggle Over International Migration

Mon, 06/30/2025 - 10:52

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).

Source: United Nations and Gallup Polls.

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).

Source: Gallup Polls.

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.

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).

Source: United Nations.

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, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.

Categories: Africa

The Young Nigerian Innovator Lighting Up Communities With Recycled Solar Innovation

Sat, 06/28/2025 - 23:57

By Cecilia Russell
Jun 28 2025 (IPS)

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. Stanley is the co-founder of LightEd, a company that turns plastic waste into solar-powered charging stations. 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.

For Stanley, 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.”

He said, “These awards enable us to learn more about the work being done by young people across the Commonwealth and offers 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”.

Lighting Up Communities

Stanley 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.

After secondary school, Stanley 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, Stanley 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. According to the World Bank, 85 million Nigerians do not have access to electricity from the national grid. This means about 43% of the population lives without regular power, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of people without electricity.

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 Stanley, who added that the company works closely with communities to create solutions tailored to their needs.

Helping Displaced People

Stanley’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.

“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,” Stanley said.

Looking Ahead

Stanley’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, Stanley says the harder task is finding the right strategies and structures to expand into new regions and countries.

But for Stanley, 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.

IPS UN Bureau Report

IPS UN Bureau, IPS UN Bureau Report,

Categories: Africa

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