Op-Ed

By Joseph Chamie NEW YORK, Jan 20 2020 (IPS) – Whenever the issue of population comes up, pro-growth demographic dogma invariably dominates. Governments, political parties, businesses, the media and many others typically praise population growth and lament population slowdown, stabilization or decline. The demographic dogma basically advocates maintaining robust population growth and a larger and youthful population. Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder It was a partially cloudy afternoon at the Nepali resort of Nagarkot where I along with more than a dozen men associated with the Panos institute South Asia stayed for several nights doing a workshop. Sponsors were from Panos North East India. Tourists coming to this resort without fail try to have a glimpse of the Everest ... Read More »

By Thalif Deen UN, Jan 17 2020 (IPS) – The United States and 18 other UN member states have come under fire for denying a woman’s legitimate right to “bodily autonomy”—the right to self-governance over one’s own body without coercion or external pressure. Read More »

The greatest birthday present ‘teachers’ and Imams in Bangladesh can give Bangabandhu on his 100th birthday anniversary this March 17, would be to amend their ways, abolish corporal punishment in its many forms, and stop damaging his children – the future of Bangladesh… the supreme assets of the nation. Read More »

Danielle Nierenberg It may be Dry January for some, but there’s no shortage of unique ideas in the alcohol world to become more sustainable. Breweries, wineries, and distilleries around the globe are finding ways to make sure their beverages can help protect the environment. Read More »

January 4, 2020 MISES By Ryan McMaken The US government tells us that Iraq is harbouring anti-US Iranian forces and must be bombed. Yesterday, the US bombed Baghdad International Airport, killing seven people, including an Iranian general and two Iraqi politicians. Meanwhile, US marines invaded Iraqi sovereign territory — in a move euphemistically called “arrest raids” — in an effort ... Read More »

Selibabi, Mauritania, Jan 2 2020 (IPS) – “I refused to marry off my daughter for a simple, good reason: I want my daughter to be empowered,” said Lemeima mint El Hadrami, 49. “I don’t want her to go through the same difficulties I did when I was young.” El Hadrami was married when she was only 13. Read More »

By Roberto Savio Rome, Jan 3 2020 (IPS) – In a world shaken by so many problems, it is difficult to look at 2020 and not make some kind of holistic analysis. While enormous progress has been made on many fronts, it is clear that the tide has turned, and we are now entering – or have already entered – ... Read More »

Nazrul Islam The year 2019 saw both good and bad developments for our rivers. On the good side, the first thing to be mentioned is the High Court’s judgement of February 3, declaring rivers as a “legal entity,” having rights similar to a living person. The High Court appointed the National River Protection Commission as the guardian of rivers and ... Read More »

By Sally Jewell Washington, DC – As world leaders gathered at the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid from December 2-13, the discussed concrete steps for meeting and increasing national emissions-reduction targets. But equally important, COP25 offered an opportunity to elevate one of the most powerful tools we have to address climate change: nature. Read More »

By Asit K. Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada Glasgow/Singapore – Over the last decade, Chinese businesses have made significant strides in incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their decision-making. But they still have a long way to go, and they will not get there on their own. Read More »

By Jules Kortenhorst and Andrew Steer Boulder, Colorado – The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) took place in Madrid was supposed to prepare the ground for more ambitious national climate commitments. Nowhere was this more important than in the country where national leadership on climate change is least likely: the United States. Read More »

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Wan Manan Muda and Tan Zhai Gen KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec 17 2019 (IPS) – Malnutrition remains a formidable challenge in most societies, with less than a tenth of countries in the world not experiencing at least one major malnutrition problem. Read More »

By IPS World Desk Dec 16 2019 (IPS) – 2019 will be remembered as the year the climate crisis shook us all. Hopefully, it will also be remembered for the fightback manifested in the spread of mass protests and civic movements against governments and industries failing to respond. Read More »

Sudhirendar Sharma Travel offer the thrills of impromptu encounters and the pleasures of unpredictability, provided one is ready for it. Read More »

By Rafiqul Islam DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec 14 2019 (IPS) – Chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, has assured Bangladesh of continuing support for the Zero Leprosy Initiative announced by the country’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, aimed at eliminating leprosy by 2030. Read More »

By Desmond Brown MADRID, Dec 12 2019 (IPS) – Commonwealth countries, including those in the Caribbean, continue to push for more ambition, following reports that a few very influential parties have stymied efforts to respond to the climate emergency. Read More »

By Thalif Deen UN, Dec 12 2019 (IPS) – Appearing before 17 judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto civilian leader of Myanmar, became a public apologist for the military government of Myanmar which has long been accused of genocide and forcing over 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to ... Read More »

Danielle Nierenberg If you browse the food shelves at a bookstore or local library, you’ll probably find an important selection of cookbooks, memoirs, and journalistic investigations into our food system. Maybe you’ll recognize the names of the authors. One thing stands out: Many of these books are geared toward adults — and we need to include children in the conversation ... Read More »

By Stella Paul Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec 11 2019 (IPS) – Sandhya Mandal has never felt so vindicated. For the past four years, the 36-year-old community health worker from Meherpur – a rural district bordering India – has been traveling 50 km every day along dusty roads on an old motorbike, searching for leprosy patients who needed urgent treatment. Read More »

Sudhirendar Sharma Antibiotic resistance is currently the cause for an estimated 700,000 deaths globally, and a business-as-usual scenario may force this figure to swell to 10 million deaths per year by 2050. Read More »

By Yasmine Sherif UNITED NATIONS, Dec 6 2019 (IPS) – Genesis smiles and holds her hand up proudly to answer questions in class. She claps her hands in support of her classmates when they answer the teachers’ questions correctly. “I miss my cousins and aunts in Venezuela, she says.” Her smile fades and her lips tighten. She struggles to hold ... Read More »

By Busani Bafana MILAN, Italy, Dec 4 2019 (IPS) – Global food systems are ripe for transformation if people are to be nourished and the planet sustainable, says Hilal Elver, Special Rapporteur of the Right to Food of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Read More »

By Thalif Deen UN, Nov 22 2019 (IPS) – When a coalition of international donors pledged more than $650 million to provide assistance to over 300 million smallholder farmers in developing countries, the primary aim was to help increase agricultural and livestock production besieged by droughts, floods and other natural disasters triggered by climate change– mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and ... Read More »

By Charlotte KingReprint Beijing, China, Nov 21 2019 (IPS) – How Indonesian craftsmanship is undergoing a revival at the world’s first ‘bamboo university’. Read More »

by Ivan Privalko, Bertrand Mâitre, Dorothy Watson and Raffaele Grotti on 21st November 2019 How well children, dependent adults and the elderly are cared for isn’t about national stereotypes—but it does reflect welfare regimes. Read More »

By Thalif Deen UN, Nov 19 2019 (IPS) – The 15-member UN Security Council (UNSC) stands virtually paralyzed in the face of genocide charges against the government of Myanmar where over 730,000 to one million Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh since a 2016 crackdown by Myanmar’s military. Read More »

By SherAli Tareen The Background Noise Imran Khan’s ascension as Prime Minister of Pakistan in August 2018 preceded and instigated an avalanche of alarming prognoses issued by a range of motley characters. Their convergence made for an interesting union of otherwise incompatible bedfellows. Read More »

Nairobi, Nov 16 – “Child marriages must end and I am here at the Nairobi Summit to tell the world that it is wrong and must be stopped” Read More »

By Crystal Orderson We need to empower young people to sustain our planet, and let peace and prosperity thrive says UN’s Resident Co-ordinator in Kenya, Siddharth Chatterjee speaks to IPS on reflections on the ICPD25 Summit. Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 15 2019 (IPS) – Q: At ICPD25 we heard that women and girls are still waiting for the unmet promises to ... Read More »