May 11, 2023
South Africa: Finding Ways to Feed South Africa's Vast Hungry Population
In the deep rural village of Jekezi in South Africa's Eastern Cape, most young and able-bodied people have fled the area, leaving behind people with disabilities, the elderly, and… Read more »
May 10, 2023
Zimbabwe: Amid Power Cuts in Zimbabwe, Food Preservation Made Easy By Elderly Women
Amid silent refrigerators spawned by crippling electricity cuts, township grannies are relying on their smarts and traditional preservation: roasting and smoking meat over fires as… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Kenya: Climate Change Threatens Historical Sites in Coastal Region
Along coastal Kenya, historical sites and monuments are threatened due to the impacts of climate change--structures along the Indian Ocean are falling to ruin or collapsing into… Read more »
May 08, 2023
Africa: New Mosquito Species Could Derail Fight Against Malaria
'Urban' Kenya has been alerted because new mosquito species, Anopheles stephensi, threatens to derail decades of effort made in the fight against malaria. Read more »
Africa: Can African Farmers Still Feed the World?
Less than a decade ago, Africa was home to 60-65% of the world's uncultivated arable land and 10% of renewable freshwater resources, as reported by the African Union in 2016, while… Read more »
Sudan: The Privilege of Making a Choice
A civilian student named Saber was caught in the crossfire in Khartoum. He had two choices: either flee and lose everything; or die. But within a moment his option to choose was… Read more »
Africa: Can a Pledge to End TB Stick This Time Around?
This week, the United Nations will host two days (May 8-9) of preliminary talks to plan a larger conference on tuberculosis (TB) in September. These preliminary talks will be held… Read more »
May 05, 2023
Africa: Charles Can Help Undo a Colonial Crime
Clive Baldwin is the London-based senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch and lead author of the Human Rights Watch report on UK and US colonial crimes against the Chagossians Read more »
Africa: Reshaping Multilateralism in Times of Crises
The world is in permanent crisis mode. In addition to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,… Read more »
May 04, 2023
Africa: Of Africa and the Magic Formula of the Italian Taxi Driver
Some days ago in Rome, the Italian taxi driver switched on the radio during a longish ride through the usual traffic jam. Music, gossip, and the hourly news bulletin. All of a… Read more »
Sudan: In Sudanese Conflict, Either You Lose Everything, or You Die
On the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Sabre Nasr, a young Egyptian man of 20, developed a fever. Read more »
May 03, 2023
Africa: Drone Journalism Holds Great Potential to Improve Safety of Journalists in Africa's Volatile Situations
In a departure from the past, where journalists in Kenya have freely covered anti-government protests unharmed, a series of events that unfolded in March 2023 have heightened fears… Read more »
Africa: To Confront Our Current Crises, It's Time to Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
The finance sector's role in the current global crises - notably climate, biodiversity, and food security - is significant. Read more »
May 02, 2023
South Africa: Safeguarding the Future of Independent Media and Our Democracies
There's a now familiar groan every time the lights go out in South Africa. Due to a critical shortage of electricity, the national power utility institutes a daily regimen of… Read more »
May 01, 2023
Africa: UN Plan of Action On Safety of Journalists
Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of democratic society. Without a debate of ideas, without verified facts, without diversity of perspectives, democracy is a shadow of… Read more »
Africa: A Proposal for a UN Freedom of Information Act Never Got Off the Ground
The United Nations has consistently been a vociferous advocate of freedom of the press - and, most importantly, the right of journalists to report without fear of reprisals. Read more »
Africa: Empowering Women Is Key to Breaking the Devastating Cycle of Poverty & Food Insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Studies consistently show that women have lower rates of agricultural productivity compared to men in the region, but it's not because they're less efficient farmers. Read more »
April 30, 2023
Africa: Media Freedom Is Vital but Have We Passed Peak Press?
Peak oil was first up, followed by peak gas, gold and others, as if the world was draining natural resources like toilet roll panic buying in a lockdown supermarket. But should we… Read more »
April 27, 2023
Africa: Rising to the Challenge - the UN Road Safety Fund in a Polycrises World
Nneka Henry is Head of UN Road Safety Fund Read more »
Africa: 'Defending Human Rights Is a Crime in Some Countries and a Deadly Activity in Others'
By Bibbi Abruzzini and Clarisse Sih, Forus Read more »
Africa: Gender Gap in Academia - Glass Ceilings & Sticky Floors
By Victoria Galán-Muros, Mathias Bouckaert and Jaime Roser Read more »
April 25, 2023
Africa: Local Innovations Key to Meeting Challenges of the Climate Crisis
Several years ago, on a visit to a village in rural Zimbabwe, I met a small group of women with a story to share. Read more »
April 24, 2023
Africa: Ukraine War Triggers Record Increase in World Military Spending
The United Nations has warned that the February 2022 Rusian invasion of Ukraine has threatened to force up to 1.7 billion people -- over one-fifth of humanity -- into poverty,… Read more »
Africa: The Last Mile to Malaria Elimination - Confronting Gender Inequalities & Power Dynamics
For centuries, malaria has remained one of the deadliest diseases, inflicting great suffering on families and perpetuating the cycle of poverty in many communities and nations. The… Read more »
April 21, 2023
Sudan: Conflict Marks Failure of Transition Plan
The current fighting in Sudan marks the failure of supposed processes for transition to democratic rule. The international community needs to learn the lessons of this catastrophe… Read more »