January 02, 2023
Africa: Digitizing Africa - Key to Stronger Institutions
The writer is a Senior Economic Affairs Officer and leader of the Policy Analysis and Coordination team in the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN - OSAA). Read more »
December 23, 2022
Africa: War, Famine, Disease, Disasters - 2022 - a Year Staring At Apocalypse
A year that started with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is ending with famine in Africa, while still spreading death and misery through an enduring pandemic and a deteriorating… Read more »
Africa: Security Council Reform - Big Five Are the Heart of the Problem
The UN Charter mandates the Security Council to maintain international peace, but wars rage on and nations arm themselves with ever more lethal weapons. No wonder that the… Read more »
Africa: After 43 Years of Negotiations, Security Council Reforms Move At the Pace of a Paralytic Snail
The reform of the Security Council, the most powerful body at the United Nations, has remained a never-ending political saga. Read more »
December 22, 2022
Africa: Raising the Alarm On the Slow Pace of Family Law Reform
The writer is Campaign Manager - Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law Read more »
December 21, 2022
Africa: Gender Inequality - a Question of Power in a Male-Dominated World, Declares UN Chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has singled out Gender Parity as one of his key priorities in his second term in office, beginning 2023. Read more »
Africa: Gender Parity At the UN Willfully Ignores the Facts
There are two sides to the problem of Gender Parity at the United Nations. Read more »
December 20, 2022
Africa: Global Biodiversity Framework - a 'Good Compromise'
In a landmark agreement, all parties of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) adopted the draft Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to protect at least 30%… Read more »
Africa: Thoughts for 2023 - Promoting Innovation & New Technologies
Promoting innovation and technology to promote inclusive development means using new technologies to enhance equal access to services, eliminate discrimination, increase… Read more »
December 19, 2022
Africa: Universal Health Coverage - Think of Health Workers, Not Just Health Services
Health services don't deliver themselves. It is the nurse who triages in the emergency department, the midwife who delivers babies and cares for mothers, the community health… Read more »
Africa: Gender Target At COP15 - Russia's Single Word Objection Holds Up Process
Since the beginning of the high-level segment, tensions have been steadily rising at the 15th meeting of the conference of the parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity… Read more »
December 16, 2022
Africa: Digital Treatment of Genetic Resources Shakes Up COP15
In addition to its nutritional properties, quinoa, an ancestral grain from the Andes, also has cosmetic uses, as stated by the resource use and benefit-sharing permit… Read more »
Africa: Four Ways to Overcome Corruption in the Race Against Climate Crisis
The writer is Deputy Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP Read more »
December 15, 2022
Africa: COP15 - Impacts of Mega Infrastructure Projects On Biodiversity Stay Off-Radar
As the COP entered its crucial second week, negotiations are intensifying now. A slew of new contact groups - meeting mostly behind closed doors - are discussing the minutest… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Borderlands and Bloodbaths - the Case of Congo and Ukraine
During November, soldiers of the March 23 Movement (M23) have been approaching Goma in the eastern territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), close to the Rwandan… Read more »
December 14, 2022
Africa: Europe's Dash for Gas Presents Pitfalls for Africa
One of the knock-on effects of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine is that European countries have embarked on a 'dash for gas' to find alternatives to Russian energy supplies. Read more »
Africa: COP27 Fails Women and Girls - High Time to Redefine Multilateralism - Part 3
The writer is former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, former Ambassador of Bangladesh to the UN and former President of the Security Council. Read more »
December 13, 2022
Africa: Needed Global Financial Reforms Foregone Yet Again
Calls for more government regulation and intervention are common during crises. But once the crises subside, pressures to reform quickly evaporate and the government is told to… Read more »
Africa: The Humanitarian Rescue Fleet Faces Hurricane Meloni
It was a hellish journey aboard a crammed boat amid three-meter waves. It had started on a Libyan beach, and at the gates of winter. On December 11, the last 500 migrants rescued… Read more »
Africa: Experts Seek Appropriate Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution
Experts agree that African economies need to develop innovative approaches to deal with plastic production, which is set to double in 20 years - adversely impacting rural… Read more »
December 12, 2022
Africa: The Digital Divide - Africa the Least Connected With 60% of the Population Offline
The digital divide - between the world's rich and poor nations --remains staggeringly wide. Read more »
Africa: European Court of Justice Ruling is Major Blow to Fight Against Illegal Fishing
The author is Executive Director, Financial Transparency Coalition Read more »
Africa: COP27 Fails Women & Girls - High Time to Redefine Multilateralism
Three weeks have gone by since the much-ballyhooed mega-gathering of the 27th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), generally known… Read more »
December 08, 2022
Ethiopia: Climate Change, Conflict Pushing Millions of Children Out of School
A silent catastrophe is unfolding in Ethiopia on the backdrop of years of inter-communal conflict and the most prolonged and severe drought in recent years. High inflation and food… Read more »
Africa: Europe and the Refugee Crisis - It's All About Tackling Racism & Discrimination
In 2019, when the President-elect of the European Union (EU) Ursula von der Leyen had presented a list for her soon-to-be European Commission, and on that list was a portfolio… Read more »