SUSTAINABILITY

Photo: Interfaith efforts between Chilkur Balaji Temple in Hyderabad and the Helping Hand Foundation help achieve shared community health goals. Credit: WNV/Helping Hand Foundation

Long Before COVID-19, Muslim Communities in India Built Solidarity Through Mutual Aid

Viewpoint by Z. Fareen Parvez*

This article was originally published on Waging Nonviolence and is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AMHERST, Massachusetts (IDN) – For generations, Muslims in India have drawn on mutual aid networks for solidarity and support amid government neglect and social discrimination. Now, as India faces a humanitarian disaster during the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, these networks are more important than ever.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 16 July 2020

Photo: In Argentina, UNDP has developed a social media campaign promoting inclusive finance. #PlataSinBanco ("money without bank") explains current alternatives to withdraw money from a local ATM, even without a debit card or bank account. Credit: UNDP Argentina

Poverty and Inequality Get Worse in Latin America as COVID-19 Infections Surge

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) —Latin America is scrambling to contain surging COVID-19 infections while confronting near-certain recession and related impacts. But polices that prioritize poor and vulnerable people can help mitigate the region’s already extreme poverty and inequality, says a new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

: Santo D. Banerjee; UN INSIDER; 16 July 2020

Photo credit: Global Reporting Initiative

South Asia Virtual Regional Summit to Focus on Empowering Decisions for a Sustainable Future

By Reinhard Jacobsen

AMSTERDAM | NEW DELHI (IDN) – How can the rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic be approached in a way that alleviates the growing economic, societal and environmental pressures in South Asian countries?

Seeking solutions in support of this aim is a key focus of the GRI South Asia Virtual Regional Summit, which starts on July 22. This free events series – with nine online sessions over one week – includes a diverse program under the theme empowering decisions for a sustainable future.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; South Asia; 16 July 2020

Photo: Flexible development resources like those provided by Germany enable UNDP to build on and accelerate efforts to tackle the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: UNDP Bangladesh/Fahad Kaizer

COVID-19: UNDP Commends Doubling of Germany's Support to Flexible Core Funding

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – Germany has become the largest funding partner to the 2020 core resources of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a result of a hike to €110 million, equivalent to more than $124 million.

In 2019, Germany provided €50 million to UNDP's core resources. As a strong supporter of multilateralism and international cooperation, Germany has been the largest government contributor to UNDP since 2017.

: Radwan Jakeem; UN INSIDER; 15 July 2020

Photo: Pastoralist with herd, Horn of Africa. Credit: Katherine Bundra Roux, IFRC

Africa’s Livestock Sector is Key to its Covid-19 Response & Recovery

Viewpoint by Rhoda Peace Tumusiime

The writer is a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel and former AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission (AUC).

ENTEBBE, Uganda (IDN) – Livestock have long been the insurance policy of Africa’s poorest, with even a single goat or a chicken providing a buffer against economic hardship and hunger.

But as Covid-19 forces many to fall back on these safety nets, the need for more long-term support of the continent’s livestock sector is laid bare.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 15 July 2020

Kenya Having Another Go at Passing a Reproductive Rights Bill

Viewpoint by Anthony Ajayi and Meggie Mwoka*

Kenya’s Senate is considering a reproductive healthcare bill, which seeks to address reproductive health gaps. This is the second time the bill has come before the senate. It has, once again, drawn fire from religious groups, some politicians and civil society lobbies opposed to its proposals. Anthony Ajayi and Meggie Mwoka unpack the bill and the lessons from previous failed attempts.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 15 July 2020

Photo: Law students of USMBA, university named after Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, a 18th century Sultan of Morocco, participate in skills-building workshops in preparation for opening a law clinic. February 2020, High Atlas Foundation.

The Forgotten Victims of COVID-19 Amid Migration Crisis

By Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts

As the Coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, closing cities and shutting borders, migrants fleeing violence, persecution, and seeking a new life are stuck in the midst of a health and economic crisis. In this article, Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts investigates how current conditions could affect the future of migrants impacted by the pandemic and what NGOs and governments can do to help. She is a Global Studies undergraduate student at the University of Virginia.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Reduced Inequalities; 14 July 2020

Photo: Mali protests. Source: africanews

Mali Facing Worst Civil Unrest in Years

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | BAMAKO (IDN) – Protests broke out across the West African state of Mali for the third time in a month as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita appeared unable or unwilling to meet popular demands.

Tens of thousands of Malians filled the streets over the previous weekend in an unprecedented display of public anger at the long-running jihadist conflict, weak public services, economic woes and government corruption.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 13 July 2020

Collage of photos of former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (left) and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark

Former Liberian Leader Joins Panel Investigating the Global Response to COVID-19

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's former president, and Helen Clark, New Zealand's former prime minister, are to head the newly formed Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

The announcement follows the Trump administration’s formal notification to the UN on July 6 of its withdrawal from WHO, which won't take effect until July 6, 2021 with a possibility of reversal by a new administration or changed circumstances.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 13 July 2020

Photo: U.S. Soldiers with Forward Support Company, 65th Engineer Battalion conduct a presence patrol March 26, 2014, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Credit: Defense.com

Why Doesn't the U.S. End the Afghan War, Instead of Focussing on Russian Bounties to the Taliban?

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

LOS ANGELES (IDN) – The New York Times in late June published an explosive revelation about the longest official U.S. war in modern history. According to high-level sources, Russia had been paying cash bounties to Taliban forces to kill U.S. soldiers.