SUSTAINABILITY

Photo: A child being given polio oral vaccination. Credit: WHO Regional Office for Africa

In a Historic Move, Africa Eradicates Devastating Polio

By Ronald Joshua

GENEVA | BRAZZAVILLE (IDN) – While COVID-19 pandemic is playing havoc with the global economy and a frantic search continues for a vaccine, thanks to a concerted campaign of immunization, Africa is free of a highly infectious disease which mainly affects children under 5 years of age. It is a significant development marking the eradication of the second virus from the face of the continent since smallpox 40 years ago.

"Today is a historic day for Africa," said Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, Chairperson of the African Regional Certification Commission for Polio eradication (ARCC), which has declared the region free of polio,

: Ronald Joshua; THE WORLD; Africa; 25 August 2020

Image: Part of the Cover of the UNDP South Africa report.

UNDP South Africa Analyses the Horrendous Impact of COVID-19

By Devendra Kamarajan

JOHANNESBURG (IDN) – The COVID-19 pandemic will push South Africa's overall GDP down by 7.9% in 2020 leading to major setbacks in addressing poverty, unemployment and inequality, the government's development priorities, according to new research by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The study expects the economy to recover slowly through 2024.

: Devendra Kamarajan; THE WORLD; Africa; 25 August 2020

Photo courtesy: 247 News Around the World

US-Trained Colonel Called 'True Force' Behind Mali Coup

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been ousted from power, removed by troops unwilling to keep up a bloody fight against jihadists and religious extremists who have been gaining ground while charges of corruption against the government continue to pile up.

The “mutinous” army had been taking heavy casualties in the seemingly endless fighting despite vast quantities of international support, training and intelligence pouring in from the U.S., and France. The United Nations alone spends $11.2 billion annually on a peacekeeping mission with 16,600 peacekeepers.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 24 August 2020

EU Subsidies Benefit Big Farms While Underfunding Greener and Poorer Plots

Viewpoint by Murray Scown, Kimberly Nicholas & Mark Brady*

UTRECHT | LUND | UPPSALA (IDN) – The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the European Union’s largest budget item. For the 60 billion euro a year it pays in subsidies, the CAP is expected to support farmer incomes, ensure a supply of quality food, protect biodiversity, tackle climate change and encourage young people into farming.

It’s hard to tell if the EU is succeeding in these aims because of a lack of transparency, complex reporting, and insufficient monitoring. But the success of the European Green Deal and a green recovery from COVID-19 depend on these subsidies being well spent.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 24 August 2020

Photo: President Trump signs an Executive Order at the White House Summit on Human Trafficking in honour of the 20th Anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, Jan. 31, 2020. Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks.

President Trump's 'Orwellian' Policy Fosters Child Trafficking

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) – President Donald Trump thinks of himself as a champion against human trafficking. He addressed a White House Summit on the issue in January claiming there was a “humanitarian crisis” at the border fomented by criminal organizations and that “traffickers victimize countless women and children.” He signed an executive order and diverted $400 million in funding to combat the issue, boasting in his usual manner that “we have signed more legislation on human trafficking than any other administration has ever even thought about.”

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 23 August 2020

Green Light for Magic Mushrooms to Fight Incurable Cancer

By Lisa Wohl

The writer is a Healthcare Reporter based in the United States.

FLORIDA, USA (IDN) – Four Canadian patients battling incurable cancer were approved by the federal Minister of Health, the Patty Hajdu, to incorporate psilocybin therapy in their end-of-life treatment.

According to advocacy group TheraPsil, this group of four patients represent the first publicly-known individuals to receive a legal exemption from the Canadian Drugs and Substances Act, under Section 56, to access psychedelic therapy. They are also the first known patients to legally use psilocybin since the compound became illegal in Canada in 1974.

: J C Suresh; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 22 August 2020

South-South Cooperation and TARA InfraPower's 600 MW Power-Project in Sri Lanka

By M. Niba *

LUCKNOW, India (IDN) – Private sector is playing a very important role to secure the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is an inherent link between the SDGs and PPPs. The business enterprises contribute toward the development process not only through their competitive advantages but also via increased access to capital and incorporating innovation in their practices.

Indian companies have over the years built a competitive advantage in the delivery of highly cost-effective technological and business solutions and are renowned for their expertise across the globe.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; South Asia; 22 August 2020

Photo: Hungarian prime minister Victor Orbán at the European Council. Brussels, Belgium 2020. Credit: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/PA Images.

Dark Money, Dirty Politics & the Backlash Against Human Rights

Viewpoint by Peter Geoghegan*

This extract of Peter Geoghegan’s new book Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics traces Victor Orbán’s rise to power. This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

GLASGOW | LONDON (IDN) – In late 2017, I arrived in an icy Budapest to give a journalism workshop at the Central European University (CEU). One of the first things I noticed when I disembarked from the airport bus in the centre of the Hungarian capital was the posters. They seemed to be everywhere. From billboards and bus shelters a craggy, ageing face framed by a thin smile and an aquiline nose looked down. I recognised it instantly as the CEU’s Hungarian-born founder George Soros. Next to the image was a line of text: “Don’t let Soros have the last laugh”.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 22 August 2020

Photo: In Kaya, Burkina Faso, 27-year-old Mariam Sawadogo serves a meal to her family with food from the World Food Programme (WFP). Credit: WFP/Mahamady Ouedraogo.

Burkina Faso Faces ‘Alarming Deterioration’ in Food Security as It Grapples with COVID-19

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK (IDN) – Two United Nations agencies have warned that about 3.3 million people in Burkina Faso are facing acute food insecurity. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) cited alarming new data, and the World Food Programme (WFP), stressed that “urgent and sustained action” is needed to address the worsening food and nutrition situation throughout the landlocked West African country.

: Radwan Jakeem; THE WORLD; Africa; 21 August 2020

Helping Women Entrepreneurs in Asia and Europe to Thrive Under Lockdown

Viewpoint by UN Women, Bopinc and The DO School

NEW YORK (IDN) – The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical role of collaboration in creating gender-inclusive ecosystems where women can emerge and thrive. As the European Union, UN Women and its partners Bopinc and The DO School highlight their commitment to helping more women entrepreneurs on the occasion of the World Entrepreneurs Day this year on August 21, two initiatives should be recognised for their remarkable progress in providing the space and tools these women need: the Entrepreneurship Accelerator and Industry Disruptor.