Digitisation Boosts Mechanised Farming Among Kenyan Farmers
When 33-year-old Kimani Mwaniki, an Irish potato farmer in Elburgon, Nakuru County in Kenya’s Rift Valley, heard about a farmer’s virtual school, he didn’t hesitate to enrol. He was keen to learn how the programme will enable him to get higher crop yields for his market in the capital city Nairobi and elsewhere. For years, […]
World Bank Looks to Trains in Argentina’s Climate Battle
Argentina will receive a 347 million dollar loan from the World Bank to upgrade one of the most important suburban railway lines in the city of Buenos Aires. The operation is part of the multilateral lender’s new policy, which deepens its commitment to the fight against climate change. “The premise is that development and climate […]
Will World Leaders Risk a UN Visit Amid a Surge in the Deadly Virus?
The annual high-level debate during the upcoming 76th General Assembly sessions beginning September 21 —which traditionally attracted over 150 world leaders in a pre-pandemic era– is now clouded in uncertainty. Will it be in-person or via video conferencing? Or will it most likely be a hybrid session with a mix of the two options, as […]
‘Proud of Being Able to Speak the Truth’: Journalist Nidhi Razdan on her Cyber Attack
Earlier in January, Indian journalist Nidhi Razdan found out she was a victim of one of the most sophisticated and elaborate cyber attacks. Razdan wrote in a piece that it was all an attempt to access her bank account details, personal data, emails, medical records, passport […]
Zimbabwe’s Urban Sprawl Dilemma
Ndaba Dube, a Bulawayo resident, says he built himself a home on a small piece of land after the authorities kept him on the housing waiting list for more than two decades. The land he chose is in an old township established before Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. “People are building their homes all over the […]
Code Red for Humanity and the Planet
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is absolutely right to call the latest UN climate report a “Code Red for Humanity.” Without immediate and serious action, we are condemning future generations to a dismal future. Already, we have wasted too much time. Next year, it will be half a century since first UN Conference on the […]
Trouble in the Land of Smiles?
Could the rise of the youth-led ‘Ratsadon’ movement lead to changes in Thai politics? Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha now faces an ongoing threat as the movement continues to mobilize many, especially young people, against the government. They have broken traditional taboos by opening new conversations about the monarchy and shaping public discourse to question […]
Q&A: Why the World ‘Can’t Afford to Wait’ for Transparent, Equitable Food Systems
The world has been put on notice that there is no time to waste in achieving the goal of food systems transformation. Through Pre-Summit and national dialogues, scientists, policymakers, farmers, NGOs, private sector representatives and youth groups have been building momentum ahead of the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September. The goal is to […]
How to Sustainably Finance Universal Health Care
To achieve universal health coverage, a country needs a healthcare system that provides equitable access to high quality health care requiring sustainable financing over the long term. Publicly provided healthcare should be on the basis of need, a citizen’s entitlement for all regardless of means. Health inequalities growing But recent decades have seen health care […]
A Code Red Warning on the Hazards of Climate Change & an Impending Global Disaster
A landmark report on the hazards of climate change predicts a devastating future for the world at large. Authored by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and released August 9 […]
The ‘Covid-19 Timebomb’ – Dispelling the Single- Story Humanitarian Narrative for Africa
An article published in April 2020 by the World Economic Forum warning that Africa was facing a Covid-19 time bomb was widely shared among the humanitarian sector, with increasing alarm.
Between Horror and Hope in the Villages of Ituri
“We have buried twenty-eight people. I have seen them with my own eyes. We also found three bodies in the fields and buried them too. I can show them to you. It’s not far from here. We buried them there.” The man points to the hills. He doesn’t want to show his face or say […]
Wildlife Trafficking to Come under Fire at IUCN Congress
A recent seizure at Johannesburg’s international airport of a large consignment of rhino horns confirmed worst fears – illegal trafficking of wildlife and the plundering of treasured species is back with a vengeance after a Covid-19 lockdown lull. Destined for Kuala Lumpur, the 32 pieces of rhino horns weighing a total of 160kg were intercepted […]
African Farmers Could Benefit from More Friendly EU Agriculture Policies
Gilbert Bor manages a small farm in the western highlands of Kenya. Landscapes are hilly, village roads lined with pine trees, his cows mostly of the Friesian breed. He is up at 6:00am daily to lead his animals through the woods into […]
UN Preaches Transparency to the Outside World but Fails to Practice it in its Own Backyard
The United Nations has long preached the wisdom of transparency and accountability to the outside world, but has failed to practice the same principles in its own backyard – or even on the 39th floor […]