International


Colombia: Death Threats for Defending Land and Water from a Coal Mine: Force of Wayúu Women in Colombia

Dec 16, 2019 | Land Rights Now

Members of the organization Fuerza de Mujeres Wayúu (Force of Wayúu Women) have received death threats and been subject to defamation and stigmatization for opposing…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Hopes for Chinese Restraint in South China Sea in 2020

Dec 16, 2019 | Reuters

Vietnam said it hoped China would show restraint in the South China Sea next year after a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts spent…


Afghanistan: We Survived War in Afghanistan – but Kabul's Pollution Could Kill Us

Dec 16, 2019 | Stefanie Glinski, Telegraph

Between November and March, Afghanistan’s capital is wrapped in a thick blanket of choking smog. As temperatures drop in high altitude Kabul, sitting at almost…


Liberia: Liberia Risks Conflict over Natural Resources Governance – Says Greg Coleman

Dec 16, 2019 | Moses R. Quollin, Liberia Forest Media

Former Director General of the National Bureau of Concession, Gregory O. Coleman says Liberia current approach to managing investments, mostly the natural resources sector risks…


Ghana: National Peace Council Trains Members on Gender Roles in Peacebuilding

Dec 15, 2019 | Modern Ghana

As part of the mandate of the National Peace Council to facilitate measures to prevent, manage and resolve issues that threaten the development and peace…


Afghanistan: Saffron Processing Center Built in Afghanistan's Badghis Province

Dec 15, 2019 | Xinhua

A saffron processing center was recently built in the western Baghis province, as the precious plant cultivation is gradually expanding across the mostly poppy growing…


Syria: Why Syria’s Small Oil Reserves Have become the Linchpin for Political Control in the Region

Dec 13, 2019 | Justin Higginbottom, CNBC

Times have changed in Syria. The oil has attracted another foreign power — the U.S. military — and Kurdish-led forces are the ones controlling the…


Nepal: Rickshaw Drivers Break Stereotypes in Nepal

Dec 12, 2019 | UN Women

Hira Kumari Sewa is among the few female rickshaw drivers in Nepal. Service is literally in her name.


Liberia: A Forest of Obstacles for Liberia’s Palm Oil Industry

Dec 12, 2019 | Lucinda Rouse, Business Day

Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, contained in products that range from bread to shampoo and biofuels, and demand…


Conflict Minerals: Switzerland Probes Illegal Trading of Coltan by Swiss Trader during DRC Civil War

Dec 12, 2019 | William Clowes, Business Day

Swiss prosecutors are investigating a trader of one of the world’s most sought-after-minerals over allegations he illegally dealt in metals during Democratic Republic of Congo’s…


Brazil to Cambodia, Conflicts Flaring over Land, Water

Dec 10, 2019 | Rina Chandran, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Conflicts over land and water flared across the world this year amid greater competition for resources and increasing hostility towards farmers and indigenous people, according…


Afghanistan/Colombia: Colombia to Help Develop Afghanistan Mining Sector

Dec 10, 2019 | Javed Hamim Kakar, Pajhwok Afghan News

Colombia will facilitate and help the Afghanistan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) develop the mining sector, an official said on Tuesday. MoMP spokesman AbdulQader…


Colombia: Colombia’s Indigenous Guard, Defenders of Land, the Environment and Their Own Lives [Photos]

Dec 10, 2019 | Steven Grattan, PRI

The Indigenous Guard is a community protection network made up of women, men and children who defend their territories without weapons. It originated in Colombia’s violent…


Colombia: Colombia Launches Plan to Guarantee Sustainable Coffee Production

Dec 10, 2019 | Reuters

Colombia, the world's top producer of washed arabica, has laid out what it called a road map to guarantee sustainable production of coffee for the next decade,…


Liberia: Oil Blocks for Sale

Dec 9, 2019 | E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor, New Dawn

The Government of Liberia through the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) announces sale of several blocks here, beginning next licensing round.A statement from the Liberia…


Myanmar: Govt Reviews Forest Management as Dutch Police Seize Myanmar Teak

Dec 8, 2019 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times

The government is set to review the country’s forest management strategy as it faces an uphill struggle against deforestation and illegal logging, a senior forestry…


Iraq: Year after Poisoning Disaster, Iraq Seeks End to Its Water Crisis

Dec 8, 2019 | Julian Kirchherr, Conversation

Basra, once known as the “Venice of the Middle East” because of its freshwater canals, has been suffering acute shortages of potable water because of…


Afghanistan: 'Combatting Hidden Enemies': Meet the Women on the Front Line of De-mining Afghanistan

Dec 8, 2019 | Roshan De Stone and David L. Suber, Independent

Nearly 100 Afghans are killed every month by unexploded mines, and yet when Gulandam first signed up to help with de-mining efforts, men would hurl insults…


Colombia: Implementing Peace: Gender Issues Lag Behind

Dec 7, 2019 | Tasha Sandoval, The Bogota Post

New analysis released today highlights a clear gap in the implementation of gender specific aspects of the Colombian peace agreement and stresses that the active…


Afghanistan: Afghans Mourn Japanese Doctor Nakamura, Who Came to Treat Leprosy but Cured Drought

Dec 7, 2019 | Kritika Sharma, The Print

The death of a Japanese doctor who helped lakhs of Afghans gain access to clean water drew pained reactions and tributes from across the country…


Jordan: Civil Society and Youth from the Arab States Review the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Dec 6, 2019 | UN Women Arab States

Over 70 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth advocates from across the Arab States region met in Amman, Jordan on 26 and 27…


Liberia: Land Dispute in Bong

Dec 6, 2019 | New Dawn

The issue of land dispute continues to hinder the development of Bong County as the current one centers a boundary harmonization between the residents of…


Bosnia: Migrants in Bosnia Refuse to Move from Forest Camp

Dec 6, 2019 | Reuters

Bowing to international pressure, Bosnian authorities agreed on Friday to dismantle a makeshift refugee camp of freezing snow-covered tents, but some migrants living there have…


Conflict Minerals: Minexx Tackles Artisanal Mining through Blockchain-Driven Connectivity

Dec 6, 2019 | Hassan Butt, Metal Bulletin

Responsible sourcing initiatives are now a growing component of the metals and mining industry, with the London Metal Exchange recently issuing its requirements for compliance.…


Colombia: Colombia’s Artisanal Gold Miners Now Part of a Traceable Global Supply Chain

Dec 6, 2019 | Cecilia Jamasmie, Mining.com

A group of international organizations, led by Switzerland’s Better Gold Initiative (BGI), has extended their responsible mining initiative to hundreds of artisanal gold miners from…


Water: Significant Risk of Water-Related Conflict in Parts of Iraq, Iran, Mali, Nigeria, India and Pakistan over the Next 12 Months

Dec 5, 2019 | Water, Peace and Security Partnership

A groundbreaking new tool, launched today by the Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership, can predict the risk of violent conflicts up to 12 months…


Myamar: Myanmar Fish Resources Fall Sharply in Past 38 Years: Research

Dec 5, 2019 | Myat Moe Aung, Myanmar Times

Fish inhabiting the surface waters of Myanmar declined by about 80 percent between 1980 and 2018 and there was a steep drop in commercially important…


Liberia: Sime Darby to Sell Liberia Plantation to Local Manufacturer - Minister

Dec 5, 2019 | Reuters

Malaysia’s Sime Darby plans to sell its palm oil concession in Liberia to a local manufacturer, a Liberian government minister said on Thursday, following subpar…


Mali: New App Predicts Water-Related Conflict Up to Year in Advance

Dec 5, 2019 | Emma Batha, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Conflicts over water are likely to flare up in Iraq, Mali and India in the coming year, according to the developers of an app launched…


Syria: In Syria, the Environmental Toll of War Beginning to Emerge

Dec 3, 2019 | Fanack.com

With the war in Syria entering its ninth year, the impact on the country’s environment, its natural resources and the people who depend on them…