International


Colombia: Meet the Women Who Detonate Land Mines in Colombia’s Former War Zones

Apr 24, 2019 | Megan Janetsky

For some women, it’s leadership roles. For others, it’s community activism. But what most empowers 19-year-old Marifer Culman Ortiz is detonating land mines.


Climate Change and Sexual Harassment Top List of Girls' Concerns

Apr 24, 2019 | Amy Walker

Climate change and tackling sexual harassment are the biggest worries for girls and young women, a major research project has found.

The Girlguiding organisation consulted 76,000…


Afghanistan: UN-backed Local Peace Initiative Ends Longstanding Dispute in Nangarhar

Apr 23, 2019 | UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

A longstanding dispute over water resources between two tribes in the eastern province of Nangarhar has been resolved through mediation and community engagement. A peace…


Protect Women’s Rights ‘before, during and after Conflict’ UN Chief Tells High-Level Security Council Debate

Apr 23, 2019 | UN

Over the course of the past decade, there has been “a paradigm shift” in understanding the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict on international…


Myanmar: Forest Coverage Accounts for More Than 25 Percent of the Country’s Total Area

Apr 22, 2019 | Eleven

Currently, the forest covers more than 25 per cent of the country’s total area and the forest conservation area, up to six per cent, said…


Papua New Guinea: Tribal Conflicts Threaten Women

Apr 22, 2019 | Anggia Anggraini Burchill, Development and Cooperation

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), women and girls face high security risks. Particularly in tribal wars, they are subject to violence and displacement. On the…


DRC: Why Responsible Sourcing of DRC Minerals Has Major Weak Spots

Apr 22, 2019 | Peer Schouten, Conversation

Conflict minerals are widely held to be at the heart of over two decades of conflict in eastern DRC, involving dozens of armed groups in…


Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Ex-Leader Jose Ramos-Horta Expects Australia to Pay back 'Millions' in Oil Revenue

Apr 22, 2019 | Alana Schetzer, Jordan Fennell and Stephen Dziedzic, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

One of the founding fathers of Timor-Leste is confident that Australia will return millions of dollars generated from oil fields that belong to the developing…


Sierra Leone: New Diamond Mining Strategy Could Benefit Mining Communities in Sierra Leone

Apr 22, 2019 | Abdul Rashid Thomas, Sierra Leone Telegraph

A group of 29 international diamantaires and jewellers, headed by Martin Rapaport – Chairman of the Rapaport Group, were in Sierra Leone a few weeks…


Viet Nam: Central Highlands People Lack Access to Clean Water as Supply Projects Abandoned

Apr 22, 2019 | Viet Nam News

Hundreds of clean water projects have been built in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) in recent years to serve people living in poor and remote…


Conflict Minerals: WDC Will Lobby for Broader Definition of "Conflict Diamonds" at OECD Meet

Apr 21, 2019 | International Diamond Exchange

On April 23, the 13th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains will take place in Paris, France. The World Diamond Council (WDC) will be…


Afghanistan: MAIL Reports 50 Percent Reduction in Saffron Production in Afghanistan

Apr 20, 2019 | Khaama Press

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) has reported that Saffron production has dropped by around 50 percent during the recent years. According to…


Afghanistan: Using the Sun to Reduce Air Pollution in Kabul

Apr 19, 2019 | Khalil Asir and Hast e Subh, Hindu

According to Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), air pollution is at its peak in cities, particularly Kabul, in late November and early December. In…


Liberia: Forestry Funds Spur Development in Lofa

Apr 19, 2019 | William Q. Harmon, Observer

Residents of several towns in Salayea District, Lofa County, were seen in wild celebration last week as major community projects were dedicated. The projects were…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Police Confiscate Two Trucks Smuggling Crude Oil out of Kirkuk [Photos]

Apr 19, 2019 | Sangar Ali, Kurdistan 24

Iraqi police forces on Thursday seized two trucks which were smuggling crude oil from a pipeline in Kirkuk Province, the area’s designated energy police directorate…


Afghanistan: ‘Illegal’ Saffron Imports Affect Afghan Products Market

Apr 19, 2019 | Fariba Aram, TOLOnews

An increasing flow of Iranian saffron into Afghan markets has affected the prices of Herat saffron, local investors the National Association of Saffron said. The…


UN Environment Assembly Passes Landmark Resolution Promoting Gender Equality in Environmental Governance

Apr 19, 2019 | Kate Logan

Adoption of UN resolution promoting gender equality and safeguarding the rights of women and girls in environmental protection efforts is a crucial step towards protecting…


Yemen: A Bulgarian Vulture's Odyssey into Yemeni War Zone

Apr 18, 2019 | Jeremy Bowen, BBC

Nelson was in a tight corner, tied up and imprisoned by men who believed he was a spy. It didn't look good. When he was…


Afghanistan: Poppies Bloom across Afghanistan as Drought Eases

Apr 18, 2019 | Muhammad Irfan, UrduPoint

A vast field of towering white poppies sways gently in the breeze, silky petals sometimes tumbling to the ground, a visible marker of the resilience…


Myanmar: Illegal Charcoal Trade Threatens Myanmar’s Remaining Mangroves

Apr 18, 2019 | Wudan Yan, Mongabay

The illegal charcoal trade poses a deadly threat to the world’s remaining original mangrove cover, of which approximately 35 percent is already gone, according to…


Afghanistan: Afghan Opium Farmers Ready for Bumper Crop [Video]

Apr 18, 2019 | Carl Holm, Deutsche Welle

The drought has broken in Afghanistan, bringing easier times for farmers. Although wheat and corn are common crops, they are distinctly less lucrative than opium.…


United States: Democrat: Murdered Women 'An Environmental Injustice'

Apr 16, 2019 | Kellie Lunney

The "silent crisis" of missing and murdered indigenous women is an environmental issue affected by the boom and bust of oil and gas development in…


Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan, Sudan to Keep Oil Flowing, Industry Is the “Glue That Binds” Two Nations

Apr 16, 2019 | Africa News

South Sudan exports all produced crude oil via pipeline from Hegleig and Paloch to Khartoum and then to Port Sudan for export. Since a landmark…


Afghanistan: Conservation May Offer Common Ground in Afghan Conflict

Apr 15, 2019 | Rhett A. Butler, Mongabay

War, drugs, corruption, and terrorism are terms Westerners are more likely to associate with Afghanistan than biodiversity conservation. But Alex Dehgan, a conservation technologist who…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Opens New Mining Areas to International Investment

Apr 15, 2019 | TOLOnews

In a keynote address at the Afghanistan Mining Investment Forum convened by INVEST, a global initiative of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to…


Iran: Living Fossil Resurfaces in Hamoun Wetland after Recent Floods

Apr 15, 2019 | Iran Front Page

After nearly two decades of drought in Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran, with the beginning of rainy season in neighbouring Afghanistan, flood waters…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Seeks Foreign Investments in Minerals to Develop $3 Trillion Industry

Apr 15, 2019 | Deena Kamel, National

Afghanistan offered 43 commodities projects for bidding on Monday as the country pushes to attract international investment, crack down on corruption and address security risks…


Iraq/Kurdistan: What Did Russia Get from Its KRG Gamble?

Apr 15, 2019 | Mariya Petkova, Al Jazeera

While the KRG has been reaping the benefit of these deals, Russia and Rosneft's gains from this high-risk investment are yet to materialise in full.…


Timor-Leste: Australia Accused of 'Siphoning' Millions in Timor-Leste Oil Revenue

Apr 15, 2019 | Helen Davidson, Guardian

Australia has been accused of “siphoning” millions of dollars a month in oil revenue that should belong to Timor-Leste, because the government is yet to…


Afghanistan: Bird Hunters of Afghanistan [Photos]

Apr 15, 2019 | Reuters

Bird hunting is an ancient sport in Afghanistan, where local and migrating species have flocked for thousands of years and where even amid the chaos…