News


Custom, Caste System Deny Land Rights to Asian Women, Indigenous People

Oct 2, 2019 | Rina Chandran

Women, lower-caste and indigenous people across Asia are failing to benefit from land reform laws because of custom and deep-rooted social biases, land rights activists…


The Hidden Work of Post-Conflict Recovery

Oct 2, 2019 | Jay Lingham and Melissa Johnston

Sri Lanka 2011. It is two years since a brutal civil war ended, with the UN reporting tens of thousands of civilians killed in the final…


Climate Change: Climate Action for Peace – Faith-Based Perspectives

Oct 2, 2019 | UN Environment

Environment and peace are cross-cutting issues that are intrinsic to sustainable development. While natural resources are vital to achieving sustainable development, they are also increasingly…


Iraq: Building the Network of Water Activists in Basra

Oct 2, 2019 | Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative

It’s been one year since the city of Basra was rocked by large-scale protests following a major pollution crisis in which citizens decried the lack…


This October on Agrilinks: The Role of Gender in Agriculture

Oct 1, 2019 | Krista Jacobs

Gender influences which crops are grown, which animals are raised, and which technologies are used. It influences how households earn a livelihood and manage risk,…


International Law Is Failing the South China Sea

Oct 1, 2019 | Shirley Wang

When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing on August 29, expectations were high that progress would be made on the South…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Beijing Infuriates Vietnam after Deploying Controversial New Oil Rig

Oct 1, 2019 | John Vargo, Express

Tensions between China and Vietnam flared up again over Beijing’s deployment of its giant new offshore oil exploration platform in the disputed South China Sea.


Food Security: Netherlands USD 28 Million Pledge to Support Resilience in Crisis Countries

Oct 1, 2019 | Ana Maria Lebada, International Institute for Sustainable Development

On the margins of the UN Climate Action Summit, the Netherlands pledged USD 28 million in support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the…


Nigeria: Social Cohesion Project Manager

Sep 30, 2019 | Search for Common Ground

Search for Common Ground is an international non-profit organization operating in 36 countries whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict…


Advancing United Nations Responses to Climate-Related Security Risks

Sep 30, 2019 | Karolina Eklöw, Camilla Born, and Malin Mobjörk

The security implications of climate change have increasingly been debated in the United Nations Security Council. Yet, there is a growing concern by many UN…


Taking SDG 5 (Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment) Seriously in the Forestry Sector

Sep 30, 2019 | Carol Colfer and Dominique Lyons

In the lead-up to the 25th IUFRO World Congress being held in Curitiba, Brazil from 29 Sept. to 6 Oct., a group of scientists from around…


From Commitment to Action: Inclusion of Women's Voices in Commonwealth Priorities for Gender Equality

Sep 30, 2019 | Myn Garcia

Women from across the Commonwealth met in advance of the 12 Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (12WAMM) on 16 and 17 September to discuss policy recommendations to accelerate national, regional, and global action…


DRC: Congo Mine Deploys Digital Weapons in Fight against Conflict Minerals

Sep 30, 2019 | Aaron Ross and Barbara Lewis, Reuters

In a small shack overlooking muddy pits hewn out of eastern Congo’s rolling green hills, a government official puts a barcoded tag on a sack…


Afghanistan: Protection Body Prevents Illegal Mining at 2,200 Sites

Sep 30, 2019 | Navid Ahmad Barakzai, Pajhwok

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) says the Mines Protection Committee (MPC) has been able to prevent illegal extractions of natural resources at 2,200…


Palestine: Palestinians Hope to Import Iraqi Oil, become More Energy Independent

Sep 30, 2019 | Daoud Kuttab, Al-Monitor

When Iraqi officials offered to sell Palestinians oil at reduced prices, few believed that this offer would actually become reality. While many obstacles continue to exist,…


Liberia: USAID’s Farmer of the Year Promotes Garden Programs

Sep 30, 2019 | George Harris, Observer

Urban population growth is affecting land availability for vegetable production, a situation beclouding the future of urban farming in Liberia. But USAID’s 2019 Farmer of…


Myanmar: Two Mandalay Lakes to Get Wetland Protection

Sep 30, 2019 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

Mandalay Region’s Sont Ye Lake in Kyaukse township and Paleik Lake in Tada-U will be designated as protected wetlands to conserve them and regulate development, a…


Nigeria: Weighing Tech Solutions as Conflict, Disasters Threaten Nigeria’s Food Security

Sep 29, 2019 | PUNCH

In the face of Boko Haram terrorism, farmers-herders conflict and natural disasters such as flooding, Jesusegun Alagbe writes about revolutionary agricultural technologies that can be…


Vets with PTSD Turn to Beekeeping for Relief

Sep 28, 2019 | Michael Casey and Mike Householder, Associated Press

Researchers are beginning to study whether beekeeping has therapeutic benefits. For now, there is little hard data, but veterans in programs like the one in…


DRC: US-Funded Clean Minerals Project Raises Concerns in Congo

Sep 27, 2019 | Pratima Desai and Aaron Ross, Reuters

Democratic Republic of Congo plans to look into potential conflicts of interest in a US-funded project to certify mines that produce minerals such as gold…


Reclaiming the WPS Agenda: it's Time to Talk About the Elephant in the Room

Sep 27, 2019 | Mohbuba Choudhury

Displacement levels in Bangladesh as a result of the influx of Rohingya refugees has had a detrimental impact upon the local environment. The arrival of…


Myanmar: Jade, Gems Totalling More Than €500 Million Sold during Nay Pyi Taw Event

Sep 27, 2019 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

The recent Mid-Year Myanmar Gem Emporium which took place in Nay Pyi Taw from September 16 to 25, saw sales of more than €500 million…


Guinea/Ivory Coast/Liberia/Sierra Leone: MRU Establishes Transboundary Water Resources National Advisory Committee

Sep 27, 2019 | Observer

The Mano River Union (MRU) comprising four West African countries, including Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast, has officially established a National Advisory…


Pentagon May Scrap 35 Million Depleted Uranium Rounds Used by the A-10 Warthog's Gun

Sep 26, 2019 | Joseph Trevithick, Drive

The US military is looking into what it would take to dismantle and dispose of more than 35,000,000 rounds of ammunition with depleted uranium cores,…


Colombia: As the Amazon Burns, Colombia’s Forests Decimated for Cattle and Coca

Sep 26, 2019 | Antonio José Paz Cardona, Mongabay

The last few weeks have been critical for the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia. Fires in August razed thousands of hectares of forest and drew…


Colombia: Honey Heals Wounds of War in Colombian Village

Sep 26, 2019 | Daily Times

Covered from head to toe in a protective suit, Yina Ortiz peers through a veil to check in on her beehive. It is one of…


South Sudan: South Sudan to Unveil Seven Oil Blocks on Offer in October

Sep 25, 2019 | Fred Ojambo, Bloomberg

South Sudan will unveil next month seven oil blocks that will be offered in the next licencing round, according to the state-owned Nile Petroleum Corp.…


Climate Change and Global Security: Planning for Potential Conflict

Sep 25, 2019 | Charlotte Collins

Climate change is set to impinge on human well-being in many ways, from rising sea levels to devastating heat waves. While we pay a lot…


Myanmar: Undeveloped Land in Industrial Zones Could Be Confiscated: Myanmar Authorities

Sep 25, 2019 | Xinhua

Myanmar authorities have warned that undeveloped land plots in industrial zones in Yangon region could be confiscated, saying that unless concrete reasons are provided, the…


China/South China Sea: Beijing Deploys New Deepwater Drilling Rig in South China Sea

Sep 25, 2019 | Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post

China has deployed a deepwater oil rig in the South China Sea , according to a state media report. The machine, which is China’s largest…