Global IssuesToday, around 21,000 children died around the world. This daily tragedy, from poverty and other preventable causes, rarely makes headline news.
Latest world news
World
Surges in Violence in Haiti Push Basic Services to the Brink of Collapse
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 12 (IPS) - In 2025, the humanitarian crisis in Haiti has grown increasingly dire amid the ongoing gang wars. With rates of displacement, child recruitment, food insecurity, physical violence, and sexual violence having skyrocketed in the past year alone, the national police have found it difficult to keep gang activity under control.
United Nations New Efficiency Initiative is Aiming for Structural Changes to Operations
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 12 (IPS) - The United Nations chief announced on Wednesday (March 12) a new initiative that aims to assess areas of efficiency and improvement for the international organization to expand its efforts and recognize the need “for even greater urgency and ambition.”
Energy is a Catalyst for Peace Between Israel and Gaza
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Mar 12 (IPS) - David L. Phillips is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for European Studies.Israel’s decision to suspend electricity supplies to Gaza has far-reaching consequences for daily life of Palestinians as well as Gaza’s reconstruction. Managing Gaza’s energy crisis will require the development of alternative supplies, which are found in off-shore natural gas fields that can be developed off the coast of Israel and Gaza in the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed).
UN Chief Launches New Initiative as World Faces Growing Challenges
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 12 (IPS) - Antonio Guterres is the Secretary-General of the United NationsAs we mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations this year, our world is facing challenges on every front. These trials and tests affect every aspect of our work: multiplying and enduring conflict; inadequate progress in reducing poverty and advancing sustainable development; the widespread flouting of international law and violation of human rights; the lack of guard rails for transformative technologies; and many other obstacles to effective multilateral responses.
Gaza Counts Costs of Catastrophic Impacts of Israeli Bombardment on Healthcare
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 12 (IPS) - With enough steel and concrete, the hospitals that have been smashed to bits in Gaza can be rebuilt. But a construction plan paired with an army of bulldozers will not be enough to reconstruct the entirety of Gaza's health care system, which, after many months of war, has been decimated by the Israeli military forces.
‘Anxiety, paranoia, fear’: The consequences of digital violence against women
- UN News
Online attacks against women are getting worse, according to the UN, causing lasting damage that can spill over into real world violence. Leading activists from Spain and Latin America met at UN Headquarters on Wednesday to rally women and share strategies on fighting back.
World News in Brief: Gaza aid ‘unravelling’, funding cuts in Ukraine, concern over Syria aid access, Duterte in ICC custody
- UN News
Following 11 days of an Israeli aid blockade in Gaza, “crucial progress” made during the first six weeks of the ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas militants “continues to unravel”, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Wednesday.
Humanitarian system at breaking point as funding cuts force life-or-death choices
- UN News
The UN’s top relief official warned on Wednesday that the global humanitarian system has reached breaking point, with funding cuts forcing life-or-death decisions over which aid programmes to sustain and which to shut down.
Human Rights Council: Significant increase in child victims of trafficking
- UN News
Children make up almost four in 10 victims of trafficking worldwide, but the true number of youngsters caught up in the illegal practice is likely much higher, a senior UN official warned on Wednesday.
UN launches gender equality plan: ‘We’re at a turning point’
- UN News
The UN launched a bold new action agenda to boost rights and achieve gender equality at a high-level event on the sidelines of the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
- More stories…
Climate
Western Climate Hypocrisy Exposed by NATO Energy Policy
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Mar 11 (IPS) - NATO geopolitical strategy has now joined the ‘coalition’ of Western geoeconomic forces accelerating planetary heating, now led again by re-elected US President Donald Trump.
Bangladesh Economy: Turning Demographic Challenges into Opportunities
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, Mar 10 (IPS) - Speaking at the recent annual conference of the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has emphasised the need to create opportunities for young people, asserting that Bangladesh’s large population is not a burden but a valuable resource.
Siddis of Indiaa Unique Community Moves Into the Mainstream With Tourist Venture
- Inter Press Service
LINGADBAEL VILLAGE, Karnataka, India, Mar 10 (IPS) - The Siddi community, descendants of slaves from Africa, is now becoming more involved with mainstream enterprises, including a forest homestay venture—which is changing their fortunes after years of discrimination on the Indian subcontinent where they were originally enslaved.
Climate change: La Niña fades, as global heat keeps rising
- UN News
The weak but significant La Niña weather event that began in December is likely to be brief, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced.
Solar Energy Sustains the Development of Amazonian Communities in Brazil - VIDEO
- Inter Press Service
MANAUS, Brazil, Mar 05 (IPS) - Electricity is essential for the well-being and prosperity of traditional riverside communities in the Amazon, as demonstrated by the experience of the Santa Helena do Inglês community, located on the right bank of the Negro River in northern Brazil.
International Women’s Day, 2025 - In Zanzibar, Women Turn the Tide with Sponge Farming
- Inter Press Service
JAMBIANI, Zanzibar, Mar 05 (IPS) - In the early morning, as the tide pulls away, Zulfa Abdallah ties her scarf tightly around her head. She adjusts her goggles, places a snorkel across her forehead, and wades into the chest-deep waters off Jambiani village in Zanzibar. The Indian Ocean is her livelihood now, its waves offering a lifeline to women like her who confront challenges of poverty and climate change.
Not Seen in Living Memory: Kashmirs Rivers Run Dry, Snow Disappears, and Hope Dissipates
- Inter Press Service
SRINAGAR, India, Mar 04 (IPS) - With a severe rainfall and snow deficit, some residents of Kashmir, an area known for its snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, and pristine lakes, are looking to the heavens for answers as little assistance seems to be coming from the authorities as their livelihoods dry up.The picturesque Kashmir Valley is battling nature’s fury. This time of year, its majestic mountains would typically be capped with thick snow, and its emerald streams would gush with fresh waters. However, none of these scenes are visible this year.
COP 16 Conference made Key Steps Towards a More Just Transition for Indigenous Peoples & Peasant Communities
- Inter Press Service
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Mar 03 (IPS) - With global temperatures continuing to break records and every global indicator of the health of the natural world showing decline, the need to quickly move away from fossil fuels and environmentally destructive practices has never been more apparent. But as has often been pointed out, how this ‘green transition’ is achieved matters.
Oceans of opportunity squeezed dry by unsustainable use
- UN News
The booming ocean economy sustains hundreds of millions of people, but it is being squeezed dry by overfishing, pollution, climate change and waste, UN economists warned on Monday, in a call for smarter, more concerted action to protect the world’s vast marine spaces for future generations.
COP16 Agrees to Raise Funds to Protect Biodiversity
- Inter Press Service
BLOOMINGTON, U.S.A & ROME, Feb 28 (IPS) - The second round of the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP16, concluded in the early hours of Friday, February 28 in Rome, with an agreement to raise the funds needed to protect biodiversity.
- More stories…
Health
Gaza Counts Costs of Catastrophic Impacts of Israeli Bombardment on Healthcare
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 12 (IPS) - With enough steel and concrete, the hospitals that have been smashed to bits in Gaza can be rebuilt. But a construction plan paired with an army of bulldozers will not be enough to reconstruct the entirety of Gaza's health care system, which, after many months of war, has been decimated by the Israeli military forces.
WHO injects fresh support into DR Congo vaccination drive
- UN News
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has stepped up efforts to improve vaccination coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by providing vital logistical support, including boats and motorcycles to reach remote communities along the Congo River.
Tensions Between Israel and Hamas Threaten Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10 (IPS) - On March 1, the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to end. However, as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and Hamas declining to release more hostages until the second phase goes into effect, the long-term feasibility of the ceasefire agreement is uncertain. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent inflammatory comments surrounding the conflict between the two parties might put further strain on the already fragile ceasefire agreement.
Society's Self-Sabotage: How Discrimination Cripples Nations
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10 (IPS) - One look at the headlines recently and anyone would know that cuts to foreign aid are jeopardizing hard-won progress on a range of issues. AIDS is one of them.
Solutions To TB and HIV Benefit All of Us, North and South
- Inter Press Service
PRINCETON, New Jersey, USA, Mar 06 (IPS) - In the west of Kenya, near the shores of Lake Victoria, where I come from, a tuberculosis outbreak is no different from one that takes place anywhere else in the world. A few dozen people get sick, health workers attempt to locate and test everyone with a bad cough and other symptoms. A concerted effort is made to make sure that patients take their medications for the entire duration of treatment, at least six months, to help stem the creation of drug-resistant infections.
Choose compassion, reject cruelty to end HIV, says top UN rights official
- UN News
Global efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic continue to remain insufficient, with deadly consequences, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Thursday.
Funding cuts jeopardize global fight against tuberculosis, WHO warns
- UN News
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that severe funding cuts – particularly in the United States – are threatening decades of progress in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), still the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
‘Rapid expansion’ of synthetic drugs reshaping illicit markets, UN anti-narcotics body warns
- UN News
Synthetic drugs are rapidly transforming the global drug trade, fuelling an escalating public health crisis, according to the UN administered International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
The Gates to Paradise Are Closing
- Inter Press Service
MEXICO CITY, Feb 28 (IPS) - In 2020, a historic announcement emerged from the Global Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual assessment that evaluates human exploitation in 129 countries. For the first time, the world witnessed a 13% decrease in the number of victims. For those of us who fight against this heinous crime, it felt as if a door to paradise had opened—an Eden where no human being is for sale.
U.S. Passes on UN Ukraine Resolution amid the Humanitarian Crisis
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27 (IPS) - From late 2024 to early 2025, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine has taken a turn for the worst, with poverty, violence, displacement, and damage to critical infrastructures having grown in intensity. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, tensions have grown among member states of the United Nations (UN) on how to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- More stories…
Economy
Agriculture for Economic Resilience During Political and Financial Crisis - The Case of Bangladesh
- Inter Press Service
DHAKA, Bangladesh, Mar 11 (IPS) - The recent student movement in Bangladesh demanding reform of the quota system for public jobs led a ‘march of the people’ towards the official Residence of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5th of August 2024. The security forces of the country, including the army, refused to open fire on the marching crowd. Fearing an imminent attack on her residence without the protection of the army, Sheikh Hasina fled to neighbouring India after being in power continuously since 2008. With Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India on 5th of August 2024 her authoritarian and corrupt rule of 15 years just melted away.
The G20: How it Works, Why it Matters and What Would be Lost if it Failed
- Inter Press Service
PRETORIA, South Africa, Mar 11 (IPS) - Prof Daniel D. Bradlow is Professor/Senior Research Fellow, Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship, University of Pretoria.South Africa took over the presidency of the G20 at the end of 2024. Since then the world has become a more complex, unpredictable and dangerous place.
Western Climate Hypocrisy Exposed by NATO Energy Policy
- Inter Press Service
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Mar 11 (IPS) - NATO geopolitical strategy has now joined the ‘coalition’ of Western geoeconomic forces accelerating planetary heating, now led again by re-elected US President Donald Trump.
Bangladesh Economy: Turning Demographic Challenges into Opportunities
- Inter Press Service
SYDNEY, Mar 10 (IPS) - Speaking at the recent annual conference of the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has emphasised the need to create opportunities for young people, asserting that Bangladesh’s large population is not a burden but a valuable resource.
Siddis of Indiaa Unique Community Moves Into the Mainstream With Tourist Venture
- Inter Press Service
LINGADBAEL VILLAGE, Karnataka, India, Mar 10 (IPS) - The Siddi community, descendants of slaves from Africa, is now becoming more involved with mainstream enterprises, including a forest homestay venture—which is changing their fortunes after years of discrimination on the Indian subcontinent where they were originally enslaved.
Developing a Thriving e-vehicles Value Chain in Africa
- Inter Press Service
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Mar 07 (IPS) - African countries should join hands to make the most of their own resources and build a formidable electric vehicle ecosystem that could help fast-track realisation of SDGs.
International Women’s Day, 2025 - In Zanzibar, Women Turn the Tide with Sponge Farming
- Inter Press Service
JAMBIANI, Zanzibar, Mar 05 (IPS) - In the early morning, as the tide pulls away, Zulfa Abdallah ties her scarf tightly around her head. She adjusts her goggles, places a snorkel across her forehead, and wades into the chest-deep waters off Jambiani village in Zanzibar. The Indian Ocean is her livelihood now, its waves offering a lifeline to women like her who confront challenges of poverty and climate change.
Not Seen in Living Memory: Kashmirs Rivers Run Dry, Snow Disappears, and Hope Dissipates
- Inter Press Service
SRINAGAR, India, Mar 04 (IPS) - With a severe rainfall and snow deficit, some residents of Kashmir, an area known for its snow-capped mountains, lush valleys, and pristine lakes, are looking to the heavens for answers as little assistance seems to be coming from the authorities as their livelihoods dry up.The picturesque Kashmir Valley is battling nature’s fury. This time of year, its majestic mountains would typically be capped with thick snow, and its emerald streams would gush with fresh waters. However, none of these scenes are visible this year.
The Gates to Paradise Are Closing
- Inter Press Service
MEXICO CITY, Feb 28 (IPS) - In 2020, a historic announcement emerged from the Global Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual assessment that evaluates human exploitation in 129 countries. For the first time, the world witnessed a 13% decrease in the number of victims. For those of us who fight against this heinous crime, it felt as if a door to paradise had opened—an Eden where no human being is for sale.
Looming Tariffs Threaten Food Supplies
- Inter Press Service
LONDON, Feb 28 (IPS) - Who bears the brunt in trade wars? The answer is absolutely everyone. Not just the countries enacting or retaliating with tariffs and export bans, and not just the citizens of those countries. Its everyone.
- More stories…
More news topics
Read more news stories by
More news by World, Economy, Environment, Geopolitics, Health, Human Rights, More news topics …
World news powered by
and Issues in depth
Latest
Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction
Many are afraid that tackling climate change is going to be too costly. But increasingly, studies are showing action will not just be cheaper than inaction, but could actually result in economic, environmental and even health benefits, while improving sustainability.
Read “Action on climate change is cheaper than inaction” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section looks at what causes climate change, what the impacts are and where scientific consensus currently is.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming Introduction” to learn more.
COP20—Lima Climate Conference
An overview of the Climate Change Conference (also known as COP 20), held in Lima, Peru in December 2014.
While it seemed like it was a successful meeting, because developing nations were committed to drawing up their own plans for emissions reductions for the first time, a number of important issues were left undecided such as how financing would work.
This page is an overview of the Lima Climate conference.
Read “COP20—Lima Climate Conference” to learn more.
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
An overview of the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa that has been described by the World Health Organization as the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak in the history of the disease.
The epidemic began at the end of 2013, in Guinea. From there it spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. Many of the affected countries face enormous challenges in stopping its spread and providing care for all patients.
Thousands of people have died and many are at risk as the fatality rate from this virus is very high. As the crisis worsens, as well as the enormous health challenges involved, the social and economic consequences may set these countries back, reversing some gains a number of these countries have made in recent years.
Read “Ebola Outbreak in West Africa” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
- Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
- Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
- Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
- Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.
Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.
Nature and Animal Conservation
Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves.
Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.
Read “Nature and Animal Conservation” to learn more.
Most Popular
Poverty Facts and Stats
Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.
The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.
By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.
Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least.
Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.
Global Financial Crisis
Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.
Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits.
Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.
Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.
Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.
This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…
Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.
Causes of Poverty
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.
Read “Causes of Poverty” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues are also a major global issue. Humans depend on a sustainable and healthy environment, and yet we have damaged the environment in numerous ways. This section introduces other issues including biodiversity, climate change, animal and nature conservation, population, genetically modified food, sustainable development, and more.
Read “Environmental Issues” to learn more.
Racism
Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others. Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns. This article explores racism from around the world.
Read “Racism” to learn more.
Topical
Global Financial Crisis
Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble — global in scope — burst, even causing some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed. With the resulting recession, many governments of the wealthiest nations in the world have resorted to extensive bail-out and rescue packages for the remaining large banks and financial institutions while imposing harsh austerity measures on themselves.
Some of the bail-outs have also led to charges of hypocrisy due to the apparent socializing of the costs while privatizing the profits.
Furthermore, the institutions being rescued are typically the ones got the world into this trouble in the first place. For smaller businesses and poorer people, such options for bail out and rescue are rarely available when they find themselves in crisis.
Plummeting stock markets at one point wiped out 33% of the value of companies, $14.5 trillion. Taxpayers bailed out their banks and financial institutions with large amounts of money. US taxpayers alone have spent some $9.7 trillion in bailout packages and plans. The UK and other European countries have also spent some $2 trillion on rescues and bailout packages. More is expected. Much more.
Such numbers, made quickly available, are enough to wipe many individual’s mortgages, or clear out third world debt many times over. Even the high military spending figures are dwarfed by the bailout plans to date.
This problem could have been averted (in theory) as people had been pointing to these issues for decades. However, during boom, very few want to hear such pessimism. Does this crisis spell an end to the careless forms of banking and finance and will it herald a better economic age, or are we just doomed to keep forgetting history and repeat these mistakes in the future? Signs are not encouraging as rich nations are resisting meaningful reform…
Read “Global Financial Crisis” to learn more.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing. Many are agreed that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
This section explores some of the effects of climate change. It also attempts to provide insights into what governments, companies, international institutions, and other organizations are attempting to do about this issue, as well as the challenges they face. Some of the major conferences in recent years are also discussed.
Read “Climate Change and Global Warming” to learn more.
Food and Agriculture Issues
Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side.
This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.
Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
- Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
- Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
- Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
- Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
This article explores who has benefited most from this aid, the recipients or the donors.
Read “Foreign Aid for Development Assistance” to learn more.
Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy
Through tax havens, transfer pricing and many other policies — both legal and illegal — billions of dollars of tax are avoided. The much-needed money would helped developing (and developed) countries provide important social services for their populations.
Some tax avoidance, regardless of how morally objectionable it may be to some people, is perfectly legal, and the global super elite are able to hide away trillions of dollars, resulting in massive losses of tax revenues for cash-strapped governments who then burden ordinary citizens further with austerity measures during economic crisis, for example. Yet these super elite are often very influential in politics and business. In effect, they are able to undermine democracy and capitalism at the same time.
As the global financial crisis has affected many countries, tackling tax avoidance would help target those more likely to have contributed to the problem while avoid many unnecessary austerity measures that hit the poorest so hard. But despite rhetoric stating otherwise, it does not seem to high on the agenda of many governments as you might think.
Read “Tax Avoidance and Tax Havens; Undermining Democracy” to learn more.
World Military Spending
World military spending had reduced since the Cold War ended, but a few nations such as the US retain high level spending.
In recent years, global military expenditure has increased again and is now comparable to Cold War levels. Recent data shows global spending at over $1.7 trillion. 2012 saw the first dip in spending — only slightly —since 1998, in an otherwise rising trend.
The highest military spender is the US accounting for almost two-fifths of the world’s spending, more than the rest of the G7 (most economically advanced countries) combined, and more than all its potential enemies, combined.
Read “World Military Spending” to learn more.
“If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence.” — Bertrand Russell, Roads to Freedom