News headlines in 2020, page 27
A Feminist Perspective from Middle East & North Africa on the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Inter Press Service
BERLIN, Oct 02 (IPS) - Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, feminists across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have been increasingly shedding light on the global shifts that will shape the Future of Work. From their perspective, those shifts would mainly be driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the impact of climate change and the looming global care crisis.
The Key to Peace in the Lake Chad Area Is Water, Not Military Action
- Inter Press Service
YOLA, Nigeria, Oct 02 (IPS) - Lake Chad is an extremely shallow water body in the Sahel. It was once the world's sixth largest inland water body with an open water area of 25,000 km2 in the 1960s, it shrunk dramatically at the beginning of the 1970s and reduced to less than 2,000 km2 during the 1980s, decreasing by more than 90% its area. It is one of the largest lakes in Africa. It is an endorheic lake – meaning that it doesn't drain towards the ocean.
Restoring Ecosystems After Fire and Flooding: Forget Not the Beneficial Soil Microbes
- Inter Press Service
ILLINOIS, United States, Oct 01 (IPS) - Recent months have brought all sorts of climate-linked disasters, from raging wildfires in California and Oregon to flooding in Alabama. As we think of the incalculable losses that are associated with these extremities linked to the changing climate, I cannot help but think of the belowground web of life that is burning, being flooded and washed away, affected, or lost.
Covid-19 Deaths: 1 Million and Surging
- Inter Press Service
We Need Nature and Biodiversity if We Want a Sustainable Future
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Oct 01 (IPS) - "Investing in nature is investing in a sustainable future," was one of the key messages from yesterday's first-ever United Nations Summit on Biodiversity where world leaders and experts agreed on the urgency to act swiftly to preserve biodiversity globally.
The Triple Humanitarian Crisis and Why Kenya Deserves An A + in its Response
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 01 (IPS) - The United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Ms Amina Mohammed recently commended "Kenya's exemplary role in its response to COVID-19 and in advancing Agenda 2030".
Water Security in Jordan is Crucial to Maintaining Stability in the Country
- Inter Press Service
AMMAN, Jordan, Oct 01 (IPS) - Jordan is one of the driest countries in the world, raking the fifth most water-stressed nation in an analysis by the World Resources Institute.
To Achieve Gender Equality Within, the UN Must Do More to Tackle Sexual Harassment
- Inter Press Service
NEW YORK, Sep 30 (IPS) - In September 2017, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the "System-wide strategy on gender parity", which set the goal of reaching gender parity within the United Nations by 2028 and outlined a strategy on how to achieve this, including the introduction of special measures, senior appointments, targets and accountability, amongst other things.
India: Are the Farm Ordinances Against Farmers’ Interests?
- Inter Press Service
ANDHRA PRADESH, India / WASHINGTON D.C., Sep 30 (IPS) - Farm policy in India is in its own conundrum. If you ask, "what are the major challenges for increasing farmer income?", any farmer in India would tell us that it is the low remunerative prices for their produces and he or she will add that most of the market margins goes to the middlemen.
To Achieve Progress on Gender Equality, Gender Data Must Be at the Forefront
- Inter Press Service
Sep 30 (IPS) - New research reveals significant gender data gaps in the Latin America and Caribbean region.In 1995, world leaders gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women and adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality. This week, a high-level event will take place as part of the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate the meeting's 25th anniversary. However, despite ambitious commitments to gender equality, nearly 25 years later, progress still lags far behind.