Urban Slums a Death Trap for Poor Children
Children on their way to school in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi. Credit: Save the Children
UNITED NATIONS, May 5 2015 (IPS) – It’s called the urban survival gap – fuelled by the growing inequality between rich and poor in both developing and developed countries – and it literally determines whether millions of infants will live or die before their fifth birthday.
Save the Children’s annual report on the ranks 179 countries and concludes that that for babies born in the big city, it s the survival of the richest.
Speaking from the launch at U.N. Headquarters, Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children, said that for the first time in history, more families are moving into citi…
Why We Should Care about Vulnerable Coastal Communities
Nigel Brett is Director of the Asia and Pacific Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development
Meity Masipuang is a member of an enterprise group in Papusungan village, Lembeh island, Indonesia. Their women’s group purchases fish to smoke and resell. They are participants of the IFAD-funded Coastal Community Development project in Indonesia. Credit: IFAD/Roger Arnold
ROME, Jan 16 2019 (IPS) – According to UN statistics, approximately 40 per cent of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast, and overall the world’s coastal population is increasing faster than the total global population. At the same time, global warming is causing sea levels to rise and increasing extreme weather incidents on coastlines.
The impacts are well publicized and alarming. But what we may not realize is that the people who ar…
Is the Fight for Human Rights & Racial Justice Overriding the Coronavirus Risk?
Black Lives Matter protest in London May 31. Credit: Tara Carey / Equality Now
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 2 2020 (IPS) – The deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 372,000 people worldwide, has reinforced the concept of “social distancing” which bars any gathering of over 10 or 20 people – whether at a social event, a wedding, a political rally or even a funeral.
In the US, guidelines laid down by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are loudly clear: “limit face-to-face contact, stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people. Do not gather in groups. And stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings.”
But all those warnings have been unceremoniously jettisoned as hundreds and thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in several cities, including in Hongkong, Argentina, Leban…
Thinking Like a Tree – A Tribute to Life Sustainers
STOCKHOLM, Aug 24 2022 (IPS) – When I was a child, a friend asked me: “How would you describe a tree to someone who has never seen one?” I looked at the trees surrounding us and realised it was impossible, considering their versatility, beauty and utter strangeness. Since that time, I have often wondered about trees, as well as I have been worried by the indiscriminate destruction of trees and forests.
Trees are a prerequisite for life and intimately connected with humans’ existence. In these times of climate change, many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the life-promoting function of trees. How they produce oxygen, fix the carbon content of the atmosphere, clean and cool the air, regulate precipitation, purify the water, and control the water flow.
Throughout history, humans have been intertwined with the trees. Our shared cultural history bear…