Poverty & SDGs

Populism, Wrong Medicine Against Corruption, Inequality

2016 showed that around the world systemic corruption and social inequality reinforce each other, leading to popular disenchantment with political establishments and providing a fertile ground for the rise of populist politicians, warns a new report by an international anti-corruption watchdog.

A Crisis of Overweight and Obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean

By Eve Crowley

Obesity and overweight have spread like a wildfire throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, threatening the health, well-being and food and nutritional security of millions of people.

360 Million of 625 Million People Are Overweight in Latin America and Caribbean

By Orlando Milesi

In Latin America and the Caribbean 360 million people are overweight, and 140 million are obese, warned the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Panamerican Health Organisation (PAHO).

Looting and Unrest Spread in Mexico Over Gas Price Hike

By Emilio Godoy

“We are absolutely fed up with the government’s plundering and arbitrary decisions. We don´t deserve what they’re doing to us,“ said Marisela Campos during one of the many demonstrations against the government´s decision to raise fuel prices.

China’s Billion-Dollar Re-entry in Sri Lanka Met with Public Protests

By Amantha Perera

Beragama is a typical Sri Lankan rural village, with lush green paddy fields interspersed by small houses and the village temple standing at the highest location. Despite being close to the island’s second international harbour and its second international airport, Beragama appears untouched by modernity.

Native Seeds Sustain Brazil’s Semi-Arid Northeast

By Mario Osava

In his 76 years of life, Raimundo Pinheiro de Melo has endured a number of droughts in Brazil’s semi-arid Northeast region. And he remembers every one of them since 1958.“The worst one was in 1982 and 1983, the only time that the river dried up,” said Pinheiro do Melo, who has lived near the river since 1962. “The one in 1993 was also very bad,” he told IPS, because neither Bolsa Familia nor Networking in Brazil’s Semi-Arid Region (ASA) existed yet, which contribute to a less traumatic coexistence with droughts like the current one, which has dragged on for five years.

Migrants Seeking Europe Catch Their Breath in Morocco

By Fabíola Ortiz

With a stable economy and a peaceful political climate, Morocco – which has always been a transit country for migrants -- is becoming a potential new destination for settlement. The elusive dream for most of those who cross the Sahara, though, is still Europe.

PKSF and IPS to Partner on Communicating for Positive Change

By Mahfuzur Rahman

The Palli Karma Sayahak Foundation (PKSF), a public sector apex development body in Bangladesh, and Inter Press Service (IPS), the international news agency focused on development issues, have teamed up to raise public awareness globally about PKSF’s best practices and provide vital information to decision-makers.

No More Mass Deaths from Drought in Northeast Brazil

By Mario Osava

The drought that has plagued Brazil’s semiarid Northeast region since 2012 is already more severe than the 1979-1983 drought, the longest in the 20th century. But prolonged dry spells no longer cause the tragedies of the past.

Islamic Nations to Host Pledging Conference on Aid to Yemen

By Thalif Deen

While the international community remains intensely pre-occupied with the six-year-old civil war ravaging Syria, the ongoing military conflict in Yemen has triggered a relatively neglected humanitarian crises threatening to explode.

Managing Bangladesh’s Dwindling Water Resources

By Mahfuzur Rahman

Experts at Bangladesh’s National Water Convention 2016 in Dhaka urged the sustainable management and conservation of water as the country braces for a water crisis due to wastage, river pollution, declining groundwater tables and intrusion of salinity.

Bringing South Africa’s Small-Scale Miners Out of the Shadows

By Mark Olalde

In a country with unemployment rising above 25 percent, South Africans are increasingly looking for job creation in small-scale mining, an often-informal industry that provides a living for millions across the continent.

Quality Water for All a Life and Death Issue in Bangladesh

By Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad

There is no exaggerating how crucial water is for human survival, particularly in countries like Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by rivers. The level of water in a river here directly affects the lifestyles and livelihoods of the people living on its two sides, so much so that rivers and water bodies of varied sizes are an inseparable part of Bengali culture and heritage.

Communications Key to Successful Development Projects

By Mahfuzur Rahman

Pumping money into development projects and rolling them out without having a good communications policy in place makes it unlikely the programmes will achieve their desired goals, as communications is vital to connect with stakeholders.

Agroecology Booming in Argentina

By Fabiana Frayssinet

Organic agriculture is rapidly expanding in Argentina, the leading agroecological producer in Latin America and second in the world after Australia, as part of a backlash against a model that has disappointed producers and is starting to worry consumers.