Oxen have been used to plough in agriculture for at least 3,000 years. They are still used today. Painting from the burial chamber of Sennudjem c, 1200 BC, Egypt. Credit: Trevor Page
LETHBRIDGE, Canada, Sep 21 2021 (IPS) – Why is the UN holding a Food Systems Summit? Two issues that need discussion at the international leadership level are: Long before the Covid crisis was upon us, the number of hungry people in the world was increasing. Why ? What is the cause of this disturbing trend? And, can a country really claim to be food secure, unless it produces or can buy enough food to feed its population and its people can access sufficient quantities to keep themselves …
A child health consultation at Obunga Dispensary in Homa Bay, one of the eight counties participating in the malaria vaccine pilot program. Credit: Joyce Chimbi/IPS
NAIROBI, Oct 25 2021 (IPS) – One morning in 2016, Lillian Nekesa s 3-year-old woke up with flu-like classic symptoms of malaria. This was not Kevin s first encounter with the killer disease.
BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec 14 2021 (IPS) – Transport ministers from across Asia and the Pacific are meeting this week to consider a potentially transformational agenda for how people and goods are moved around the region and across the globe.
Pre-COVID-19 transport connectivity weaknesses in the Asia-Pacific region became even more apparent during the pandemic: landlocked developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States were particularly affected. Therefore, it is imperative that we accelerate meaningful change in transport systems as countries seek to put their development agendas back on track.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahba…
ROME, Feb 14 2022 (IPS) – The ocean covers more than 70 percent of our planet. There is no question it is critical for our health and well-being. It provides half the earth’s oxygen supply and every organism in existence depends on it to survive.
Manuel Barange
The ocean is also vital for our nutrition and food security, cultural heritage and economic sustenance. Hundreds of millions of people rely directly or indirectly on the ocean for their lives and livelihoods. It’s not just about jobs or feeding our families. The ebb and flow of the tides is embedded in the history and traditions of thousands of coastal communities around the world.
Now this preciou…
A woman holding a child begs at an intersection in New Delhi. Credit: Ranjit Devraj/IPS.
NEW DELHI, Apr 20 2022 (IPS) – Oxfam’s report and its (hereafter referred to as the report) revealed some shocking facts about the growing gap between the rich and poor. India, which has the third highest number of billionaires in the world, endured one of the longest-lasting COVID-induced lockdowns in 2020. Yet, the same year, the top 10 percent of India held close to 45 percent of t…
Delegates at the ‘Intergenerational Dialogue of the Asian Parliamentarians and Youth Advocates on Meaningful Youth Engagement’ discussed how meaningful dialogue amplify young people’s issues and lead to laws and policies which benefit them. Credit: APDA
Johannesburg, Jun 7 2022 (IPS) – Young people are often the first to rebuild their communities. However, youths diverse challenges cannot be addressed without meaningf…
BANGKOK, Thailand, Sep 5 2022 (IPS) – Most of the 2.1 billion strong workforce in Asia and the Pacific are denied access to decent jobs, health care and social protection but there is an array polices and tools that governments can use to remedy these deficiencies and ensure that the rights and aspirations of these workers and their families are upheld and that they remain the engine of economic growth for the region.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
A new report released today, the , offers tangible solutions to immediately address alarming trends that both preceded the new coronavirus and were exacerbated by the pandemic.
While 243 million new people…
Russia’s new law banning any promotion of what is seen as “non-traditional sexual relations” could stigmatise the LGBTQI community and put HIV/AIDS prevention at risk.
BRATISLAVA, Dec 16 2022 (IPS) – A new law banning LGBTQI ‘propaganda’ in Russia will further stigmatise LGBTQI people in the country and could worsen what is already one of the world’s worst HIV/AIDS epidemics, critics have warned.
The legislation, approved by President Vladimir Putin at the start of this month, bans an…
Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim is Former President of the Republic of Mauritius
Dr. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, Mar 30 2023 (IPS) – On 12th March 2023, The Republic of Mauritius celebrates 55 years of post-independence history. It would be an understatement to just say that there has been a lot of water under the bridge on our journey to self-determination!.. Indeed, we have made massive progress since we lowered the Union Jack and unfurled our own flag. It was and remains a moment of great pride whenever I see our flag in any international event, I participate in.
We are a small vulnerable island, deprived of natural resources and at the …
NEW YORK, Sep 9 2022 (IPS) – This week––nearly ten months after the emergence of the Omicron variant––the United States is rolling out Covid-19 booster vaccines that specifically target newer, now-dominant strains of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has that 209 million Americans over the age of 12, or 74 percent of that population, will be eligible for the shots.
Unfortunately, the last year and a half are a stark reminder that it takes much more than even the miracle of “lightning speed” science to ensure widespread vaccination in this country.
In late July, the Kaiser Family Foundation that the share of p…