International

Conflict Minerals: Problem with “Conflict Minerals” Extraction

Nov 19, 2021 | Christoph Vogel and Josaphat Musamba, Taarifa

In the early 2000s, activists began to campaign against the extraction of “conflict minerals”—a catchall term for gold and the “three Ts” (tin, tantalum, and…

Bhutan/China: Chinese Landgrab on Bhutanese Territory, 4 Villages Built on 1 Year

Nov 18, 2021 | Vishnu Som, NDTV

New satellite images tweeted out by a leading satellite imagery expert on Chinese military development, shows purported construction of Chinese villages in Bhutanese territory over…

Iraq: Residents Say Longstanding Oil Industry Practice Is Killing Them [Video]

Nov 18, 2021 | Jomana Karadsheh, CNN

Oil is a major driver for the world's climate crisis but in Iraq's province of Basra, residents and officials say it's causing a local environmental…

Women’s Land Rights Are Necessary to Build Climate-Resilient Futures

Nov 17, 2021 | Juliet Schulman-Hall

COP 26, the UN Conference on Climate, ended last Friday, after world leaders made several collective pledges to the climate crisis on issues like deforestation,…

Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, Climate Change Drives an Uptick in Child Marriage

Nov 17, 2021 | Ruchi Kumar, Undark

Child marriage is not a new phenomenon in South Asia, and despite attempts to legislate against it, the practice remains common across Afghanistan. Reports suggest…

Afghanistan: Poppy Plantations in Afghanistan Flourishing amid Western Sanctions and Economic Collapse [Video]

Nov 14, 2021 | Carol Mang, South China Morning Post

After its return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban promised to crack down on poppy plantations and the drug trade. But Western…

South China Sea: South China Sea Safeguards ‘Not Strong Enough’ to Stop International Tensions Escalating

Nov 14, 2021 | Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post

Existing safeguards in the South China Sea are not enough to prevent tensions spiralling out of control, regional observers have warned as they called for…

Cyprus: In Divided Cyprus, UN Sees Environment as Unifier

Nov 12, 2021 | Agence France-Presse

A broken plastic chair, a printer box, old tires and other discarded waste are loaded into the back of United Nations pickup trucks in the…

South Sudan: ApTech Installs 106 Automatic Drinking Water Dispensers

Nov 12, 2021 | Benoit-Ivan Wansi

The solar energy company ApTech is completing the installation of 106 Lorentz SmartTAP water dispensers in four locations in Southern Sudan. An initiative that will…

Mozambique: The Farmers Navigating Conflict, Climate Change and Covid

Nov 12, 2021 | Tavares Cebola, African Arguments

According to a study by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 76% of the households in Mozambique experienced moderate to severe food insecurity at…

Scotland: Supporting Women in Climate Action and Conflict Resolution

Nov 12, 2021

A new climate change focused fellowship promoting equal participation by women in peace resolution is being supported as part of a £300,000 funding commitment from…

We Need More Female Leaders in the Fight Against Climate Change

Nov 11, 2021 | Maria Tanyag

Diverse participation leads to more robust solutions, but Cop26 shows we are still failing to include marginalised voices.

Climate Change: Violence, Insecurity and Climate Change Drive 84 Million People from Their Homes

Nov 11, 2021 | UN

UNHCR’s Mid-Year Trends report, covering the first six months of this year, revealed a surge from 82.4 million since December – largely due to internal displacement –…

Afghanistan: We Risk a Catastrophe If Agriculture Collapses in Afghanistan

Nov 11, 2021 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

Richard Trenchard, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Representative in Afghanistan, warns that worsening drought and recent economic upheaval are having a…

Afghanistan: ‘It’s Our lifeline’: The Taliban Are back but Afghans Say Opium Is Here to Stay

Nov 11, 2021 | Shah Meer Baloch, Guardian

Afghanistan is the largest opium producer in the world, accounting for more than 80% of global production between 2015 and 2020, and generating millions of…

Ethiopia: “I Always Remember That Day”: Access to Services for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

Nov 10, 2021 | Human Rights Watch

The Ethiopian government’s blocking of aid with health facilities in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region destroyed is preventing sexual violence survivors from getting post-rape care. The government’s…

COP26: Five Takeaways as the 'Sexism' of Climate Change Is Discussed

Nov 10, 2021 | Euronews

There was more than one topic up for discussion at COP26 today. Gender was the theme of the day alongside science and innovation.

But there were…

Gender Equality and Indigenous People: Day Nine at Cop26 – In Pictures

Nov 10, 2021 | Eric Hilaire

Some of the best images from the global climate summit in Scotland on Tuesday 9 November. 

Afghanistan: Stone Quarrying and Processing Industry Drops 90%

Nov 10, 2021 | TOLOnews

Officials from the Union of Stone Extraction and Processing Companies said nearly 90 percent of the production and extraction business in the country has stopped.…

Syria: Water Wars in the Cradle of Civilisation: The Next Syrian Tragedy

Nov 9, 2021 | Richard Spencer, The Times

The river in front of us was so swollen with floodwaters just a few years ago that it was an impenetrable front line in the…

Colombia: Ground-Breaking Partnership between Colombia and Clean Tech Pioneer Alder Fuels Will Support Decarbonizing Air Travel

Nov 9, 2021 | Alder Fuels

In a historic first, Colombia could become a "green" crude, carbon-negative exporter thanks to a strategic alliance between the Government of Colombia and Alder Fuels,…

CAR: Portuguese Peacekeepers Suspected of Diamond Trafficking in CAR

Nov 9, 2021 | Muhammad Irfan, UrduPoint

Portuguese authorities launched dozens of raids across the country on Monday targeting a criminal network suspected of using troops deployed as UN peacekeepers in the…

On Gender Day at U.N. Climate Talks, A Call for Action That Empowers Women and Girls

Nov 8, 2021 | Casey Quackenbush

Women and children bear a disproportionate impact of climate change. Here’s what you need to know about Tuesday’s COP26 theme.

Afghanistan: Taliban's £1.2 Billion-a-Year War Chest That Helped Them Take over Kabul in Months

Nov 8, 2021 | Chris Hughes, Mirror

The Taliban was able to overrun Kabul in a matter of months because it had amassed an impressive war chest of £1.2 billion a-year. Add…

Liberia: Companies Cut Logs Worth Nearly US$2.5M Outside Concession, Report Finds

Nov 7, 2021 | James Harding Giahyue, The DayLight

Two companies harvested logs worth US$2.475 million outside of a concession area in Grand Bassa County, with the government of Liberia yet to take any…

India: Efforts on to Clean Arunachal River after Thousands of Fish Die as Water Turns Black

Nov 6, 2021 | Indo-Asian News Service

Various organisations along with experts from different parts of the country have swung into action to clean Arunachal Pradesh's Kameng river water which turned black…

Climate Change: How a Focus on Climate Change Could Assist with US National Security Policies

Nov 5, 2021 | CBS News

As world leaders gather for the U.N.'s climate change summit this week, some experts say the U.S. should shift its focus on climate change in…

Iraq: Despite Oil Wealth, Poverty Fuels Despair in South Iraq

Nov 5, 2021 | Agence France-Presse

In Iraq's southern province of Basra, the oil flows freely but little of the wealth trickles down to the people, and many struggle to make…

Liberia: Farming in the Heat: How Changing Weather Pattern Could Be Altering Liberia’s Agriculture

Nov 5, 2021 | FrontPage Africa

Over 80% of Liberia’s 4.5 million population earns less than $2 dollars per day and relies primarily on small-scale subsistence farming for their for sustenance. Traditional shifting…

Myanmar: Farmers Fear Myanmar Junta Will Confiscate Their Land

Nov 5, 2021 | Irrawaddy

Farmers in Rakhine State’s Kyaukphyu Township fear that the military regime will confiscate their land in the China-backed special economic zone (SEZ) in the township…