By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — At the World Cancer Congress meeting this month in Geneva, Switzerland, it was predicted that all cancers in South Africa would almost certainly double by 2030 without major spending increases for screening and prevention. This comes as new cancer therapies have boosted survival odds from […]
Scientists Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic with Artificial Intelligence
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — A group of scientists from the University of Aberdeen, a United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) member institution in Britain, together with Vertebrate Antibodies Ltd and the National Health Service (NHS) Grampian have developed a “game-changing technology”. This technology has “tremendous potential to change the trajectory of global recovery […]
Slow Progress for Women Helping Forge Peace
By Caroline Mawanga NEW YORK (IDN) — Defending women’s rights and promoting greater inclusion is a proven strategy for peace and stability, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a recent Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security, which focussed on Secretary-General António Guterres’s annual report as envisaged with a landmark resolution adopted 22 […]
How Syrian Women Navigate Security Risks to Mediate Local Conflicts
A UN Women Feature NEW YORK (IDN) — For over a decade, Syria’s protracted conflict has taken countless lives, displaced millions in and outside the country and left much of its infrastructure in tatters. International mediation efforts to end the conflict have largely stalled, in part because the local dynamics that help fuel the crisis […]
UN Report Highlights Women’s Mediation Efforts in Four Arab Countries
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — Though largely excluded from formal mediation roles, women across conflict-affected countries in the Arab region have been instrumental in diffusing tensions and mediating conflicts in their own communities. UN Women’s new report, “Women’s Participation in Local Mediation: Lessons from Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen”, highlights the diverse mediation roles […]
US-Saudi Alliance in Jeopardy Threatening Multi-Billion Dollar Arms Sales
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The longstanding US-Saudi alliance—political, economic and military—which dates back to 1931, is in deep trouble. US President Joe Biden has warned Saudi Arabia that it would face “consequences” after OPEC Plus, the oil cartel led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced plans for a cut in oil production—an […]
Despite the Recession Threat, 100 million Can Still Be Lifted Out of Poverty
By UN News NEW YORK (IDN) — A flagship UN poverty study released on October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, finds that significant poverty reduction is possible, and new ways of calculating the problem can help humanitarians and governments better target aid.
Digital Finance Can Drive Women’s Economic Empowerment in Africa
From Africa Renewal By Economic Commission for Africa UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A new report reveals persistent barriers in the digital finance sector that limit women’s economic empowerment in Africa while recommending policy responses to overcome them. Commissioned by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the latest edition of the biennial African Women’s […]
WFP Starts Afresh in DR Congo’s Violence-Torn Northeast
By Benjamin Anguandia, WFP KINSHASA (IDN) — Kesereka, who prefers to go by Sadi, accepts a stack of cash from a World Food Programme (WFP) officer in a small room in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s northeastern town of Mabalako. He counts it carefully, folding it neatly, so it fits in his small pocket.
GMOs that Promote Poverty and Dependency Gain Foothold in Kenya
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Kenya has officially entered into the cultivation and use of Genetically Modified Organisms—known as GMOs—that have been banned in 26 countries. This month, Kenyan authorities announced plans to lift the country’s ban on genetically modified crops, in part to deal with a record drought that […]