SUSTAINABILITY

Photo: From ‘Democrat’ to Autocrat: Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe Credit: Asian Affairs London.

Sri Lanka’s Economic Recovery? False Positive

By Neville de Silva*

This article was issued by Asian Affairs (London).

LONDON (IDN) — The sense of economic optimism expressed by Sri Lanka’s increasingly despotic president is not shared by the country’s long-suffering people.

Presenting his first budget since assuming office as president after his predecessor fled the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe seemed to see a new dawn on the horizon. Speaking in parliament in mid-November, he saw ‘a glimmer of hope on emerging from the economic abyss’, adding that it was ‘currently visible’.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 04 December 2022

Putting Anti-racism & Anti-discrimination High on the International Agenda

Viewpoint by Simone Galimberti*

KATHMANDU (IDN) — A recent UNESCO Forum provided some impetus to the fight against racism and discrimination, but the level of the problems involved required a much bigger commitment.

It is unfortunate that the second edition of the Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, organized by UNESCO in Mexico City on November 28-29, did not get the attention and visibility it should have commanded.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Reduced Inequalities; 03 December 2022

Image: Refugees arrive at a 'temporary' camp. Source: University of Birmingham.

Climate Change Threatens the Health of Refugees in Camps

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA | LONDON (IDN) — Climate uncertainty is creating health threats for thousands of migrants as overcrowding and pollution place huge stresses on humanitarian organisations’ ability to provide sanctuary in refugee camps, a new study reveals.

Locating camps in disaster-prone or climate hotspot areas increases their vulnerability and, coupled with stress from overcrowding that increases pressure on water, sanitation, and hygiene resilience (WaSH), leads to the overexploitation of resources.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 03 December 2022

Image: José Eduardo dos Santos, the former president of Angola, died in Spain in July 2022, triggering a family feud over repatriating his body. Source: The New York Times.

Long Sentences in Corruption Trial for Angolan Ex-President's Soldiers and Bankers

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Dozens of former soldiers who performed illegal services for Angola’s ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos received jail terms for up to 14 years for fraud and embezzlement in a closely-watched high profile mass corruption trial.

In addition to the soldiers who went on trial in June were bankers and hundreds of “ghost” employees who remained on the government payroll between 2008 and 2018.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 03 December 2022

Photo: South Africa's Abdurrazack “Zackie” Achmat stepped up to become one of the iconic AIDS crusaders. Source: University of Cape Town.

World Aids Day Addresses Inequalities Between Global South and North

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Every year, on December 1, World AIDS Day is commemorated. People worldwide unite to show support for those living with HIV and remember those who have passed on from AIDS-related illnesses.

Ten years ago, HIV had infected at least 10 per cent of the population in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Some 50,000 infections were reported in the U.S. per year over the same period.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 02 December 2022

Photo: British and German soldiers playing soccer in No-Man’s Land during the Christmas Truce in 1914. Credit: Universal History Archive.

Now is a Good Time for a Ukraine Ceasefire and Peace Talks

Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies*

NEW YORK (IDN) — As the war in Ukraine has dragged on for nine months and a cold winter is setting in, people all over the world are calling for a Christmas truce, harkening back to the inspirational Christmas Truce of 1914. In the midst of World War I, warring soldiers put down their guns and celebrated the holiday together in the no-man’s land between their trenches. This spontaneous reconciliation and fraternization has been, over the years, a symbol of hope and courage.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 30 November 2022

Photo: Some urban Zimbabweans have resorted to growing vegetables in their backyards to supplement their food amidst rising inflation in the country. Credit: Jeffrey Moyo/ IDN.

Urban Dwellers in Southern Africa Turn to Backyard Farming

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE, Zimbabwe (IDN) — At unoccupied swathes of land behind houses in Bloomingdale, a medium-income suburb in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, numerous maize fields and vegetable gardens have emerged as urban dwellers enduring economic hardships switch to backyard farming.

Zambia, despite emerging from an economic crisis during former President Edgar Lungu’s reign that ended last year, has dozens of urban dwellers taking up agriculture to supplement their earnings.

: Jeffrey Moyo; SUSTAINABILITY; Food security, nutrition & sustainable agriculture; 30 November 2022

A Workshop Helps Fill the Basket of Knowledge on the Pacific

Climate Change, Human Mobility and Peacebuilding Draw the Focus

Viewpoint by Volker Boege

Toda Peace Institute issued this article, and it is being republished with their permission.

BRISBANE, Australia (IDN) — While UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his opening speech at this year’s COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh on November 7 stated that humanity is “on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator”, a workshop held in Wellington, New Zealand, just a few days before, explored the consequences of this hellish trip for the security and peace of communities and countries in the Pacific region.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 29 November 2022

Slim Possibility of Asia-Pacific Getting on Track to Net-Zero

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

The writer is an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

BANGKOK (IDN) — The recent climate talks in Egypt have left us with a sobering reality: The window for maintaining global warming to 1.5 degrees is closing fast and what is on the table currently is insufficient to avert some of the worst potential effects of climate change.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 28 November 2022

Photo: Recent floods in Pakistan covered a third of the country, with devastating consequences for families and the economy. Credit: UNDP Pakistan floods

Finding The Right Money for Vulnerable Countries

The Importance of Loss and Damage Fund (LDF)

Viewpoint by Inge Kaul

The author is a fellow at the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany. Comments are welcome and can be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BERLIN (IDN) — For decades, there have been non-conclusive deliberations regarding how the international community can support poor and vulnerable countries in their efforts to cope with and recover from the havoc wreaked on their territory by the ill-effects of global warming, such as severe droughts, floods, storms, or rising sea levels.