BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec 3 2021 (IPS) – As the world observes the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, we honour the leadership of persons with disabilities and their tireless efforts to build a more inclusive, accessible and sustainable world. At the same time, we resolve to work harder to ensure a society that is open and accommodating of all.
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
An estimated 690 million persons with disabilities, around 15 per cent of the total population, live in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of them continue to be excluded from socio-economic and political participation. Available data suggests that persons with disabilities a…
Medical staff pose in a new maternal care ward at the Melamchi Municipality Hospital, Nepal, in November 2021. Credit: Marty Logan/IPS
KATHMANDU, Feb 4 2022 (IPS) – As the omicron wave of Covid-19 rose ominously in Nepal recently, to entice more people to get tested the government reduced the cost of PCR tests from 1,000 rupees ($8.37) to 800 r…
There is no shortage of pandemics that continue to plague humanity. TB was responsible for the deaths of more than 1.5 million people in 2020, and more than a third of these deaths took place in Sub-Saharan Africa. Credit: Athar Parvaiz/IPS
JOHANNESBURG, Mar 29 2022 (IPS) – As countries around the world—from Kenya to Canada, South Africa to Sweden—relish the prospect of an unofficial transition of CO…
SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 2022 (IPS) – The world economy is on the brink of outright recession, according to the (IMF). The Ukraine war and sanctions have scuttled recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
have already raised interest rates so far this year. , major central bankers have reacted to recent inflation by raising interest rates. Hence, stagflation is increasingly likely as rising interest rates slow the economy, but do not quell supply-side cost-push inflation.
Anis Chowdhury
IMF U-turn unexplained
The IMF chief economist recently , “Inflation at current levels represents a clear risk for current and future macroeconomic stability and br…
The following opinion piece is part of series to mark International Women’s Day, March 8.
Anne Githuku-Shongwe is the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa Director and Eva Kiwango is the Country Director of UNAIDS South Africa
In our region, women and girls continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV, accounting for 63% of the region’s new HIV infections in 2021, write the authors. Credit: Shutterstock
JOHANNESBURG, Mar 7 2023 (IPS) – Recent crises have pushed the gender inequality gap even wider and new technology has brought new threats to women’s autonomy and safety. This year’s International Women s Day ce…
DAKAR and KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 2022 (IPS) – The ongoing plunder of Africa’s natural resources drained by capital flight is holding it back yet again. More African nations face protracted recessions amid mounting debt distress, rubbing salt into deep wounds from the past.
With much less foreign exchange, tax revenue, and policy space to face external shocks, many African governments believe they have little choice but to spend less, or borrow more in foreign currencies.
Ndongo Samba Sylla
Most Africans are struggling to cope with food and energy crises, inflation, higher interest rates, adverse climate events, less health and social provisioning. Unrest is …
Women share nutritious diverse local crop varieties at 2022 Djimini seed fair in Senegal. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is helping rewrite African laws and policies to favor conversion to hybrid and GMO maize seeds. Credit: AFSA or Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)
CAMBRIDGE, MA., Aug 29 2023 (IPS) – As the adage goes, when you find yourself stuck in a hole, stop digging. As African leaders and their philanthropic and bilateral sponsors prepare for another glitzy African Green Revolution Forum, convening September 5-8 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, they are instead handing out new shovels to dig the continent deeper into a hunger crisis caused …
Dry conditions and extreme heat are changing natural wildlife habitat and behavior. Credit: Ignatius Banda/IPS
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 17 2024 (IPS) – Rising temperatures are being blamed for an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in Zimbabwe as animals such as snakes leave their natural habitat earlier than usual.
High temperatures have also given rise to early fire seasons, driving wild animals into human-populated areas, authorities say, placing the lives of many in danger .
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ILLINOIS, United States, Mar 11 2020 (IPS) – Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to lead by example …