News

Top Funders and NGOs Think Empowering Women Farmers Can Reduce Hunger. Are They Right?

Apr 24, 2019 | Michelle Sieff

In 2017, about 11 percent of the world’s population—around 821 million—was undernourished, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This data confirms a…

Climate Change and Sexual Harassment Top List of Girls' Concerns

Apr 24, 2019 | Amy Walker

Climate change and tackling sexual harassment are the biggest worries for girls and young women, a major research project has found.

The Girlguiding organisation consulted 76,000…

LAST CALL: Submit Nominations for Environmental Peacebuilding Awards

Apr 23, 2019

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association is seeking nominations for the awards to be presented at the First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding. These awards recognize outstanding contributions by…

CAR: Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance Programme Development Manager

Apr 23, 2019 | Norwegian Refugee Council

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. NRC works in crises across 31 countries, providing emergencies and…

Registration for 1st International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding Now Open

Apr 23, 2019

The Environmental Peacebuilding Association is pleased to announce that public registration for the First International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding at UC Irvine is now open!…

Blockchain Is Great, but It Can't Solve Everything. Take Conflict Minerals.

Apr 23, 2019 | Fritz Brugger

Blockchain technology can help trace a product as it moves through a supply chain, but it cannot create trust where it’s often most needed. 

To Mitigate Climate-Fragility Risks, Build Preventative Capacity in Fragile States

Apr 23, 2019 | Truett Sparkman

States facing major climate hazards, such as flooding, drought, and sea level rise, will be forced to contend with the cost of humanitarian and adaptation…

Left Behind- the Mongolian Herders Living at Home With Mum

Apr 23, 2019 | Narangerel Yansanjav

“I am one of the woman-headed households in this soum. I have been a herder for many years. For me life is still good, because…

Afghanistan: UN-backed Local Peace Initiative Ends Longstanding Dispute in Nangarhar

Apr 23, 2019 | UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

A longstanding dispute over water resources between two tribes in the eastern province of Nangarhar has been resolved through mediation and community engagement. A peace…

Protect Women’s Rights ‘before, during and after Conflict’ UN Chief Tells High-Level Security Council Debate

Apr 23, 2019 | UN

Over the course of the past decade, there has been “a paradigm shift” in understanding the devastating impact of sexual violence in conflict on international…

Bloody Gold in Zamfara: Threat to Stability or Development Opportunity?

Apr 22, 2019 | Donald Inwalomhe

Although Zamfara gold should provide development opportunities but renewed gold interest in Zamfara represents a real threat to stability in a still vulnerable conflict in…

Papua New Guinea: Tribal Conflicts Threaten Women

Apr 22, 2019 | Anggia Anggraini Burchill, Development and Cooperation

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), women and girls face high security risks. Particularly in tribal wars, they are subject to violence and displacement. On the…

Myanmar: Forest Coverage Accounts for More Than 25 Percent of the Country’s Total Area

Apr 22, 2019 | Eleven

Currently, the forest covers more than 25 per cent of the country’s total area and the forest conservation area, up to six per cent, said…

Viet Nam: Central Highlands People Lack Access to Clean Water as Supply Projects Abandoned

Apr 22, 2019 | Viet Nam News

Hundreds of clean water projects have been built in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) in recent years to serve people living in poor and remote…

Sierra Leone: New Diamond Mining Strategy Could Benefit Mining Communities in Sierra Leone

Apr 22, 2019 | Abdul Rashid Thomas, Sierra Leone Telegraph

A group of 29 international diamantaires and jewellers, headed by Martin Rapaport – Chairman of the Rapaport Group, were in Sierra Leone a few weeks…

Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Ex-Leader Jose Ramos-Horta Expects Australia to Pay back 'Millions' in Oil Revenue

Apr 22, 2019 | Alana Schetzer, Jordan Fennell and Stephen Dziedzic, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

One of the founding fathers of Timor-Leste is confident that Australia will return millions of dollars generated from oil fields that belong to the developing…

DRC: Why Responsible Sourcing of DRC Minerals Has Major Weak Spots

Apr 22, 2019 | Peer Schouten, Conversation

Conflict minerals are widely held to be at the heart of over two decades of conflict in eastern DRC, involving dozens of armed groups in…

Was the Fate of Sudan's Ruler Sealed When Oil Prices Fell?

Apr 21, 2019 | Robin Mills

When Sudan shut down the pipeline from South Sudan in 2013, the new state was plunged into economic crisis within two years. Now, one of the…

Conflict Minerals: WDC Will Lobby for Broader Definition of "Conflict Diamonds" at OECD Meet

Apr 21, 2019 | International Diamond Exchange

On April 23, the 13th OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains will take place in Paris, France. The World Diamond Council (WDC) will be…

Afghanistan: MAIL Reports 50 Percent Reduction in Saffron Production in Afghanistan

Apr 20, 2019 | Khaama Press

The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) has reported that Saffron production has dropped by around 50 percent during the recent years. According to…

Is It Times to Consider a More Federalized Iraq?

Apr 19, 2019 | Paul Iddon

Could granting more autonomy to the oil-rich region of Basra help its residents improve their livelihood? asks Paul Iddon.

Afghanistan: ‘Illegal’ Saffron Imports Affect Afghan Products Market

Apr 19, 2019 | Fariba Aram, TOLOnews

An increasing flow of Iranian saffron into Afghan markets has affected the prices of Herat saffron, local investors the National Association of Saffron said. The…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Police Confiscate Two Trucks Smuggling Crude Oil out of Kirkuk [Photos]

Apr 19, 2019 | Sangar Ali, Kurdistan 24

Iraqi police forces on Thursday seized two trucks which were smuggling crude oil from a pipeline in Kirkuk Province, the area’s designated energy police directorate…

Liberia: Forestry Funds Spur Development in Lofa

Apr 19, 2019 | William Q. Harmon, Observer

Residents of several towns in Salayea District, Lofa County, were seen in wild celebration last week as major community projects were dedicated. The projects were…

Afghanistan: Using the Sun to Reduce Air Pollution in Kabul

Apr 19, 2019 | Khalil Asir and Hast e Subh, Hindu

According to Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), air pollution is at its peak in cities, particularly Kabul, in late November and early December. In…

UN Environment Assembly Passes Landmark Resolution Promoting Gender Equality in Environmental Governance

Apr 19, 2019 | Kate Logan

Adoption of UN resolution promoting gender equality and safeguarding the rights of women and girls in environmental protection efforts is a crucial step towards protecting…

Public Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade - Request for Information

Apr 18, 2019 | Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade

The Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) is a joint initiative among governments, companies, and civil society to support supply chain solutions to responsible…

Research Associate for CLICCS - Climate, Climatic Change, and Society Program

Apr 18, 2019 | Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences / Institute of Geography of Universität Hamburg

CLICCS is an ambitious research program at Universität Hamburg and its partner institutions. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), it is part of Germany’s…

Science Diplomacy and Environmental Peacebuilding: Overcoming Political Boundaries by Leveraging Science and Protecting the Environment in Cyprus

Apr 18, 2019 | Carla Isobel Elliff, Sunitha Anup, and Dhanasree Jayaram

This webinar series on science diplomacy and environmental peacebuilding seeks to explore the role of science diplomacy in environmental peacebuilding. The first webinar focused on Cyprus, which is…

Afghanistan: Afghan Opium Farmers Ready for Bumper Crop [Video]

Apr 18, 2019 | Carl Holm, Deutsche Welle

The drought has broken in Afghanistan, bringing easier times for farmers. Although wheat and corn are common crops, they are distinctly less lucrative than opium.…