UNITED NATIONS, Apr 30 (IPS) - For 2025, the theme of World Health Immunization Week (24-30 April), “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible”, emphasizes the need to eradicate disparities in access to vaccines, particularly for children. By encouraging governments to implement vaccination programs at the local and national levels, the World Health Organization (WHO) seeks t0 ensure worldwide access to life-saving vaccines.

Read the full story, “World Immunization Week Highlights the Urgency of Global Vaccine Access”, on globalissues.org →

MANILA / LONDON, Apr 30 (IPS) - The Rogun Dam in the mountains of Southern Tajikistan, if ever completed, would be the tallest dam in the world. Late last year, the World Bank committed almost $3 billion to finance its development, claiming the project would benefit locals.

Read the full story, “The World Bank, at 80, and the True Goals of Multilateral Cooperation and Global Development”, on globalissues.org →

BUSAN, Korea, Apr 30 (IPS) - Indigenous people play a vital role in ocean protection due to their deep-rooted connection to the marine environment and their traditional knowledge of sustainable resource management. They often possess centuries-old practices and stewardship ethics that prioritize ecological balance and community well-being.

Read the full story, “Indispensable—Native Hawaiian Elder Says of Indigenous Ocean Management Systems”, on globalissues.org →

BUSAN, Korea, Apr 30 (IPS) - Participants from over 100 countries will leave the 10th Our Oceans Conference in Busan, the Republic of Korea, with stark reminders that with sea levels rising dangerously, coastal regions and low-lying areas globally, particularly densely populated areas, are threatened.

Read the full story, “Sights Set on Highest Ambition as World Rows Through Toughest Ocean Crisis”, on globalissues.org →

LAGOS, Nigeria, Apr 30 (IPS) - Half a century after ECOWAS promised peace and prosperity, three breakaway states are testing West African solidarity, sparking a potential trade war.

Read the full story, “Economic Community of West African States: Fifty and Fractured”, on globalissues.org →

CAMBRIDGE, MA., Apr 30 (IPS) - On March 17, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum signed into law a constitutional reform banning the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) corn. The action followed a December ruling by a trade tribunal, under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, in favor of a U.S. complaint that Mexico's 2023 presidential decree, with broader restrictions on the consumption of GM corn, constituted an unfair trade practice by prohibiting the use of GM corn in tortillas.

Read the full story, “Mexico Bans GM Corn Cultivation in Constitutional Reform: Action Follows Trade Ruling That Ignored Evidence of Genetic Contamination”, on globalissues.org →

The United Nations has warned that Sudan is sliding deeper into catastrophe, with growing famine and surging violence – particularly in North Darfur – driving mass displacement and an alarming rise in civilian deaths.

Read the full story, “UN alert over deepening crisis in Sudan as famine spreads and violence escalates”, on globalissues.org →