
BULAWAYO, Dec 05 (IPS) - On the dusty plains of Shamva District in Zimbabwe, Wilfred Mudavanhu's maize field defies drought.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec 05 (IPS) - Despite uneven economic recovery since the pandemic, poverty, inequality, and food insecurity continue to worsen, including in the Asia-Pacific region, which used to fare better than the rest of the Global South.

THE HAGUE, Dec 05 (IPS) - The International Court of Justice in the Hague has heard differing interpretations of the obligations of UN member states to preserve the environment for present and future generations. Fiji, a small island state, urged the court to listen to the cries of the vulnerable.At The Hague, the United Nation’s highest court heard Fiji, a small island nation, lay out its arguments on the threat posed by climate change and the legal obligations, especially those of developed nations.
The UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, appealed on Thursday for $1.4 billion to safeguard the rights and well-being of women, girls and youth in 57 crisis-affected countries in the coming year.

WASHINGTON DC, Dec 04 (IPS) - This time last year, the forestry space was abuzz with news of the big Blue Carbon deals. The deals set a staggering amount of land in Sub-Saharan Africa – 20% of the land in Zimbabwe, 10% of Liberia and Zambia, 8% of Tanzania, and an undisclosed amount of land in Kenya – to be managed by a firm in the United Arab Emirates.

CONGO, Brazil, Dec 04 (IPS) - In the municipality of Congo, in the state of Paraiba, in the driest territory of Brazil's semi-arid region, an original initiative seeks to prove it is possible to overcome several challenges concerning family farming. It is the EcoProductive Pilot Project.
Read the full story, “Rural Laboratory Innovates in Northeastern Brazil”, on globalissues.org →

URBANA, Illinois, US, Dec 04 (IPS) - Recently, at the UN climate conference COP29, countries agreed to do everything necessary to invest in climate solutions to protect lives and livelihoods from worsening climate change impacts and to build a prosperous world. This is necessary. Indeed, every effort must be made by our leaders to protect lives and livelihoods.