Africa

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More than 30 solar panels power the pumping plant in the village of El Mozote, in eastern El Salvador, providing water to around 360 families. Credit: Edgardo Ayala / IPS

By Edgardo Ayala
EL MOZOTE, El Salvador , Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

The worst massacre of civilians in Latin America occurred in the Salvadoran village of El Mozote, where environmental projects are beginning to emerge, slowly fostering awareness about protecting the natural resources of this deeply symbolic site, embedded in the country’s historical memory.

Since early 2024, a small photovoltaic plant has been operating in El Mozote, in the district of Meanguera, eastern El Salvador, powering a municipal water system designed to supply around 360 families in the village and nearby areas.“We used to wash clothes in those communal wells, which were built after the war, in ’94.” — Otilia Chicas

“The project’s goal was to minimize environmental impacts in the area by seeking cleaner energy sources, and with that in mind, the solar panel system was implemented,” Rosendo Ramos, the Morazán representative of the Salvadoran Health Promotion Association (ASPS), the NGO behind the project, explained to IPS.

The Spanish organization Solidaridad Internacional Andalucía also participated in launching the initiative.

El Mozote is located in the department of Morazán, a mountainous region in eastern El Salvador. During the civil war (1980-1992), the area was the scene of brutal clashes between leftist guerrillas and the army.

In December 1981, over several days, military units massacred around 1,000 peasants in the village and neighboring communities—including pregnant women and children—accusing them of being a support base for the rebels.

The conflict is estimated to have left more than 75,000 dead and 8,000 disappeared.

The photovoltaic system installed in El Mozote, eastern El Salvador, operates alongside the national distribution grid, so on cloudy days with low solar generation, the conventional power grid is activated. Credit: Courtesy of ASPS

Sunlight to Distribute Water

The solar project consists of 32 panels capable of generating a total of 15 kilowatts—enough to power the equipment, primarily the 60-horsepower pump that pushes water up to the tank installed atop La Cruz mountain. From there, water flows down to households by gravity.

The photovoltaic system operates alongside the national power grid, so on cloudy days with low solar output, the conventional grid kicks in—though the goal is obviously to reduce reliance on it.

The project, costing US$28,000, was funded by the European Union as part of a larger environmental initiative that also included two nearby municipalities, Arambala and Jocoaitique, focusing on protecting the La Joya Pueblo micro-watershed.

Key aspects of the broader program include reducing the use of agrochemicals, plastic, and other disposable materials; and promoting rainwater harvesting.

The overall program reached 1,317 people (706 women and 611 men) across three municipalities and six communities, involving NGOs, schools, and local governments.

“The aim is to consume less energy from the national grid, thereby lowering pumping costs,” explained Ramos.

However, this cost reduction doesn’t necessarily translate into lower water bills for families in El Mozote and surrounding areas. That’s because the water system is municipally managed, and tariffs are set by local ordinances, making adjustments difficult—unlike community-run projects where residents and leaders can more easily agree on changes.

One benefit of the new system is that lower energy costs for the municipality free up funds to expand and improve other basic services—not just in Meanguera but also in places like El Mozote, Dennis Morel, the district director, told IPS.

The plaza of El Mozote, the iconic village in eastern El Salvador, was renovated, but local residents complain that the government-led construction work was not agreed upon with the community. Credit: Edgardo Ayala / IPS

Water in the postwar era

Otilia Chicas, a native of El Mozote, recalled what life was like in the village when there was no piped water service—back in the days following the end of the civil war in 1992, when people began returning to the area.

“We used to wash clothes in those communal wells. They were built after the war, in ’94,” said Chicas, pointing toward one of those now-empty wells, about 20 meters away from where she stood, inside a kiosk selling handicrafts, books, and T-shirts in El Mozote’s central plaza.

Next to the plaza is the mural bearing the names of the hundreds of people killed by the army—specifically, by units of the Atlacatl Battalion, trained in counterinsurgency by the United States.

“We used to fetch water from there and bathe there, but since these wells weren’t enough, we’d go to a spring, to ‘El Zanjo,’ as we called it,” she recounted.

She added that the drinking water project arrived between 2005 and 2006, finally bringing the resource directly into people’s homes.

“The community had to pitch in, and the hours people worked were counted as payment, as their contribution,” she noted while weaving colorful thread bracelets.

There is uncertainty over whether the kiosk in the village plaza will be removed. Several women from the El Mozote Historical Committee sell handicrafts and work as tour guides there. Credit: Edgardo Ayala / IPS

 Almost No One Was Spared 

Chicas, 45, was born in 1980, a year before the massacre. Now, she helps run the kiosk and works as a tour guide alongside other local women from the El Mozote Historical Committee, explaining to visitors the horrific events that took place in December 1981.

The artisan shared that her family lost several relatives in the 1981 massacre, as did nearly everyone here. The victims’ mural is filled with dozens of people bearing the last names Chicas, Márquez, Claros, and Argueta, among many others.

“My grandmother lost four of her children and 17 grandchildren,” she recalled.

Chicas’ father, in an attempt to save their lives, moved his family out of El Mozote before the massacre and resettled in Lourdes Colón, in the western part of the country. But the military ended up killing him in 1983 after discovering he was originally from Morazán and linking him to rebel groups.

“The National Guard came for him and two uncles—they saw they were from Morazán, a guerrilla zone,” she emphasized. “Before killing them, they forced them to dig their own graves. They were left by the roadside, in a place called El Tigre,” she explained.

The military operation that culminated in the massacre was planned and executed by the Salvadoran Army’s High Command, with support from Honduran soldiers and covered up by United States government officials, revealed Stanford University scholar Terry Karl in April 2021.

Karl testified as an expert witness during a hearing on the case held that April in San Francisco Gotera, the capital of Morazán.

Dormant in El Salvador’s judicial system since 1993, the case was reopened in September 2016. Among the accused are 15 soldiers—seven of them high-ranking Salvadoran officers—,the only surviving defendants from the original list of 33 military personnel.

The trial is currently in the investigative phase, where evidence is being gathered and examined before the judge decides whether to proceed to a full public trial.

A mural on the side of El Mozote’s plaza displays the names of the hundreds of people killed by the Salvadoran army in December 1981, marking the largest massacre of civilians in Latin America. Credit: Edgardo Ayala / IPS

Times of Uncertainty 

El Mozote’s central plaza has been renovated over the past three years as part of the government’s effort to give it a more orderly and modern appearance—a promise made by President Nayib Bukele when he visited the site in February 2021.

The town is also nearing completion of a Urban Center for Well-being and Opportunities (CUBO)—a government-sponsored community center designed to provide youth with access to reading materials, art, culture, and information and communication technologies.

However, some residents told IPS that these projects are being carried out without prior consultation or agreement with the community, in violation of the 2012 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which called for justice, truth, and reparations for the victims.

The reconstruction work demolished the bandstand, a space highly valued by the community as a gathering place for meetings and collective organizing.

Despite this, Chicas said she supports the plaza’s renovations, as they have made it more inviting for young people to spend time there. Still, she noted that the remodeling affected her personally.

The construction forced her to dismantle her small food stall, made of corrugated metal sheets, where she used to make and sell pupusas—El Salvador’s most iconic dish, made of corn and stuffed with beans, cheese, or pork.

Chicas also mentioned the ongoing uncertainty about whether the kiosk where she and other women craft and sell their handicrafts will be removed.

“We’re left in limbo—we don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.

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A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.

A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.

A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.

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Magdalene Ngimoe and Char Tito, learners at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School, making chairs from mathenge wood. Credit: Farai Shawn Matiashe/IPS

By Farai Shawn Matiashe
KAKUMA, Kenya, Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

Char Tito is hammering nails into wood at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School in Turkana County, northern Kenya. The 16-year-old is making a traditional chair under the scorching sun outside one of the classroom blocks.

The wood she is using is from an unpopular source in this community. It is from a species of mesquite named Prosopis juliflora, which is native to Central and South America and is known in Kenya as mathenge.

Many locals hate mathenge in Turkana County due to its invasiveness and its thorns that are harsh to humans and can cause injuries to livestock. Locals say rivers and dams dry fast in areas with mathenge, and it dominates other plants.

Over the years, the residents have found it an easy source of firewood and charcoal, fuel for many in this community.

But youths, including girls, are now repurposing the mathenge tree to make furniture, particularly chairs.

Char Tito, a learner at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School in Kakuma, is seated on a chair made from mathenge wood. Credit: Farai Shawn Matiashe/IPS

“Plastic chairs are expensive. This is why I started making chairs from mathenge earlier this month,” says Tito, who fled the war in South Sudan to seek refuge in Kakuma Refugee Camp in 2017.

“I was taught here at school. Mathenge is abundant. We have been using it for firewood for years. I did not know that it could be used to make chairs.”

Income-Generating Scheme

The land in Kakuma is barren with sparse vegetation and the soils are so poor that they do not support agriculture. Turkana County receives little or no rain and can go for five years without experiencing a single drop of rain.

Acacia trees and mathenge, which are always green despite the high temperatures and water scarcity, make up most of the trees in this community.

Government statistics indicate that the mathenge trees spread at a rate of 15 percent yearly and have so far colonized a million acres of land in Kenya.

Some use mathenge to fence their homes and to make livestock shelters.

Locals survive on livestock production and trading charcoal and firewood.

Dennis Mutiso, a deputy director at Girl Child Network (GCN), a grassroots non-governmental organization supporting Tito and hundreds of other refugees, says the project is equipping learners with green skills.

Magdalene Ngimoe, a learner at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School, is making chairs from mathenge wood in Kakuma. Credit: Farai Shawn Matiashe/IPS

“It is contributing to national climate plans. It aligns with the school curriculum,” he says.

Mutiso says those youths who have been trained in making chairs partner with those untrained to pass the knowledge to the community.

Tito, who lives with her mother and her three siblings, is so far making chairs for household use but is planning to make some for sale to her neighbors.

“This is a skill that I can use for my entire life. I am looking forward to earning a living out of carpentry,” she says, smiling.

Mathenge was introduced in the 1970s in the East African country to restore degraded dry lands. It is drought resistant, with its deep roots making it ideal for afforestation in areas like Turkana. The mathenge restored the area and blocked wind erosion in some areas, but at a cost to the locals.

Invasive mathenge tree in Kakuma, northern Kenya. Credit: Farai Shawn Matiashe/IPS

Despite the massive cutting down of this tree for firewood and charcoal, the mathenge regenerates fast, unlike other trees like Acacia.

Lewis Obam, a conservator at the Forestry Commission under Turkana County, says there was a negative perception of the mathenge in the community.

“Communities lost their goats after consuming the tree. Its thorns were affecting the community,” he says.

Obam says mathenge is a colonizer and spreads so fast.

“It was meant to counter desertification. The intention was good,” he says.

Obam says its hardwood is ideal for making chairs.

“It has more opportunities than we knew. It has the second hardest wood in this area. We need maximum use of the mathenge.”

Protecting Environment 

To restore other trees in this semi-arid land, Tito and other girls are planting trees at school and in their homes. She has planted five trees at home and many at school, but water is a challenge amid temperatures that can go as high as 47 degrees Celsius.

Magdalene Ngimoe, a learner at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School in Kakuma, planting a tree. Credit: Farai Shawn Matiashe/IPS

“I am proud that I am contributing to measures that reduce the effects of climate change,” she says.

Sometimes, the girls bring water from home to school to ensure that the trees survive.

Trees help mitigate climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Kenya is targeting to plant at least 15 billion trees by 2032 through its National Tree Growing Restoration campaign launched in December 2022.

Magdalene Ngimoe, another learner at Kakuma Arid Zone Secondary School, says she has so far planted two trees at her home in Kiwandege village in Kakuma.

“I hate mathenge. It makes our lives difficult. But I am happy that I am using it to make chairs. I am also planting trees at school, which will provide shade to other students,” says the 16-year-old Kenyan Ngimoe, the firstborn in a family of seven.

Her family survives on selling meat and she hopes she will earn some money from her newly acquired craft.

Edwin Chabari, a manager at Kakuma Refugee Camp under the Department of Refugee Services, says Mathenge has been a menace not only within the camp but also in the area.

“The local youths can get cash from a tree that we thought was a menace,” he says.

GCN, with funding from Education Above All, a global education foundation based in Qatar, has so far planted 896,000 trees in Kakuma and Dadaab and is targeting 2.4 million trees by next year.

Ngimoe’s favorite subject is science and she wants to be a lawyer representing vulnerable children.

Established in 1992, Kakuma Refugee Camp is home to 304,000 people from more than 10 countries, like South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Joseph Ochura, sub-county director in Turkana County under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), says the tree-planting initiative has enhanced the learning environment.

“When you visit most of the schools that have been supported, you will see big shades of trees. Whenever there is a break time, learners sit there, including the teachers. Sometimes, some lessons are even carried out under that shade,” Ochura says.

He says that of the 15 billion trees set by the government, TSC was allocated 200 million trees.

Some schools also have their tree nurseries.

When ready, they plant the seedlings at the school and supply others to the community.

“Some of the girls are at the forefront in tree planting. That is a plus. That is what we are telling the girls—outside school, you can still do this in the community,” Ochura says.

Tito, whose favorite subject is English and who wants to be a doctor, is happy to be part of the green jobs being created in Kakuma.

“As a girl, I am proud of myself. I am contributing to environmental protection,” she says.
IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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By Maximilian Malawista
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

While Asia and the Pacific seem to be booming in employment and GDP growth, reports reveal a possible volatile and fragile market pegged to U.S. consumerism.

The World Employment and Social Outlook for May 2025 from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals reductions of projections about the global job market in large percentages, reflecting an increasingly dependent and fragile job market.

According to the report, global GDP growth projections were lowered from 3.2 percent to 2.8 percent, correlating to a slowdown in economic growth, which is linked to a decrease in employment growth from 1.7 percent to 1.5 percent, a difference of 7 million jobs. The root cause of this decrease seems to be based in U.S. consumerism, linking trade disruptions due to high tariffs directly to lower outcomes.

A reliance of the global market on a single country’s consumerism reflects a weakening job market, one which relies on trade from high-income countries. Additionally, the labour income share — the percentage of money from a country’s GDP which goes directly into the laborers pockets — has fallen from 53 percent in 2014 to 52.4 percent in 2024, reflecting a global decrease in purchasing power parity (PPP).

Employment is also seeing a shift, with high- and middle-income countries experiencing market shifts from lower- to medium- skill occupations to high-skill occupations. Between 2013 and 2023, under-educated or qualified workers relative to their occupation dropped from 37.9 percent to 33.4 percent. Overeducated or overqualified workers rose from 15.5 percent to 18.9 percent.

The report also indicates shifts from generative AI, reflecting that nearly 1 in 4 workers have some level of exposure in their tasks, which could be automated by AI. Additionally, 16.3 percent of workers are experiencing medium exposure while 7.5 percent are in high exposure, especially in high-skill occupations.

Uncertainty rewriting employment projections

An estimated 407 million people are in want of a job but do not have one, leading to more people taking positions they may be overqualified for due to the lack of options. Credit: Unsplash/Alex Kotliarskyi

Uncertainty has become the biggest contender for slowed job growth. Even in a time where global market outputs continue to expand and inflationary pressures ease, employers are becoming more cautious in hiring more workers, while still retaining their current employees. Geo-political disturbances combined with systematic transitions have altered the job landscape, creating unprecedented and unconsulted scenarios for enterprises globally.

Inflation is projected to fall across most countries, dropping to 4.4 percent in 2025 compared to 5.8 percent in 2024. This could be due to an overall contraction in economic expansion globally. The U.S. reciprocal tariffs in April have been deemed to have profoundly shifted global trading landscapes, leading to a synchronized slowdown multilaterally across all regions. These changes influence businesses to create new strategies to either combat against the new landscape, or bend to the set demands.

407 million people in 2025 are estimated to want a job, but currently do not have one, resulting in a greater occupancy of people taking lower quality or more vulnerable positions due to a lack of options.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the world’s fastest-growing economies, projecting a growth of 3.8 percent, compared to the Americas at 1.8 percent, and Europe and Central Asia at 1.5 percent. Yet from a 2023 estimate, 56 million jobs in Asia and the Pacific were found to be directly or indirectly linked through supply chains to final demand, the highest share out of any other region, creating the most volatility out of any other market in face of new tariffs: leaving employment in the hands of US demand for imports.

Employment growth sees its highest rates in Asia and the Pacific growing at 1.7 percent or 34 million, followed by Africa, with much lower projections seen by the Americas at 1.2 percent, and then Europe and central Asia at a mere 0.6 percent.

Economic growth and productivity amidst global setbacks

From 2014 to 2024, the global GDP grew by 33.5 percent, with the Asia-Pacific GDP growing up to 55 percent. This would reflect fast recoveries even amidst the economic downturns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ILO report finds that economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region is found in productivity improvements rather than the creation of new jobs. Contrasting this, Africa and Arab states accompanied their economic growth by increased employment opportunities.

Informal employment remains slightly above formal employment, with a difference in growth rate by 1.1 percent, informal employment representing 2 billion people, 57.8 percent of all workers globally. Countries with high informal employment still saw large amounts of economic growth, with 85 percent of workers in Africa to be informally employed, expanding at 29.3 percent in the recent decade. However, in Asia and the Pacific, informal employment has been in decline of 11.3 percent over the past decade, reflecting on similar economic outcomes whether it be from formal or informal employment.

Labour income shares decline in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Central Asia, and yet increase in Asia and the Pacific along with the Arab states across the same period of time. This suggests occupational dynamic changes in technology and market structures fractioned regionally across the globe. Due to this, the occupation composition – the type of jobs which flood the market – have changed throughout the years, mainly driven by different technological needs and the use of different skill sets.

Employment shares per country tend to look very different, usually depicted by GDP, as higher income countries will be less invested into markets like elementary occupations and agriculture, and more into professional, technical, and managerial sectors, reflecting greater interest in technology, business, and higher education.

Globally, more than half of workers are mismatched to their job, either being undereducated or overeducated, with the deficit being the largest in low-income countries, but this has been decreasing significantly over the past decade. Rising education levels seem to contribute to the share of appropriate qualifications for jobs.

An ever-changing landscape

Faster than any other time in human history, dynamics are changing. This report reflects on the volatility of the employment market globally, and how certain factors might correlate to a decrease or increase in one sector but could be completely different regionally: overall reflecting on a difference of technology and focus. Economies which are still agricultural, garment-based, and high-labor low-education see opposite methods to similar economic outcomes to countries which are prioritizing productivity, education, and technical skills, meaning there is no perfect formula to a stable global economic balance.

“The findings of this report on the employment landscape are sobering, but they can also act as a roadmap for the creation of decent jobs,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. “We can make a difference, and we can do so by strengthening social protection, investing in skills development, promoting social dialogue, and building inclusive labor markets to ensure that technological change benefits all. And we must do so with urgency, ambition, and solidarity.”

Mentioning the “need for inclusivity” is perhaps the most important factor when looking to expand the global economy. If each country is not going to tilt increasing in the same manner, each region needs to be addressed according to their needs and economic focus.

In February, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, said that governments were “shifting policy priorities”. “There are significant policy changes in the United States, in areas such as trade policy, taxation, public spending, immigration, and deregulation, with implications for the U.S. economy and the rest of the world…The combined impacts of possible policy changes are complex and still difficult to assess but will come into clearer view in the months ahead.” The acting director reflected on the current era of “uncertainty”, viewing the United States’ role in global trade to only be adding to that level of uncertainty, also displaying that each country’s policy creates different economic outcomes based on their own economic focuses.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Credit: United Nations

By Nyada Bryant, Zuleyha Cite and Martin Edwards
NEW JERSEY, USA, Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

On April 16, Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations hosted UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang as part of its World Leader Forum.

President Yang emphasized the enduring relevance of the three pillars of the United Nations—peace and security, human rights, and development—and the promising future that the students possessed. His confident remarks were a stark contrast to both the rhetoric surrounding the UN as well as the pressures put on it by the Trump administration.

Multilateralism was built on the rocky foundations of political unrest, which made the United Nations a lighthouse for the international community. However, the storm confronting the UN has only worsened in recent months.

President Yang’s conversation with Diplomacy students underscored that despite the challenges, the UN system has proven to be more flexible and adaptable than critics suggest.

The UN’s inbox is a challenging one due to events such as the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict in Gaza. Russia’s Security Council vetoes have been met with criticism by the General Assembly, and Gaza has been a similarly polarizing event.

Israeli delegates alleged that members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency assisted in the October 7th strike on Israel, while Palestinian officials condemned the International Court of Justice for not calling for a ceasefire. Deepening political divisions between countries have doubtless complicated the work of the UN.

At the same time, political polarization between UN member states is mirrored by a partisan divide within the US public. According to a 2024 Pew Research study, 78% of Democrats saw a benefit in UN membership, compared to 42% of Republicans.

Additionally, only 31% of Democrats saw a decrease in the UN’s influence, whereas 42% of Republicans differed. The UN’s challenge has grown with the new administration, as its efforts to cut funding have replaced multilateralism with nationalism.

Recent efforts to ask Congress to reduce previously appropriated money to WHO, UNRWA, and UN peacekeeping are emblematic of a broader trend in which the UN is asked to work with less.

The Secretary-General’s developing response to the UN’s financial challenges, known as UN 80, is not without critics. The plan aims to identify efficiencies, review mandates from Member States, and propose a deeper set of program realignments.

While reducing ongoing turf battles between UN peace operations and UN political and peacebuilding affairs would certainly be laudable, there are natural questions, just as there are with any reform, over how much is just pure cost-cutting and how much is efficiency-improving.

The prevalence of leaks and communications problems along with limited voices of SIDS, NGOS and LDCs surrounding UN 80 is indicative of the challenge any reform faces, especially one that focuses on reducing personnel costs.

Despite these challenges, President Yang made a case for optimism about the UN. His case had three elements. First, President Yang stressed the importance of the General Assembly as the most representative, deliberative body of the organization, which has 193 member states.

It stands out from other international organizations as the only one that can bring together member countries under the same roof and provide an environment for diplomacy and solutions.

The centrality of the General Assembly led President Yang to his second point, recapping the past history of reform to underscore that the UN has risen to challenges in the past. Kofi Annan’s In Larger Freedom, the 2000 Millennium Summit, the Brahimi Report, and the 2006 Creation of the Human Rights Council, and others have proven that the UN is transformable.

The General Assembly has, in turn, historically helped the UN to be a functioning organization. As President Yang claimed in paraphrasing Dag Hammarskjöld, ”We are not in heaven, but we are not in hell either.”

Finally, this reform agenda has continued with the Pact for the Future, which was adopted by heads of state and government in New York in September 2024. It presents a multilateral system seeking to be more just, more inclusive, and more effective.

The pact’s two main annexes prioritize youth and future generations to ensure that we act with tomorrow in mind and to infuse the United Nations’ work with long-term thinking. For President Yang, the Pact is a crucial sign that the UN is committed to overcoming structural and functional obstacles that reduce its efficiency.

His optimism towards the reform stems from the potential of the Pact for the Future to modify international cooperation according to present realities and revitalize multilateralism. And it is worth stressing that the Pact for the Future predated the change of US administration, showing that the UN is capable of rising to the challenge.

The UN may be facing a crisis moment. However, it is certainly not ending. It is shifting and evolving, as it has in the past, as a response to emerging trends put forward by member states. The ongoing international conflicts unveil the need for inclusive approaches to diplomacy, global cooperation, and multilateralism. Only the UN can make these inclusive approaches a reality.

Nyada Bryant is a graduate student at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where she specializes on negotiations and foreign policy. She serves as an executive member of two campus organizations and strives to make a difference.

Zuleyha Cite is a graduate student at the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, specializing in International Organizations, International Peace & Security, and UN Studies. She serves as a Graduate Assistant in the School of Diplomacy and is an active student in leadership initiatives on campus who aims to make a meaningful impact.

Martin Edwards is a Professor and Associate Dean at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

IPS UN Bureau

 

‘J Hunter Pearls Fiji: Savusavu Community Edible Pearl Oyster Farms’ project is an environmentally sustainable, community-owned and -operated aquaculture aimed at alleviating poverty in Fiji communities and building sustainable use of ocean resources. Credit: UNDP Fiji
 
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), scheduled to take place in Nice, France from 9-13 June, will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet's largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem.

By Francine Pickup
NEW YORK, Jun 6 2025 (IPS)

The ocean is far more than a vast expanse of water; it is a cornerstone of life and a critical driver of sustainable development. The intricate relationship between human development and the ocean underscores why ocean governance and sustainability are pivotal to global progress. Its significance becomes particularly evident in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the ocean is not just a resource but an intrinsic part of identity and survival.

Custodians of some of the world’s largest Exclusive Economic Zones— SIDS protect vast ocean and coastal areas, home to 20% of all plant, bird and reptile species. Many have designated large parts of their national waters into marine protected areas, positioning themselves as leaders in global conservation. These natural assets form the backbone of their economies in ocean-dependent sectors such as tourism and fisheries. Yet these nations are also on the frontlines of climate change.

Rising sea levels, increasingly severe weather events, accelerating environmental degradation are not distant threats – they are today’s reality. And yet, despite this future-smart, holistic approach to their development, these countries are trapped in a vicious cycle of indebtedness, undermining their ability to plan and prepare for climate-induced shocks that will undoubtedly come.

A Sea of Solutions

SIDS were instrumental in securing the 1.5° degrees global warming threshold in the Paris Agreement, a testament to their foresight of the urgency we all will face. They lead the world in implementing bold, integrated solutions that tackle multiple challenges of conserving and sustainably using their ocean and coastal resources, promoting renewable energy, fostering digital and local capacity and creating jobs.

The Fourth International Conference on SIDS (May 2024) and the adoption of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) charts a ten-year roadmap to scale climate and biodiversity action, increase conservation and promote sustainable ocean use, with resilience at its core. SIDS make important contributions to implementing global environmental accords including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), the Paris Agreement and the UNCCD Strategic Framework, all of which prioritize action to save the ocean and reduce marine and land-based drivers of degradation.

The Rising Up for SIDS – a forward-looking strategy to outline a transformative vision for the next decade, builds on nearly 60 years of collaboration between UNDP and the SIDS and a partnership with Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) ensuring that SIDS’ specific needs are met in policy and practice.

As the world leaders gather for the Third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, (June 9-13) SIDS will offer innovative and scalable solutions to global environmental and development challenges and show how they are at the forefront of ocean-positive strategies,. It is critical that the world listens. Here are the three key lessons SIDs bring:

1. The Ocean is a Catalyst for Human Development

For SIDS, the ocean is not a boundary: it is life itself. Small-scale fisheries provide food and livelihoods for millions. Marine and coastal tourism drives much of their GDP. Blue carbon ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes, sequester carbon, buffer coastlines, and host diverse species. The ocean’s vast genetic and biological wealth offers untapped potential for future medicines, sustainable industries, and climate adaptation.

In SIDS, ocean action is inseparable from economic development. Escalating environmental threats aggravate economic insecurities. Harnessing the ocean economy enables sustainable growth and diversification for food security, tourism, trade and climate resilience.

But SIDS cannot do it alone. Global partnerships and international finance are essential to support SIDS unlock the full potential of their marine resources, ensuring inclusive, equitable development that leaves no one behind.

2. Integrated Solutions are needed to address Interconnected Challenges

Sea level rise, ecosystem degradation and economic vulnerability are not separate problems. Neither are their solutions. In SIDS, efforts to restore and protect coastal ecosystems also support sustainable tourism and sustainable fishing. Expanding opportunities drive human development, bringing jobs and economic prosperity within planetary boundaries.

‘Whole of island’ approaches offer a powerful model for sustainable development. These strategies align decarbonization with community empowerment, protect biodiversity while expanding opportunity and security, and build on traditional and local knowledge as a foundation for innovation.

SIDS are showing the wider world how to cope and solve multiple, interconnected challenges that demand integrated solutions for people and prosperity – with the ocean at the heart.

3. Innovation is the Accelerator

SIDS are testing and scaling innovative ocean-based solutions that can be replicated globally. Many islands are today incubating new and investable ocean-based solutions that can be scaled up to support successful transitions to ocean-positive economic sectors and centers of excellence, both in the islands themselves and to the benefit of countries beyond.

Seychelles launched the world’s first ‘blue bond’ to finance marine conservation. In Cuba, nature-based solutions are reversing the degradation of the Sabana-Camagüey ecosystem. In the Maldives, local communities have successfully banned single-use plastics. The new GEF-financed, UNDP-led Blue & Green Islands initiative is taking this work further.

Designed specifically for SIDS, it promotes nature-based solutions across three key economic sectors: urban development, food production, and tourism. It is the first of its kind—focused on systems-level transformation that delivers global environmental benefits while advancing sustainable development.

Innovative partnerships that crowd in public, private and philanthropic capital, like the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, are also attracting and de-risking private sector investment into local businesses to protect and restore coral ecosystems. These new initiatives are already inspiring similar models in other countries.

SIDS for Ocean Action

As global leaders gather in Nice for the third UN Ocean Conference and at the upcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, (30 June-July 3) the message is clear: the world must rally behind SIDS to scale up the solutions they are already pioneering. By supporting their leadership, we create new ‘oceans of opportunity’ where people and planet can thrive together and where the path to sustainable development is swept forward by the oceans that touch every coastline in SIDs and beyond.

IPS UN Bureau

 

Excerpt:

Francine Pickup is Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP New York.

CIVICUS Global Alliance Secretary-General Mandeep Tiwana speaks at the SDG 16 High-Level Conference in May 2024. Credit: Mandeep Tiwana/CIVICUS Global Alliance

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS / NEW YORK, Jun 5 2025 (IPS)

On June 1, CIVICUS Global Alliance, announced the appointment of Mandeep Tiwana as its new Secretary-General. With his tenure underway, Tiwana sat down with an IPS correspondent to discuss CIVICUS’s work in promoting civic freedom and solidarity in an increasingly autonomy-restrictive world.

Throughout his career, Tiwana has been an advocate for human rights, civic and democratic freedoms, sustainability, and inclusivity. He previously oversaw CIVICUS’ policy and research department. When asked about what he would like to accomplish during his tenure as Secretary-General, Tiwana stated that he would like to focus on fostering a worldwide community of engaged, empowered citizens able to come together to confront the challenges facing humanity such as violent conflict, inequality, environmental degradation, discrimination and authoritarianism.

“On one hand, you have several conflicts happening around the world where opposing forces are committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide with impunity. I’d definitely like to reinforce the respect for international norms and the rule of law,” said Tiwana. “We are living in a time of searing inequality caused by flawed economic systems. It’s a travesty that there are individuals with immense wealth who can afford to send rockets up into space for entertainment while 750 million people go to bed hungry every night. We have global military spending topping 2.7 trillion dollars while tens of millions are struggling to afford the basic necessities of life.”

CIVICUS promotes civic space, in which people come together to shape the political, economic, and social structures around them. CIVICUS uses several approaches including participatory research, policy analysis, strategic convenings, targeted advocacy, coalition building and emergency resourcing to defend civic space from authoritarian actors around the world.

According to Tiwana, approximately 7 in 10 people worldwide live in severely repressed civic space conditions where uncovering corruption, exposing human rights violations or seeking transformational change in society can lead to serious forms of persecution.

With authoritarianism on the rise around the world, the need to defend civic freedoms is more crucial than ever before. Tiwana remarked that millions of people around the world are currently being denied the agency to shape the decisions that impact their lives. He noted that authoritarianism is rife in countries such as China, Russia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea and Vietnam. Even countries with democratic traditions such as India and the United States are not immune from the march of authoritarianism. Moreover, authoritarianism and patriarchy go hand in hand which can also erode hard-won gains in gender justice.

Through CIVICUS’s work, Tiwana aims to bring together a diverse array of civil society actors to ensure that no one is left behind. “We work with multilateral institutions, grassroots activists, and organizations to highlight injustices and raise awareness of discrimination against excluded peoples,” he said. “We provide moral support and solidarity to those who are fighting for justice so they know that they are not alone.”

In March, CIVICUS added the United States to its list of countries experiencing serious declines in civic freedoms on the CIVICUS Monitor, a participatory platform that collects and analyzes data from multiple sources on civic freedoms around the globe. The United States was included in the Watchlist due to the Trump administration’s efforts to limit equity, diversity, democracy, global cooperation, and the rule of law.

This watchlist, which is published and updated every six months, features countries facing serious declines and is meant to serve as an “early warning to the international community”, Tiwana explained. He added, “the United States was included in our current watchlist due to rapid erosion of civic space conditions in the country. Senior government officials actively intimidate those who don’t agree with their worldview or their political agendas. History shows us that when international norms are not followed, it leads to impunity, criminality and mass persecution of people by autocrats with disastrous consequences.”

Tiwana went on to add that major points of concern in the United States include limitations on the freedom of speech, the right to peaceful protest, and the abrupt slashing of funding for NGOs and foreign aid, all of which have had severely detrimental consequences for people in vulnerable situations in the United States and abroad. “As the world’s largest economy the United States has historically been the one that benefits the most from international trade, as it is the major trading partner for most countries in the world. When the U.S. provides foreign aid to civil society, it helps promote stability, respect for fundamental freedoms, and social cohesion around the world which ultimately benefits its economy. With the US withdrawing from its established foreign policy priorities to promote human rights and democracy, solidarity around the world will suffer.”

On January 20, President Trump signed an executive order for the U.S.’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), which elicited concerns of reduced global health cooperation from a host of humanitarian organizations. Tiwana opined that the U.S.’s withdrawal poses significant risks for global health and security. “We urge countries that support international cooperation and the United States in particular not to arbitrarily withdraw from international institutions. The United States has a moral responsibility to ensure the health and wellbeing of the people around the world from whose markets the U.S. economy profits from. This will endanger the lives of vulnerable populations,” he said.

The United Nations is an integral force for protecting civic freedoms through its support to civil society, facilitating accountability-seeking measures, and maintaining international law. As it undergoes key structural reforms and restructuring under the UN80 initiative, it is worth considering what role NGOs can play in this process. Tiwana told IPS that CIVICUS has been focused on advocating for more inclusive and democratic changes. He reminded that civil society groups played key roles in shaping some of the UN’s signature achievements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and the Treaty of Enforced Disappearances. This can only be possible as long as civil society participation is protected in the UN and beyond.

“For all intents and purposes the United Nations is the secular conscience of the world. Hence, its leadership is expected at all times to act with good faith, professional integrity and principled courage…the UN’s top decision makers have impeded the institution from achieving its full potential, by resorting to bureaucratic ways of functioning, submission to perceived political realities and personal ambition,” Tiwana said.

“The current frustration expressed by UN staff about lack of consultation and transparency by the UN’s leadership is a symptom of a much larger problem that pervades the institution, including of not taking responsibility for one’s own failures and seeking to place the blame wholly on the belligerent actions of UN member states.”

Among the calls for reform, there are calls for leadership to protect gender equality, as evidenced in the campaign calling for the next UN secretary-general to be a woman. When asked, Tiwana said that CIVICUS would support the appointment of a female UN secretary-general. He further highlighted that appointing a woman would reflect increased inclusivity within the UN, feminist ideals, and diverse leadership for future generations.

“Having a woman Secretary-General is absolutely essential in exemplifying feminist values, empathy, and solidarity. We believe that the process should be fair and transparent. We urge member states that are putting forward candidates to put forward female ones, particularly a female candidate that is most aligned with UN values, especially the four principles articulated in the UN Charter,” said Tiwana.

The existence of civic freedoms is vital for active citizens and civil society organizations to build momentum for vital action to address the worsening climate crisis, which is known to detrimentally affect public health and impair development gains. Excessive reliance on fossil fuels, unsustainable mining practices, and overconsumption are creating a host of environmental and economic disparities that are negatively impacting impoverished communities and exacerbating inequality. This has a negative impact on civic spaces worldwide due to tight overlaps between political and economic elites.

“We continue to highlight the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which despite the fact that they were adopted by all UN member states in 2015 have experienced limited progress,” Tiwana said. “We believe that emphasis on realizing SDG 16, which is on peace, justice, and strong institutions, can catalyze action towards achievement of the SDGs. Policy makers have an important role to play in identifying the root causes of lack of progress on SDGs. That said, lasting change will only come through citizen mobilization that forces decision-makers to act.”

 

He had "been receiving specialized treatment in South Africa", his party says.