Africa - INTER PRESS SERVICE

By Rosi Orozco
MEXICO CITY, Feb 28 2025 (IPS)

In 2020, a historic announcement emerged from the Global Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual assessment that evaluates human exploitation in 129 countries. For the first time, the world witnessed a 13% decrease in the number of victims. For those of us who fight against this heinous crime, it felt as if a door to paradise had opened—an Eden where no human being is for sale.

Rosi Orozco

However, reality was quick to slam that door shut. The following year, in 2021, we expected the downward trend to continue thanks to the tireless efforts of human rights defenders and survivors. With some luck, we hoped to celebrate another 13% decrease—perhaps even 15%? But the opposite happened: the number of detected victims rose by 10%.

The reason was painfully clear: that historic drop had been an artificial consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Unless those in power were to orchestrate another health crisis, we would never again see such promising figures in the fight against sexual and labor exploitation.

The latest global report, published just weeks ago, confirms that the door to paradise is getting heavier: by 2022, the number of victims had surged by 22%. Sub-Saharan Africa now ranks first in victim detection, followed by North America. For the first time, the poorest and the wealthiest regions of the world share the same wounds—proof that human trafficking spares no one, preying on both the destitute and the privileged.

And it is not just the number of victims that is rising—they are getting younger. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of child victims increased by 31%. As is often the case in human trafficking, girls and women suffer the worst consequences.

The Metastasis of Human Trafficking

How do we explain this alarming expansion?

First, most governments lacked contingency plans to support those displaced by COVID-19. By the time the pandemic ended, thousands had already lost their jobs or homes. Faced with economic hardship and a severe lack of specialized shelters, desperation pushed many into exploitation. Countless individuals were forcibly displaced not once, but two or three times—whether due to violence in their communities or other destabilizing factors.

Second, a global analysis of 942 court rulings revealed a chilling reality: 74% of traffickers belong to organized crime networks. These are not lone criminals but cartels, gangs, and mafias operating with the efficiency of corporate enterprises or local governments, making them nearly impossible to dismantle. Only 26% of traffickers act independently, such as abusive parents or exploitative partners. Alarmingly, this phenomenon is growing each year.

The numbers do not lie: just when we thought our efforts were yielding results, reality reminds us that we must redouble them. This year, more than ever, we need every hand and heart available to reopen the door to that dreamt-of paradise. If we fail, it may close forever—and we may never find the key to free the victims who are counting on us.

United Against Child Trafficking

In response to this dire situation, the 3rd International Summit Against Human Trafficking was held in Washington, D.C., in 2024. The event took place at two of the most important venues for political and diplomatic action: the United States Capitol and the main building of the Organization of American States (OAS). This summit brought together key legislators and global leaders committed to eradicating human trafficking.

One of the most notable participants was Tom Homan, former ICE Director and a leading authority on border security, whose presence underscored the urgency of strengthening international cooperation. We celebrate that such a dedicated man has now been appointed as the Border Czar. His leadership and determination are crucial to shutting down the criminal networks that have trafficked and disappeared hundreds of thousands of children at our borders.

Homan’s participation in the summit was made possible thanks to Sara Carter, the renowned investigative journalist, who also moderated the expert panel on border security. Her deep knowledge of trafficking networks and firsthand reporting on the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border provided critical insights into the discussion.

One of the most pressing issues addressed at the summit was the alarming number of children disappearing at the hands of traffickers along the U.S.-Mexico border. For years, criminal networks have exploited vulnerabilities in the region, profiting from the suffering of tens of thousands of minors who vanish without a trace.

The recent actions by the United States to strengthen border security offer a glimmer of hope. Measures aimed at shutting down trafficking routes and dismantling criminal operations are a step in the right direction. For both the U.S. and Mexico, the highest priority must be clear: when it comes to children, there can be no compromise.

The fight against human trafficking is far from over, but summits like this remind us that change is possible when nations, policymakers, and civil society unite with a common purpose. We cannot allow traffickers to keep slamming the door in our faces. The time to act is now.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The Holy Bible, Trump Edition: "They shall beat their swords into nine irons." Credit: Shutterstock.

By Peter Costantini
SEATTLE, USA, Feb 28 2025 (IPS)

Like any self-respecting don of a powerful crime family, Donald Trump – AKA “Don the Con” – always gets a taste of any action going down on his territory. And that territory, as recent events have made clear, knows no borders. (I mean, except for the southwest one.)

The capo di tutti capi of TrumpWorld says that he wants to acquire Gaza and turn it into “The Riviera of the Middle East”. And it’s no secret what the jewel in the crown has to be: a magnificent golf course. [Shear et al 2/5/2025] [Baker 2/5/2025]

Given conditions in Gaza, this will be a challenge. But a leaked and probably apocryphal memo from the TrumpWorld real-estate division (formerly the U.S. Department of State), lays out an ingenious strategy for the centerpiece of the rebranding of Gaza.

 

———-

 

To: Gaza Desk

 

OK, campers, minimize PornHub and listen up.

I’m working on some promotional material for the Riviera project. Please return any comments yesterday.

——

 

Trump Links Gaza at Rubble Beach

Welcome to a whole new dimension in golfing adventure: Trump Links Gaza. Here, you can tee off into a breathtaking new experience: rubble golf. We found a strip of land short of water, vegetation and soil, but with plenty of gravel, broken concrete, and twisted rebar. So we had to think outside the box of grassy fairway | water hazard | putting green.

Our solution? If life gives you rubble, make rubble golf. At Trump Links Gaza, the whole length of the 18 holes will be one big rubble trap. We’re working to make it the Pebble Beach of Middle Eastern war zones, so we’re dubbing it Rubble Beach.

For chipping out of bomb craters and demolished building foundations, your pitching wedge will be your best friend. You may lose a few more balls than usual, but looking for them will be like a treasure hunt: you’ll never know what you may find.

Our attorneys tell us we are required to warn you about the unexploded ordnance. No worries, this is where the adventure really begins, and the risk just heightens the excitement. Accidental death and dismemberment insurance is available in the clubhouse.

For small mines or unexploded shells, simply plant one of the skull-and-crossbones flags we’ve provided nearby – but not too close.

If you happen to uncover a large bomb, about the size of a Fiat 500, do not take the time to plant a flag: run for your life. Those bunker-busters weigh 2,000 pounds and have a blast radius of three football fields. Best of all, we’re proud to say they’re made in the U.S. of A. Now we’re talking real adventure golfing. (Not to worry too much, the previous owners assure us that all such bombs dropped on Gaza did detonate – creating much of the rubble you will be enjoying.)

You may unearth piles of bones, but don’t be alarmed. They are probably sheep or goat bones. If they seem a little larger, they could be – Who knows? – calves or llamas.

Golfers may occasionally come upon torn or burned children’s books in Arabic, pieces of stuffed animals, shards of plates or glasses, and shreds of kaffiyehs or hijabs. In a small number of cases, visitors have also noticed what seem to be small children with distended bellies wandering around outside the razor wire perimeter.

The previous proprietors explained that the area had been taken over by squatters, who were very messy and did not keep track of their children. Their security forces removed nearly all the offenders and tried to eliminate any traces of them, but may have missed a few here and there.

We apologize for any unpleasant experiences that may keep looping in your head. (Although as you may not have noticed, on page 9 of the visitors’ waivers you agreed not to hold us liable for any PTSD or recurrent nightmares that may result from what you see here.)

Allow us to put you at ease on one other point: because conditions are so rough, it’s no big deal if you lie about your score. In fact, it’s an official Trump Links Gaza policy: falsifying scorecards and telling tall tales about your eagles and birdies are encouraged. There’s so much latent creativity out there, we don’t want to inhibit it with the buzzkill of fact-checking.

This adjustment will also keep Trump Links Gaza in step with the rest of TrumpWorld and its wholly owned subsidiary, the U.S. government. The corporate guidance on truthiness was enunciated most eloquently by Vice President J.D. Vance.

He was asked by reporters why he and President Trump kept saying that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were illegal immigrants who had stolen and eaten pet cats and dogs, even after the false story had been debunked by Republican officials and the Wall Street Journal. Vance, apparently speaking in tongues, told National Public Radio: “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.” [Garrett 9/15/2024]

So don’t worry about handicaps or pars. We’ve created an arithmetic-free zone here to let you celebrate your fairway prowess with your most improbable golf memes – and to emulate the liberating example of our leaders in the Oval Office.

Stop by the clubhouse afterwards for a complementary house cocktail: an ivermectin sour with a splash of hydroxychloroquine.

The Trump Links Gaza Management

 

—–

 

So let me know what you think. There are no stupid comments – well, actually, there are a few. You’ll know if yours is one when HR tweets you your pink slip and the security guards bring you a cardboard file box.

Breaking news for your eyes only: Bibi told the transition team that the squatters who were in the area of Trump Links Gaza before the transformation are now in custody.

They will be charged as criminal aliens and most will be deported to permanent camps in Rwanda and El Salvador. But in the interim, TrumpWorld has signed a contract with a U.S.-based private prison firm to build facilities to hold them until they can be shipped out.

However, we are considering keeping a small number of them in Gaza as guest workers, much like the H-2B workers long used by Trump enterprises in the U.S.

These will be lodged in the immigration prison and let out only to work as dishwashers and laborers at the new Gaza minimum wage (lol it’s negative – they will be charged ten dollars a day for the privilege of getting out of their cells for healthy exercise). Meals, rent and utilities will also be deducted. Hey Elon, can your boyos from the Department of Government Efficiency match that?

As exciting as it is, Trump Links Gaza is only the beginning. Think glacier golf in Greenland -your ice axe doubles as a putter – and aquatic links on jet skis in Panama.

But Canada is le grand prix, as the snail-sucking surrender monkeys put it. The Boss may have to drop a few bunker-busters on the tundra to nudge them towards statehood. The Canucks may complain about losing their health insurance and being tased for saying “Eh”. They may gag at having to call Hudson Bay “MAGA Bay”.

But once True North has been downgraded to Magnetic North and welcomed into the Union, TrumpWorld will buy up some well-known golf course, tart it up, and lean heavily on the new “governor” (actually, proconsul) to have the Canadian Open moved to it – as Beloved Leader tried unsuccessfully to do in Scotland with the British Open. (Don’t breathe easy yet, haggis-eaters – Donald Trump has a long memory.) [Landler et al 7/16/2021]

I’m proud to say that golf diplomacy has become the linchpin of our transition from the “No more forever wars” foreign policy to a new one: “Many short and sweet annexations”. Who’s next?

As the Good Book, Trump Edition, says: “They shall beat their swords into nine irons.” Fore!

ArnoldPalmersJunk (Like my new handle?)
Vice President for Golfing Anschluss

Trump Links Gaza at Rubble Beach: Come for the adventure, stay for the gaslighting.

 

References

Peter Baker. “An Unbound Trump Pushes an Improbable Plan for Gaza”. New York Times, February 5, 2025.
https://nytimes.com/2025/02/05/us/politics/trump-gaza-netanyahu-takeover.html

Mohamad Bazzi. “Trump is using the presidency to seek golf deals. Hardly anyone’s paying attention.” London: The Guardian, February 27, 2025.
https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/27/trump-pga-liv-saudi-arabia

Jonathan Freedland. “Trump is fueling lethal fantasies of driving people from their land”. London: The Guardian, 7 February 2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/07/middle-east-land-people-donald-trump-gaza

FXB Center for Health & Human Rights. “Press Release: New study shows Israel air-dropped 2000lb bombs within lethal and damage ranges of hospitals in Gaza”. Boston, MA: Harvard University, October 10, 2024.
https://fxb.harvard.edu/2024/10/10/new-study-shows-israel-air-dropped-2000lb-bombs-within-lethal-and-damage-ranges-of-hospitals-in-gaza

Luke Garrett. “Vance defends spreading claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets”. National Public Radio, September 15, 2024.
https://npr.org/2024/09/15/nx-s1-5113140/vance-false-claims-haitian-migrants-pets

Mark Landler, Lara Jakes & Maggie Haberman. “Trump’s Request of an Ambassador: Get the British Open for Me”. New York Times, July 16, 2021.
https://nytimes.com/2020/07/21/world/europe/trump-british-open.html

Michael D. Shear, Peter Baker & Isabel Kershner. “Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza and Says All Palestinians Should Leave”. New York Times, February 4, 2025.
https://nytimes.com/2025/02/04/us/politics/trump-gaza-strip-netanyahu.html

People use plastic containers to collect drinking water in Havana. Water supply problems have worsened in recent months in Cuba, partly due to power outages that interrupt water pumping through hydraulic networks and, at times, equipment breakdowns. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños / IPS

By Dariel Pradas
HAVANA, Feb 28 2025 (IPS)

Problems such as hydraulic network breakdowns, water lost through leaks, power outages, and even fuel shortages are making access to water supply services difficult for the population in Cuba

“Terrible,” is how Mariam Alba, a café employee and resident of Manzanillo, a city 750 kilometers east of Havana in the eastern province of Granma, described the water supply situation to IPS.“In my neighborhood we have water almost every day, but I know places that go months without it. In the early hours, you see people carrying water from a hole filled by a leak. It’s not drinking water:” Mariam Alba.

“In my neighborhood, Reparto Gutierrez, we have water almost every day, but I know places that go months without it. In the early hours, you see people carrying water from a hole filled by a leak. It’s not drinking water. On some blocks, they’ve placed tanks: they fill them in the morning, and by night they’re empty. Then they refill them a month later,” she added.

In this province with 804,000 people, only 76% receive piped water in their homes, and just 38.7% have access to water at least once every three days. Meanwhile, over 66,000 residents depend on water delivered by tanker trucks, as confirmed by Granma’s Hydraulic Resources authorities in an interview with IPS in August 2024.

A month after that interview, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INRH) announced that over 30,000 people in the province lacked access to water services, out of a total of more than 600,000 nationwide.

In Havana, where supply issues may not be as prolonged as in Manzanillo, they are more widespread: around 130,000 “customers” were affected last September.

“I’ve gone up to two weeks without water due to a supposed break in the (hydraulic) network. Then the issue gets fixed, but comes up again soon after. In the 40 years I’ve lived here, there hasn’t been a single day when I wasn’t unsure if the water would come or not,” Flora Alvarez, a 43-year-old accountant living in Centro Habana, told IPS.

A worker from Aguas de La Habana supervises the filling of a water tanker truck that supplies drinking water to residents of Havana communities. By early February 2025, over 600,000 people in Cuba were receiving water permanently through tanker trucks. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños / IPS

An Infrastructure Problem

Cuba lacks large rivers and, being an island, faces the constant risk of saline intrusion into its groundwater. It relies heavily on rainfall, so droughts severely impact water supply, especially in the agricultural sector.

However, 2024 was not as marked by this climate change effect as previous years: accumulated rainfall reached 97% of the national historical average, and reservoirs were at 63% of their total capacity, or 98% of the usual level for early February, when the INRH presented its annual report.

The problem begins with over 40% of pumped water being lost due to leaks in major pipelines, hydraulic network branches – sometimes visible on dozens or hundreds of Havana streets – and even from dripping faucets in homes.

Hydraulic sector officials acknowledge the existence of 2,500 to 3,000 such leaks.

Secondly, pump equipment breakdowns or interruptions due to frequent power outages, characteristic of Cuba’s energy crisis, also degrade service quality, which not everyone has access to.

In this Caribbean island nation of about 10 million inhabitants, only 83.9% are supplied water by public Water and Sanitation companies, 4.5% more than at the end of 2023, according to the annual report.

The INRH acknowledged in its report that this improvement is largely due to a decrease in population.

Meanwhile, investment in creating new connections to hydraulic networks and other sanitation work has slowed, reaching only 45% of the planned target, due to the negative impact of U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba and unpaid debts to creditors.

Additionally, only 61.2% of the population has access to “risk-free” drinking water services, 1.6% more than in 2023.

The “risk-free” definition aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “safely managed” standard, which refers to access to “drinking water from an improved water source that is located on premises, available when needed, and free from faecal and priority chemical contamination.”

By early February, over 600,000 people were receiving water permanently through tanker trucks, and nearly 1.5 million through “easy access” points, where people can fetch water in less than 30 minutes, including travel and waiting time.

However, these figures do not account for the thousands affected by “temporary” pipeline breaks, who must then carry water from easy access points or rely on tanker trucks that arrive as frequently as fuel supplies allow –  another recurring issue in Cuba.

The company Aguas de La Habana lays a high-density polyethylene pipe as part of the installation of new hydraulic networks in the Cuban capital. In 2024, the government installed 241 kilometers of new water supply networks, mains, and connections to alleviate chronic water supply issues. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños / IPS

Slow Progress

“The goals and targets planned for 2024 were met at an acceptable level, considering the adverse scenario,” summarizes the INRH’s annual report.

This optimism is based on the fact that, despite only resolving around 60% of public complaints or reports in several provinces, 241 kilometers of networks, mains, and new water supply connections were installed.

Or an average of 512 liters of water per inhabitant per day, representing 91.8% of the planned amount, though distribution remains uneven, as the figures show.

The INRH also worked on installing 32 water treatment plants, 10 wastewater treatment plants, and 9 desalination plants, as well as replacing pumping equipment and installing nearly 25,000 water meters, useful for promoting water conservation with tariffs based on actual consumption. Without these, many households pay a fixed monthly fee.

However, authorities predict that the core water problems will continue to “flow” through 2025, despite the government’s multimillion-dollar investments to improve the situation.

 

COP16 President Susana Muhamad. Parties to the UN Biodiversity adopted decisions to implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Credit: IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin/Mike Muzurakis.

By Tanka Dhakal
BLOOMINGTON, U.S.A & ROME, Feb 28 2025 (IPS)

The second round of the UN Biodiversity Conference, COP16, concluded in the early hours of Friday, February 28 in Rome, with an agreement to raise the funds needed to protect biodiversity.

COP16 was suspended in Cali, Colombia, in 2024 without any major financial support decision to support biodiversity conservation. But in the second round of the conference in Rome, Italy, governments agreed on a financial strategy to address the action targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which was adopted in 2022 with the aim of closing the biodiversity finance gap.

In a final document, all parties to the biodiversity convention agreed to mobilize resources to close the global biodiversity finance gap and achieve the target of mobilizing at least 200 billion dollars a year by 2030, including international flows of USD 20 billion per year by 2025. Which will be rising to USD 30 billion by 2030.

In the closing press briefing in the early hours of Friday, COP16 President Susana Muhamad said the Rome conference came to a successful end. “It was a remarkable achievement of being able to approve all the decisions, especially the most contentious, difficult decisions.” She said, “And not in a way that made the parties feel that they were compromising their main objectives.”

The agreement includes the commitment to establish permanent arrangements for the financial mechanism in accordance with Articles 21 and 39 of the Convention while working on improving existing financial instruments. It also includes a roadmap of the activities and decision-making milestones until 2030.

COP16 president Muhamad also said that the agreement between governments in Rome will help bring the agendas of biodiversity and climate change together. In November, Belem in the Amazon rainforest region of Brazil will be hosting the UN climate conference, COP30.

“The importance of these resolutions that have been approved in Cali and also here of the cooperation between the different conventions,” she said.

The biodiversity COP also adopted a Strategy for Resource Mobilization to mobilize the funds needed for implementation of the KMGBF. Which includes public finance from national and subnational governments, private and philanthropic resources, multilateral development banks, blended finance, and other approaches.

The Cali Fund

The Rome gathering of parties also agreed to establish a dedicated fund for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Research (DSI), known as the Cali Fund.

The fund was launched on 26 February 2025—at least 50 percent of its resources will be allocated to indigenous peoples and local communities, recognizing their role as custodians of biodiversity. Large companies and other major entities benefiting commercially from the use of DSI are expected to contribute a portion of their profits or revenues in sectors and subsectors highly dependent on the use of DSI.

Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, plant and animal breeding, agricultural biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, laboratory equipment associated with the sequencing and use of digital sequence information on genetic resources, and information, scientific and technical services related to digital sequence information on genetic resources, including artificial intelligence. Academic, public databases, public research institutions and companies operating in the concerned sectors but not relying on DSI are exempt from contributions to the Cali Fund.

The fund is part of a multilateral mechanism on the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources adopted at COP15 in December 2022 alongside the KMGBF.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Cargo Ship and Cranes at Hamburg Port. Credit: Wolfgang Weiser

By Matt Freeman
LONDON, Feb 28 2025 (IPS)

Who bears the brunt in trade wars? The answer is absolutely everyone. Not just the countries enacting or retaliating with tariffs and export bans, and not just the citizens of those countries. It’s everyone.

Global headlines have been warning of looming trade wars between the United States, Mexico, Canada and China. Though many of the tariffs floated by President Donald Trump have since been lifted or delayed, many are rightly concerned that trade restrictions will be an all too present part of our future.

Trade wars cause tremendous economic damage to countries affected by them; to companies, workers and suppliers; and to the consumers to whom these costs are invariably passed.

But the damage is not only economic. There are profound implications to both global and national food and nutrition security as well. Though many of these measures seek to protect homegrown industries, or in the case of U.S. tariffs – to protect borders, they all too often lead to increased food prices and supply chain disruptions that undermine access to healthy and nutritious food we all need to thrive.

The recently threatened U.S. tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada are a good example of how these kinds of restrictions can impact what ends up on our plates. In 2023, the US imported $195.9 billion of its agricultural produce from foreign suppliers, with almost half of this ($86 billion) coming from its two closest neighbors.

Two farmworkers pick food in a greenhouse.

When you look at more nutrient-rich foods, the impacts are even more pronounced: the US imports approximately 60% of its fresh fruit and 40% of its fresh vegetables from abroad.

Economists warn that such measures would not only strain consumers’ wallets but also disrupt supply chains, leading to potential longer-term shortages and reducing the availability of diverse and nutritious foods.

This is not a price that US policymakers should be willing to pay.

47.4 million Americans – 1 in 7 people, including 1 in 5 children – are already experiencing food insecurity, meaning many lack access to the basic vitamins and minerals they need to power their bodies and fuel their minds. Among the most vulnerable groups – communities of color, rural communities, veterans, seniors, and low-income households – these inequalities are even more stark.

The impacts can easily stretch beyond the borders of North America. The interconnectedness of our global food systems – the complex web of processes that take our food from farm to fork – mean that trade restrictions in one region can have ripple effects worldwide.

The World Economic Forum highlights that the combined effects of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions have exposed the fragility of global supply chains essential for food security. The outbreak of war in Ukraine, for instance, sent shockwaves through markets for key commodities like fertiliser and grains, demonstrating how restriction in the trade or production of essential goods in one part of the world can exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the whole system.

As with most things in life, trade policies have distinct implications for women and girls. In many developing countries, women play a crucial role in agriculture and food production. Trade barriers that increase input costs or limit market access can disproportionately affect women farmers, reducing their incomes and economic independence.

Additionally, higher food prices resulting from tariffs can strain household budgets, where women often bear the responsibility of managing limited resources and the health of their families. As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) notes, whilst increased trade can provide women with better job opportunities and access to resources, trade restrictions can limit these opportunities and exacerbate existing gender disparities.

Fears about trade restrictions and breakdowns in global supply chains lead some countries to shift policies toward self-sufficiency, focusing on meeting the basic needs of production locally. While it’s easy to see the advantages of an approach like this in terms of control and protecting farmers at home, it is often a struggle for countries to efficiently produce such a wide range of food products domestically due to constraints including weather patterns and arable land, which can result in less varied diets and increased malnutrition.

The FAO suggests conceptualizing food self-sufficiency along a continuum. Others have described an optimal approach as a balanced one, embracing open trade while also enhancing domestic production by diversifying supply sources, investing in resilient agricultural practices, and fostering international cooperation to ensure stable and affordable food supplies.

Ultimately, while trade restrictions are often implemented with protective intentions, they can have adverse effects on food and nutrition security. They can increase food prices, disrupt supply chains, and disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.

To ensure equitable access to nutritious food for healthy populations both home and abroad, policymakers should carefully consider the broader implications of trade measures and strive for solutions that encourage both global cooperation and domestic resilience.

Matt Freeman is Executive Director of Stronger Foundations for Nutrition.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The UN Security Council Meets on Maintenance of Peace and Security of Ukraine. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27 2025 (IPS)

From late 2024 to early 2025, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine has taken a turn for the worst, with poverty, violence, displacement, and damage to critical infrastructures having grown in intensity. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, tensions have grown among member states of the United Nations (UN) on how to resolve the Russo-Ukrainian War.

On February 20, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released a report detailing the current living conditions in Ukraine, where they estimated that 12.7 million Ukrainians – roughly 36 percent of the population – urgently require humanitarian assistance.

The death toll in Ukraine had reached new peaks in late 2024. There have been approximately 41,000 civilian casualties, including 12,500 deaths. Roughly 2,500 children have also been killed or injured as a result of the current war. Rates of sexual violence among women, men, and children have increased significantly since the war began. Nearly 63 percent of all households in Ukraine have reported distress that has been linked to trauma, with 1.5 million children at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder and other severe mental health conditions.

Ukraine has also sustained immense damage to its infrastructures, many of which are crucial in providing basic services. Attacks on energy infrastructure have led to limited power, water, and fuel being allocated to households. This is especially dangerous in the winter season, when temperatures regularly drop below zero. Roughly 3,600 educational facilities, including 2,000 schools, have been damaged, with 371 having been destroyed completely. Nearly 13 percent of the total housing stock in Ukraine has been damaged, which has affected over 2.5 million households.

On February 25, the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Ukraine released a report that analyzed the scale of needs and the expenses required for recovery in Ukraine. It is estimated that the total cost of reconstruction and recovery over the next decade will be 524 billion dollars, which is nearly 2.8 times the estimated GDP of Ukraine in 2024. For 2025 alone, it is projected that Ukraine will need 9.96 billion dollars from donors and the private sector to begin reconstruction efforts.

“The war has been a heavy blow to the Ukrainian economy. Many Ukrainian enterprises that gave people jobs stopped or were destroyed. The brutal Russian air strikes have severely damaged the national energy system, as well as hundreds of educational and healthcare institutions. A humanitarian crisis is devastating and the “hidden crisis” – the mental health crisis – will resonate for generations,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale.

Additionally, approximately 3.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine, and 6.9 million have fled to other parts of Europe. According to figures from People in Need (PIN), a Czech humanitarian organization, nearly 700,000 internally displaced people reside in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and its surrounding areas.

Socio-economic conditions have continuously worsened since the start of the war, with displaced populations having been hit the hardest. A survey from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that only half of the working-age displaced Ukrainians have managed to find legal employment. Most families that have exhausted their funds rely on government assistance for survival. However, state funding has diminished greatly since March 2024, with the new laws stating that only the most vulnerable groups are entitled to assistance, such as the elderly or disabled.

According to figures from the World Bank, there are over 9 million Ukrainians who struggle with poverty, having increased by 1.8 million in the past three years alone. Economic growth has decreased by 3.2 percent in 2024 and is projected to decrease by 2 percent in 2025.

The hunger crisis has also grown significantly since the wake of the war. According to a press release from the World Food Programme (WFP), approximately 5 million people are facing acute food insecurity. The highest levels of hunger are concentrated in the areas that have been most affected by conflict. The Kherson region in the south, along with Zaporizhzhya and the Donetsk region in the east, have particularly severe levels of hunger.

February 24 marks three years since the Russian invasion. In remembrance of this historical event, the UN General Assembly adopted two resolutions that would entail a cessation of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia.

The first of these resolutions, A/ES-11-L.10, called for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territory to be respected, a cessation of hostilities, and an end to impunity for war crimes. The document included clauses in which the Russian Federation was deemed responsible for the invasion and for disrupting global stability.

93 member states voted in favor of the resolution, citing its importance in protecting global and regional stability. Russia and the United States voted against this resolution. The U.S. presented Path to Peace (A/ES-11-L.11) a separate resolution that calls for an end to the war and mourns lost lives. However, this document includes no mentions of Russia’s aggressive military tactics.

In response, France proposed three amendments to this document which indicated at Russia’s responsibility for the conflict. Russia also proposed an amendment that called for the “root causes” of the war to be addressed. Both of the amendments were approved, with the U.S. abstaining from voting and Russia voting against the resolution.

The Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia has said that Russia was justified in its invasion of Ukraine, citing that the intention was to prevent the expansion of NATO from Russia’s borders. “The text adopted now is not perfect, but it is, in fact, the first attempt to adopt a constructive and future—oriented product of the Council, talking about the path to peace, and not inflaming the conflict,” Nebenzia remarked.

Ukraine, as well as numerous European countries, argued that a resolution that does not hold the Russian Federation responsible effectively undermines the UN’s obligation to protect human rights, especially when war crimes are involved.

“The way we answer to Russian atrocities and crimes, the way we answer to aggression as a tool of statecraft will define not only the future of Ukraine, will define not only the future of Europe; it will define our common future, the future of the entire democratic world and the future of the U.N.,” said Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa in her speech to the General Assembly before the vote.
“On this tragic occasion, I reaffirm the urgent need for a just, sustainable and comprehensive peace – one that fully upholds Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and resolutions of the General Assembly,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Gina Romero

By Gina Romero
BOGOTA, Colombia, Feb 27 2025 (IPS)

The U.S. administration has the prerogative to review and adjust public expenditure policies, including foreign aid. However, this power must be exercised responsibly, adhering to national and international legal frameworks, including the principles of human rights law.

The recent decisions by the Trump administration to freeze federal grants and loans, including foreign aid, have raised serious concerns about the implications for local, national and international associations.

These measures, which followed executive orders aimed at “reevaluating” U.S. foreign assistance and terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, risk undermining the freedoms that are vital to democratic societies.

In a letter sent to the USG, 35 UN experts indicate that the freeze on funding and stop work orders has been described as a drastic measure that could have a far-reaching impact on the ability of individuals and organizations to advocate for and protect human rights.

The decision to stop work on federal projects, including critical programs funded through foreign aid, is having an immediate effect on vulnerable communities and human rights defenders worldwide. The ripple effects are particularly severe for marginalized groups who depend on these resources for essential services like healthcare, education, access to food and housing.

These measures also disproportionately affect organizations working on gender equality, LGBTIQ issues, reproductive rights, and poverty alleviation, which are already underfunded and face significant challenges in the global South.

The implications of these measures affect different type of associations, including small and medium-sized businesses, not-for-profit entities, civil society organizations, universities, faith-based groups, and even scientific research institutions that rely on U.S. funding to carry out their work.

The speed and scale of the funding freeze have left these entities unable to fulfil their missions. Some have already been forced to lay off staff, suspend vital programs, and even close their doors, leading to the shrinking of civic space in countries where they have long been key players in advocating for democracy, human rights, and sustainable development.

The Need for Proportionality, Transparency, and Legal Compliance

While the goal of effective public expenditure is commendable, its success depends on a transparent and inclusive process that is in line with legal standards, including international human rights law. These measures, which were implemented with little consultation or clear communication, have not adhered to the principle of proportionality, which is enshrined in both domestic and international law.

The absence of transparent guidelines, accountability mechanisms, respect for due process, and avenues for appeal is troubling, especially when the measures have such wide-reaching consequences.

International human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the United States is a signatory, guarantees the right to freedom of association. This right not only protects the ability to form associations but also to carry out the activities for which those associations were established.

The freedom to access resources is a critical component of this right, as it enables organizations to seek, receive, and use resources from a variety of sources, both domestic and international. When funding is denied, it effectively denies organizations the means to operate, undermining their ability to fulfil their missions.

The freeze on U.S. funding, without due process or clear guidelines, is in direct conflict with these principles. The lack of clarity on how decisions are made or how organizations can challenge them undermines the rights of associations.

Furthermore, the failure to involve stakeholders—including U.S. civil society organizations—in the decision-making process is a violation of the principles of democratic governance and transparency.

The Global Impact of U.S. Funding Decisions

The far-reaching consequences of the funding freeze are most acutely felt in countries where U.S. aid supports critical initiatives in areas such as healthcare, education, peacebuilding, and human rights protection.

For example, programs addressing sexual and reproductive health are at immediate risk of cessation. Similarly, efforts to combat gender-based violence, support displaced communities, and provide education to marginalized groups are being disrupted.

In addition to these humanitarian concerns, the freeze also threatens to derail long-standing initiatives aimed at promoting democracy, good governance, and the rule of law. U.S. foreign aid has long been a pillar of support for civil society organizations that monitor elections, promote anti-corruption efforts, and advocate for human rights protections, among others.

The suspension of funding to these programs undermines not only the work of these organizations but also the broader goal of promoting democratic values worldwide.

The U.S. government’s decision to cut funding to programs that address discrimination—particularly those related to DEI initiatives—has sparked additional controversy. These measures have the potential to undermine efforts to protect individuals from workplace discrimination and ensure equal access to opportunities.

By targeting DEI programs, the administration is signalling a shift away from policies designed to address structural inequalities, which could have long-term negative effects on social justice worlwide.

The Stigmatization of Civil Society Organizations

Another concerning consequence of these decisions is the stigmatization of associations managing and receiving U.S. funding. The administration’s rhetoric has painted many civil society organizations as threats to national security.

This kind of stigmatization is dangerous because its fosters hostility toward groups that are engaged in legitimate advocacy for development, human rights and democratic governance.

Also, it places these organizations—and their staff—at risk of harassment, intimidation, and even physical violence, particularly in countries where civil society organizations are already under threat. Stigmatization is the entry door for repression and violence.

This pattern of vilification has serious consequences. As I noted in my more recent report to the UN General Assembly, negative narratives about civil society organizations and other associations deepen the stigmatization of activists and organizations, leading to increased repression, physical attacks, and online harassment.

These dynamics create an environment in which activists and civil society organizations are seen not as contributors to public good but as enemies.

The Path Forward: Upholding Human Rights and Civil Society

The decision to freeze funding may have been motivated by a desire to ensure more effective public spending, but it risks doing lasting damage to civil society. The lack of transparency, failure to follow due process, and disregard for international human rights law make these measures problematic.

To ensure that the U.S. upholds its commitment to human rights and the freedom of association, it is imperative that the U.S. government must urgently comply with the recent court orders, pay invoices, reconsider the impact of its freeze on foreign aid and federal grants and to compensate for the damage done. Besides, future decisions regarding foreign aid and public funding be made with greater clarity, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.

The U.S. must also recognize that associations in general and civil society organizations in particular are critical to the realization of human rights. These organizations play an essential role in advocating for the protection of fundamental freedoms, including the rights to health, education, and social justice.

Freezing funding and issuing stop work orders without clear and transparent procedures not only undermines these organizations but also threatens to dismantle vital systems of support for marginalized communities.

It is crucial that the U.S. government ensures that future funding decisions are made with respect for international human rights standards, that organizations are able to access the resources they need to carry out their work, and that the right to freedom of association is upheld.

In conclusion, the freeze on U.S. funding represents a significant threat to the functioning of civil society organizations and to the protection of human rights globally. While the government’s decision to review public expenditure is within its rights, the approach taken thus far raises serious concerns about transparency, proportionality, and adherence to international human rights law.

To avoid further harm, the U.S. must prioritize the protection of civil society, uphold the right to freedom of association, and ensure that any policy changes are made in a manner that respects the fundamental freedoms on which democracy depends.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Excerpt:

Gina Romero is UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and of association

Dr. Augustine Njamnshi of ACSEA addresses a group of civil society organizations ahead of the AUC Summit in Addis Ababa. Credit: Isaiah Esipisu/IPS

By Isaiah Esipisu
ADDIS ABABA, Feb 27 2025 (IPS)

Renewable energy and climate change activists have challenged African heads of state to take a united stance to safeguard essential mineral resources, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other parts of the continent, which are selfishly exploited by foreign miners with disregard for poverty-stricken local communities.

“We call upon the Africa Union Commission (AUC) to convene a special summit on the DRC and come up with resolutions on how African countries, particularly the DRC, should determine the value of their essential minerals, how they should engage foreign miners, and how to protect fundamental human rights of communities living in the mining areas,” said Dr. Augustine Njamnshi, the Director, Africa Coalition on Sustainable Energy Access (ACSEA), at an event ahead of the election of the new AUC Chairperson in Addis Ababa.

So far, the DRC is the world’s largest producer of cobalt and the third largest producer of copper, among other essential minerals that are used to manufacture state-of-the-art electric cars and buses, golf carts, pumps, and electric motorbikes, among other non-emitting but expensive gadgets like smart phones, tablets, laptops, drones, smart watches, and electric scooters, among other items.

As a result, the value and the growing demand of cobalt and other such essential minerals have led to a scramble for these rare metals, particularly by foreign miners.

Even as the activists make an appeal, the mineral wealth has become a pawn in the DRC’s war with Rwandan-backed M23.

According to Congolese president Felix Tseisekedi’s spokesperson, Tina Salama, on X, the United States was warned not to buy minerals from Rwanda, as this was tantamount to buying stolen goods. She said the proposal to buy directly from the DRC was also open to the European Union, with a warning that “receiving stolen goods will become increasingly complicated.”

“President Tshisekedi invites the USA, whose companies source strategic raw materials from Rwanda, materials that are looted from the DRC and smuggled to Rwanda while our populations are massacred, to purchase them directly from us, the rightful owners,” Salama said on X.

Appolinaire Zagabe, a Congolese human rights activist and the Director for the DRC Climate Change Network (Reseau Sur le Changement Climatique RDC), told IPS in an interview that the mineral exploitation was mired in corruption.

“The foreign miners sign contracts with the government to legalize their activities, and since they make so much money, they always bribe government officials and top-ranking police officers to protect them as they illegally expand their mining areas by forcefully evicting communities from their ancestral land,” Zagabe said.

“The current system of mineral exploitation activities in the DRC has almost no positive impact on the local communities. Community rights are not respected and the population is a victim of companies’ pollution,” Zagabe told IPS. “There are no community programs undertaken, no durable infrastructure is put in place, no health facilities, no schools, no roads. Hence, people in those areas remain the poorest in the world.”

Zagabe says that nearly all the hundreds of thousands of community members who suffer at the hands of foreign miners of cobalt and other essential minerals have never seen what an electric vehicle looks like, they have never owned a smart phone, and they don’t dream of using a tablet or even a computer in their lifetime, yet they interact on a daily basis with essential minerals that are at the center of manufacturing these items.

A report by Amnesty International in collaboration with the Initiative for Good Governance and Human Rights/Initiative pour la Bonne Gouvernance et les Droits Humains (IBGDH) paints a grim picture of what is happening in the DRC.

The minerals, which are apparently supposed to be a huge blessing, have turned out to be a curse for the communities.

“People are being forcibly evicted, or threatened or intimidated into leaving their homes, or misled into consenting to derisory settlements. Often there was no grievance mechanism, accountability, or access to justice,” said Donat Kambola, president of IBGDH, in a statement.

“It is total chaos,” said Zagabe. “Human rights activists are often harassed whenever they denounce violations of community rights in mining areas, and they risk being killed since most illegal mining companies have the backing of politicians or high-ranking soldiers,” he said.

The rush for essential minerals has also exposed artisanal/local miners to harsh working conditions where some of them have been buried alive within collapsed tunnels, children have been forced to child labor, and women, whose livelihoods have been taken away, have been forced to toil to extreme lengths to find minerals, which they sell to foreign mining companies for almost nothing.

According to a report by Friends of the Congo (FOTC), child labor is well documented in the cobalt supply chain, with children as young as seven (years old) working in mines under dangerous conditions, depriving them of education and a healthy childhood.

“Pit wall collapses are common when digging in larger open-air pits, with the result of all miners being buried alive; of the 10,000 to 15,000 tunnels dug by artisanal miners, none have supports, ventilation shafts, or other safety measures,” reads part of the report.

According to Njamnshi, whatever is happening in the DRC mining sector is replicated in nearly all other African countries. “The only difference is that in the DRC, the atrocities are on a large scale and therefore are more visible than what is happening, for example, in Kenya’s Nyatike goldmines in the western part of the country,” he said, noting that there is a need for a collective high-level resolution to protect all African countries from greedy foreign mineral-thirsty companies.

The alleged disrespect of human rights and signing of dubious contracts that oppress communities, denying them right to their resources, is not in line with the Dubai COP 28 resolution, which called for rapid decarbonization of the energy system to keep the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach.

The negotiators called for acceleration of the clean energy transition both from the demand and supply sides, but through a transformation that is orderly, just and equitable and also accounts for energy security.

“The world is changing very fast, and the geopolitical dynamics are becoming more unpredictable,” said Dr. Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

“President Donald Trump’s executive orders should be a wake-up call for the continent, and likewise, African countries should find the power to dictate terms on their natural resources, including essential minerals,” he said during a PACJA event ahead of the 2025 AUC Summit in Addis Ababa.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Credit: Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
 
On February 27, policymakers worldwide will mark the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), the first legally binding global health treaty of its kind. A Treaty That Saved Lives— But the Merchant of Death Still Walks Free

By Deborah Sy and Reina Roa Rodríguez
MANILA, Philippines / PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb 27 2025 (IPS)

The world took a historic step in the fight against tobacco when the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) came into force—the first legally binding global health treaty of its kind.

Two decades later, it stands as one of the most widely ratified international agreements, with 183 Parties bound by law to safeguard public health from the grip of the tobacco epidemic. The FCTC’s impact has been transformative. Seventy-five percent of its members have implemented at least some of its provisions, saving millions of lives.

Governments have raised tobacco taxes and are able to point to a benchmark rate, introduced graphic health warnings and can refer to a global database of warnings, banned all forms of cigarette advertising to the extent that major social media platforms have algorithms to avoid tobacco advertisements, and treated the FCTC as the minimum standard it was meant to be—for example, by passing laws that require cigarette packs to be simple and free of branding (plain packaging).

Once feared as a trigger for international trade wars, tobacco control measures have been upheld in the World Trade Organization (WTO). With the power of the FCTC, the tobacco transnational’s rights to its brand name and right to sue governments as foreign investors have been trumped in favor of public health.

Despite the FCTC’s near-universal adoption, less than half of the Parties have implemented Article 5.3 measures to prevent industry interference. Yet, where enforced, these safeguards have proven effective, blocking tobacco-funded COVID-19 vaccines from being promoted as corporate social responsibility(CSR).

The treaty also set a global precedent for rejecting tobacco industry partnerships, with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) barring tobacco companies, the International Labor Organization (ILO) cutting industry funding, and UN agencies prohibiting tobacco-linked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) collaborations.

FCTC governance has also shaped anti-smuggling efforts. The treaty and its Illicit Trade Protocol have reinforced a key principle: the tobacco industry must not be part of the solution. Governments rejected the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)’s application for Observer status due to tobacco funding, while the industry-backed track-and-trace system ‘Codentify’ was discredited due to conflicts of interest.

Rebranded Industry in the Age of ESG and Sustainability

The treaty helped delay the projection of 1 billion tobacco deaths in the 21st century—but new tobacco products are creating a fresh crisis.

Despite all these victories in public health, the tobacco industry has been persistently a cog in the machine and has been allowed to not just survive but even evolve. Tobacco giants have pivoted to a new strategy that allows them to hide behind environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives.

They invested in vaping, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and so-called “wellness” ventures, allowing them to create a “harm reduction” narrative while their products hook a whole new generation of youths, marketing themselves as public health allies while their products make people more vulnerable to chronic diseases.

Their CSR programs claim to support environmental sustainability—while they continue to sell the world’s largest source of plastic pollution: cigarette filters. Despite the fact that the UN Agency that shaped ESG trends has shunned tobacco as an ESG-compliant investment, national policies on ESG or CSR reporting are at risk of condoning this.

The COP and the “Dirty Ashtray” Delegations

With the introduction of novel products, tobacco companies gained a newfound sense of credibility and legitimacy, enabling them to influence national policies to exempt vaping from smoke-free laws and advertising ban, ultimately increasing youth exposure to and dependence on recreational addictive products.

The combination of the novel product with new narrative, CSR, direct lobbying, and revolving door appointments of senior government officials has allowed the industry’s influence to grow, even reaching the FCTC’s governing body, the Conference of the Parties (COP) — where tobacco industry arguments have successfully been used to weaken policy language and delay decision-making.

As a result, the FCTC COP failed to take a stronger stance on fully protecting the youth from recreational addictive devices, despite global youth-led coalitions demanding the same.

A Financial Solution: Making Big Tobacco Pay

To those gathering to mark the treaty’s 20th anniversary, a pressing question looms: Will the FCTC’s third decade be the one where Big Tobacco will stop causing harm?

The United States (U.S.) Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) forced the industry to pay $206 billion to U.S. states for healthcare costs. However, such rare legal victories have not succeeded in deterring misconduct. Even the recent Canadian lawsuit demonstrated how Big Tobacco can evade accountability through insolvency proceedings.

Governments need to go beyond litigation and adopt new financial mechanisms to hold the tobacco industry financially accountable: Tobacco companies should be forced to cover health and environmental costs through a polluter pays principle. Specialized tribunals could be designated to process claims without lengthy court battles.

A coordinated effort to harmonize sanctions and costs for harms can prevent Big Tobacco from exploiting regulatory loopholes across countries. Parties can consider establishing a Global Tobacco Control Fund modeled after vaccine injury or environmental compensation funds financed through mandatory industry contributions.

Towards Health Through Justice and Denormalization of the Tobacco Industry

The past decade has seen over 40 countries ban e-cigarettes and many exploring endgame strategies for a cigarette-free world. Belgium proposed a European Union (EU) – wide cigarette butt ban, and an immediate ban was backed by WHO in plastics treaty talks.

This decade also saw machine learning revolutionize real-time monitoring of tobacco industry interference and CSR strategies, curbing digital marketing, and tracking illicit trade. Meanwhile, youths are demanding financial accountability for generational harms.

In the coming decade, the $1.4 trillion annual global cost of smoking will grow to include lost opportunities, rehabilitation expenses for a generation of addicted youth, and the devastating environmental impact of the tobacco industry.

Governments must fully enforce the treaty—particularly Article 18 on environmental protection and Article 19 on liability—to hold tobacco companies financially accountable for the harm they cause, ensuring penalties that deter future misconduct. To stay relevant, the FCTC must continue expanding its influence beyond health, addressing policies on ESG, taxation, finance, and plastics regulation.

The world came together in 2005 to declare that tobacco must be controlled and reduced. In 2025, it must declare that Big Tobacco must be held accountable for 8 million lives lost each year. The merchants of death must not walk.

Atty. Deborah Sy, Head of Global Public Policy and Strategy at the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), is a legal expert in global health and tobacco control. She has played a key role in strengthening global policies on tobacco taxation, industry interference, liability, and environmental protection from tobacco.

Dr Reina Roa Rodríguez currently sits as the President of the Bureau of the FCTC COP and is a globally recognized leader in tobacco control. A technical-political expert at the Panamanian Ministry of Health and a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, she has played a pivotal role in advancing FCTC implementation at national, regional, and global levels.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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The cable-stayed bridge of Hortolandia, a symbol of the modernization of this southern Brazilian city, alongside tall buildings and the city’s extensive tree cover, which has made it a model of sustainable urban development. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS

By Mario Osava
HORTOLANDIA, Brazil , Feb 26 2025 (IPS)

Almost everything seems new or under construction in the southern Brazilian city of Hortolandia, from its wide avenues and cable-stayed bridge to its large buildings and riverside parks.

Even the city hall itself, the Palace of Migrants, will celebrate its first anniversary on May 29, and its main parking lot is still under construction, but already bears the city’s new hallmark: solar panels on its roofs.

A municipality of 240,000 people located 110 kilometers from São Paulo, Hortolandia seized the opportunity presented by cost-effective technology and legal incentives to generate its own electricity for public sector consumption.“We want to grow, but also preserve. The city must care for its environment, seek new ways to think about energy, water, and consumption”: Donizete Faria.

The 21 photovoltaic plants built since 2023, some in the final stages of completion, will save 80% of the city hall’s electricity costs, according to Fernanda Candido de Oliveira, director of the Lighting Department of the municipal Public Works Board.

The remaining 20% will be covered by the energy efficiency program, which began earlier and has already replaced all old urban lighting with LED lamps. In this way, the city will become self-sufficient in electricity, limiting expenses in this area to distribution network usage fees and maintenance costs.

In addition to the 26,500 public lighting points, the self-generation system will power 200 municipal service locations, saving approximately 4.5 million reais (US$ 800,000) annually, which will be reinvested in various sectors of local administration.

Fourteen schools, four health units and a sports stadium have their roofs covered with solar panels. In total, 5,000 panels are already generating energy, and others already installed will soon begin operation.

The city hall will house three photovoltaic plants, one on its roof and two in its parking lots, one of which is still under construction. In total, it will have 1,800 panels.

The plant for the new social events center, which is nearing completion, will have 1,568 solar panels already visible from the cable-stayed bridge, whose two parallel decks of aerial cables are suspended by three horizontal connecting columns, a structure that symbolizes Hortolandia’s modernization.

The parking lot of the Hortolandia city hall, still under construction, features photovoltaic panels on its roofs, one of the 21 solar plants that will generate 80% of the electricity consumed in the 200 municipal offices and public lighting systems. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS

Economy and Environment
The primary goal of the program is economic, saving resources for other areas, but it also benefits the population, Oliveira noted. “The energy efficiency of LED lamps allowed us to grant a 10% reduction in residents’ electricity bills,” she explained.

“We were the ugly duckling of the Campinas metropolitan region,” which includes 20 municipalities and a total of 3.5 million inhabitants, but “now we are a unique case in these innovations,” a reference point, she proudly stated.

“Solar energy hit the mark, an extraordinary achievement,” said Dirson Pereira da Silva, the receptionist at the Santa Clara Ecological Park, which features a lagoon at its center.

After 36 years living in a city that “buried all its streams,” Araraquara, 170 kilometers away, he returned to his hometown and his passion for the lagoon in 2023.

The seven parks in Hortolandia, most of them designed to protect watercourses, confirm its environmental vocation, which also underpins its commitment to solar energy.

The municipality has identified over 50 springs and strives to conserve or restore them as needed, according to Eduardo Marchetti, Secretary of Urban Planning and Strategic Management. This requires maintaining or expanding riparian forests.

Hortolandia is a “tree city” recognized in 2023 by the international Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington that seeks to reforest the world.

An ecological park around the Santa Clara lagoon, where residents and students stroll and visit the Environmental Observatory, an important center for nature preservation located in Hortolandia. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS

Trees Against Floods

The city used to suffer from floods caused by the overflowing of the Jacuba stream, with frequent losses for riverside residents and businesses. This was overcome by building four reservoirs and caring for the springs and riparian forests, recalled Marchetti, who has lived in the municipality since birth.

Trees are also a requirement for financing from international banks. For example, to build the cable-stayed bridge, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) required the planting of 120,000 trees as a condition for its soft loan.

“Maintaining green parks has its costs. We lost 30,000 trees due to lack of care, such as removing weeds that take their nutrients,” Marchetti noted.

Hortolândia was founded in 1991 after separating from Sumaré, a municipality of 280,000 inhabitants. Its territory is small, covering 62.4 square kilometers.

“In the 1970s, we were a rural area that received many industries, especially in the 1980s. This led to a population explosion, accompanied by high violence, reaching 102 murders per 100,000 inhabitants,” recalled Josemil Rodrigues, a journalist who advises Mayor José Nazareno Gomes.

Fernanda Candido de Oliveira, director of public lighting, with the engineer and systems analyst who control the electricity generation system of Hortolandia’s city hall. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS

Planning for Transformation
The development of the new city received a significant boost starting in 2005 under Mayor Angelo Perugini, “a visionary” to his supporters.

In 2005, sewage coverage was limited to 2% of wastewater; now it reaches 98%, with 100% treatment. Only 40% of the streets were paved; now 99% are, and homicides have dropped to 13 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data provided by the journalist.

“Long-term planning was key. Hortolandia’s vocation is to be a smart and sustainable city,” he stated. Solar energy is part of this goal and has made the city a national reference, Rodrigues emphasized.

The photovoltaic panels are a logical consequence of the environmental vision of the city’s leaders. The current mayor, Gomes, was the Environment Secretary under his predecessor, Perugini, who was elected four times starting in 2005 and died of COVID-19 in 2021, at the beginning of a new municipal term.

Additionally, environmental education is a priority in the “political-pedagogical project” of all municipal schools, observed Donizete Faria, director of the Department of Pedagogy and Continuing Education at the Education Secretariat.

Eduardo Marchetti, Secretary of Urban Planning and Strategic Management of Hortolandia, where seven ecological parks and forests protect the southern Brazilian city from floods and improve local quality of life. Credit: Mario Osava / IPS

Solar energy is too recent to assess its impact on education, but energy efficiency has been a permanent topic in schools for many years, including through visits to ecological parks and the Environmental Observatory, a specialized center located in Santa Clara Park.

The fact that 14 schools have solar plants on their roofs will help “children take ownership of the photovoltaic panels, see them, and have hands-on lessons about renewable energy and consumption,” Faria hopes.

“We want to grow, but also preserve. The city must care for its environment, seek new ways to think about energy, water, and consumption,” he concluded.

The operation and maintenance of the photovoltaic network installed in the city cost little. Systems analyst Alessandro Alves monitors everything from his computer connected to all the plants, and electrical engineer Renan Queiroz intervenes if repairs are needed.

Since the plants have a guaranteed lifespan of 25 years and the inverters last 10 years, there will be no pressing concerns, such as equipment disposal or recycling, for many years, Queiroz reassured.

Hortolandia’s urban master plan has an environmental focus, due to flooding and the need to manage water resources, Marchetti explained. Water reuse, green roofs, and solar energy are part of the tax incentives for property owners.

The new plan, already approved, maintains the focus on the environment but adds technological innovations. “We are a technological city,” with several IT and pharmaceutical companies, concluded the Secretary of Urban Planning.

The world’s population is not collapsing and is expected to continue growing for at least another 60 years. Credit: Shutterstock.

By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, US, Feb 26 2025 (IPS)

Yeah, governments are having a hissy fit over it. And their hissy fit is not over the usual concerns of governments such as defense, the economy, trade, inflation, unemployment, crime, or terrorism.

Governments are having a hissy fit over a single demographic issue. And that demographic issue is not about deaths, disease, life expectancy, urbanization, immigration, density or ageing.

Their hissy fit is simply over one thing. And that one thing is low birth rates.

Dominating the news headlines, pushing aside reality and the facts, attempting to sway public opinion and aiming to increase reproductive behavior, especially of young women, doomsday predictions about the consequences of low birth rates for humanity’s survival are being promoted.

World population now stands at a record high of 8.2 billion people and is continuing to increase, now adding approximately 70 million annually. That record high of 8.2 billion is double the world population of fifty years ago and quadruple the world population of a hundred years ago

Those erroneous predictions include that world population will collapse, humanity is headed toward near extinction, human civilization is dying out and homo sapiens will soon disappear off the face of the planet.

In actual fact, and contrary to their doomsday predictions, the world’s population is not collapsing and is expected to continue growing for at least another 60 years.

For most of human history, the growth of the world’s population was relatively slow and close to stable due to high rates of both births and deaths. The one billion world population mark wasn’t reached until 1804.

In contrast to the past, the 20th century, especially the second half, was an exceptional period of rapid world population growth. In the early 1960s, for example, world population’s annual growth rate reached a high of 2.3 percent and world population more than doubled in size during the second half of the 20th century. Moreover, the world’s population increased from 2 billion to 8 billion in slightly less than one hundred years.

World population now stands at a record high of 8.2 billion people and is continuing to increase, now adding approximately 70 million annually. That record high of 8.2 billion is double the world population of fifty years ago and quadruple the world population of a hundred years ago.

Moreover, according to international demographic projections, world population is expected to reach 9 billion by the year 2037, 10 billion by 2060 and 10.2 billion by the close of the 21st century.

So, homo sapiens are NOT expected to disappear from the face of the planet, as the doomsayers are repeatedly proclaiming.

Yes, it is certainly the case that many countries are experiencing fertility rates that are below the replacement level of about two births per woman. Those countries include both developed and developing countries across most regions of the world (Figure 1).

 

Source: United Nations.

 

As a result of sustained rates of below replacement fertility, the populations of many of those countries have peaked and are facing demographic decline and population ageing accompanied by substantial increases in the share of elderly people in their populations.

As countries wish to avoid demographic decline as well as rapid population ageing, governments are attempting to reverse their low fertility levels.

Those governments are actively promoting various pro-natalist policies, programs and incentives aimed at returning to the relatively high fertility rates of the past or at least returning to replacement level fertility rates.

Are those pronatalist policies, programs and incentives likely to be successful in raising fertility rates back to the replacement level of about two births per woman?

The simple answer to that important question is: no, not likely to be successful.

Most international population projections do not foresee a return to replacement level fertility rates for the foreseeable future. By the year 2050, for example, the current low fertility rates of countries are expected to remain well below the replacement level.

Why are the fertility rates of many countries below the replacement level? A host of societal factors and individual reasons contribute to pushing fertility rates well below the replacement level (Table 1).

 

Source: Author’s compilation.

 

Among those factors and reasons are lower rates of child mortality, urbanization, industrialization, women’s labor force participation, access to modern contraceptives, increased higher education, child care costs, lifestyle changes, changing role and status of women and men, difficulties finding a suitable partner, work and family life balance, delayed marriage and childbearing, greater investments and costs in raising a child.

At the same time that many countries are experiencing below replacement fertility, many other countries, primarily developing countries in Africa and Asia, have relatively high fertility rates (Figure 2).

 

Source: United Nations.

 

As a result of those relatively high fertility rates, the populations of those countries are expected to experience rapid population growth during the 21st century.

However, those African and Asian countries are also expected to experience declines in their fertility levels over the coming decades. By 2050, for example, most of those countries are projected to experience substantial declines in their current relatively high fertility levels, which will result in slower rates of population growth.

And the reasons for those expected future declines in today’s high fertility levels are the same that produced the current below replacement fertility rates in other countries, namely, those various societal factors and individual reasons that were enumerated above.

In sum, several generalizations are warranted.

First, despite the hissy fit that many governments are having about their low birth rates and their various pro-natalist policies, programs and incentives, their fertility rates are not expected to return to the replacement level in the foreseeable future.

For a host of reasons, the fertility rates of many countries are expected to remain below the replacement level of two births per woman for most of the 21st century. And as a result of those low rates, some of those countries are facing population decline and rapid demographic ageing.

Second, the current high fertility rates of many developing countries in Africa and Asia are expected to decline over the coming decades. As a result of those fertility declines, the population growth rates of those countries are expected to slow down.

Third, and importantly, contrary to those misleading doomsday predictions, the world’s population is not collapsing nor is human civilization dying out. In fact, the world’s current population of 8.2 billion is continuing to increase. World population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2037, 10 billion by 2060 and to peak at around 10.2 billion people in the mid-2080s.

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.

 

Worried residents look at a flooded pool, a result of quarry mining near Pumula North in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city. Credit: Jeffrey Moyo/IPS.

By Jeffrey Moyo
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, Feb 26 2025 (IPS)

On Christmas Day in 2022, 27-year-old Thabani Dlodlo’s eight-year-old son drowned in a flooded pit dug up by quarry miners in the vicinity of Pumula North, a high-density suburb in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city.

As if that was not enough, just a week after New Year’s Day the following year, Dlodlo’s neighbor, 36-year-old Sethule Hlengiwe, also lost her six-year-old daughter after she drowned in another pit flooded with rainwater near her home in Bulawayo.

When tragedy struck, the six-year-old Thenjiwe had sneaked out to play with her agemates in the vicinity of her home.

Thenjiwe’s mother claimed all the illegal quarry miners took to their heels when her daughter drowned.

“Nobody wanted to be held responsible when my daughter drowned. All the quarry miners who were nearby then just bolted,” Hlengiwe told IPS.

Quarry miners have descended on Bulawayo’s open spaces and have dug huge pits, defacing the urban terrain of the once-thriving industrial city.

Often fronting for Chinese quarry owners, the quarry miners working in the vicinity of high-density suburbs often use explosives, which result in cracks on nearby homes—and some have even collapsed.

One such resident whose home was destroyed due to quarry mining is 64-year-old Londiwe Mabuza, once based in the suburb of Pumula North.

“I now live with my relatives, together with my family, after our home collapsed as a result of violent vibrations as quarry miners used explosives mining near my house,” Mabuza told IPS.

Yet while many, like Mabuza, bemoan the collapse of their dwellings, others are bragging about their rich pickings from quarry mining.

“A single wheelbarrow of quarry gives me a straight two dollars after I sell it to the Chinese quarry miners and on a good day, I make sure I sell at least 10 to 15 wheelbarrows laden with quarry,” 29-year-old Melusi Dhlela, also a Pumula South resident.

Environmental activists claim that while individuals such as Dhlela profit from quarry mining, the environment has suffered as a result.

“There are many issues that quarry mining activities in the vicinity of cities cause. The challenge is that the impacts are all negative. This includes biodiversity loss, human health problems such as respiratory diseases, destruction of infrastructure like roads and houses, water pollution, land degradation and noise pollution,” says Mashall Mutambu, an environmentalist and land expert with a master’s in Land Resources Assessment for Development Planning from the Midlands State University in Zimbabwe.

Another quarry miner, 22-year-old Melusi Ngwenya, a resident of Bulawayo’s Magwegwe West high-density suburb, has moved from a life of rags to riches.

“I used to beg for food and money at street corners in the city, but now as a quarry miner, life has changed for me and now I can afford to pay my own rent and buy food and clothing,” he (Ngwenya) told IPS.

Bulawayo’s townships also have to contend with illegal gold miners who have invaded the city, digging up for gold haphazardly and, like quarry miners, creating gullies and huge pits all over the city.

This is a serious safety issue, especially in the rainy season, where they are flooded and pose a danger to children who fall in and often drown. The pits have become known as the pools of death.

But the miners don’t care about the people or the environment damaged by blasting and illegal mining.

“What we want is money, money and nothing more so that we can live better,” said 39-year-old Dumisani Dlamini, a known quarry miner domiciled in the city’s Nkulumane high-density suburb.

The blasting became a common occurrence after a Chinese firm, Haulin Investments (Pvt) Limited, set up a quarry mine in 2021. The 10-year mining contract was given to the company by the Bulawayo City Council.

But while some profit, many Bulawayo residents, like 35-year-old Senzeni Nhlathi, have had to make do with growing noise pollution from quarry sites.

“We have become used to hearing the blasting of rocks and even hills as quarry miners chase the dollar linked to quarry mining, which means the more the blasting of rocks here, the more the noise,” Nhlathi told IPS. “So, we suffer as others make money.”

Bulawayo residents like 27-year-old Japhet Ndiweni claimed residents were not consulted when Haulin started the venture.

“Hualin for instance, has not bothered to ask us about our views when they moved into our residential territories,” Ndiweni told IPS.

Instead of condemning the mining operations, the city fathers have come out vehemently defending the location of quarry mines.

However, not all quarry miners in this area are bad actors.

Anderson Mwembe (43), who is the Treasurer of the Cowdray Park Quarry Crushers Association, said they have approached the Bulawayo City Council to regularize their operations.

With Mwembe and his association on board, children are safe in those areas mined by them.

“We make USD 2 per wheelbarrow of quarry and drowning of children in pits dug up by quarry miners has been avoided because we make sure to chase away all children who want to play in the area,” he (Mwembe) told IPS.

Others have turned to defending their land against quarry miners, like 42-year-old Bekithemba Bhebhe, resident in Bulawayo, who has switched to rearing dogs to fend off the daring quarry poachers.

Bhebhe owns five vicious dogs, which have kept quarry poachers at bay more effectively than the fence that Bulawayo City Council has erected at some points frequented by illegal quarry miners.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Credit: Cynthia R Matonhodze/IMF Photo

By Thomas Cantens and Herve Tourpe
WASHINGTON DC, Feb 26 2025 (IPS)

New technologies have the potential to improve the relationship between governments and citizens. Tax portals, customs IT systems and online services have simplified interactions with public authorities, reduced bureaucratic hurdles, and increased transparency. Now, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is emerging as the next transformative force.

Known for its ability to understand and produce human language, GenAI opens possibilities that go beyond simple automation. However, in an area as politically sensitive as taxation, it also raises important questions that could quickly undermine trust.

Tax authorities are beginning to explore GenAI, though most efforts are still at an early, experimental stage. The most evident area so far has been on improving communication with taxpayers.

In Singapore, a virtual assistant answers tax questions in multiple languages and has cut call-center inquiries by half. Korea has deployed an AI guide to help citizens file and pay taxes. In France, AI can analyze incoming emails and propose draft responses for civil servants to validate.

While these applications are promising, a more profound question emerges: Can GenAI significantly alter the relationship between governments and citizens? Furthermore, how will it influence the way citizens experience and perceive taxation—a politically sensitive process that is governed by law yet deeply intertwined with social norms and practices?

What’s new with GenAI?

Most AI systems currently used by tax and customs authorities are predictive and built for a single function. They analyze large sets of structured data—like past tax declarations or transactions—to produce things like risk scores to indicate possible fraud.

By contrast, GenAI is a generalist system that understands almost all forms of information and is designed to interact with humans in any language. It can handle a range of tasks, from drafting letters to providing interactive guidance about tax regulations and assisting officers in their investigations.

By training a GenAI agent with legal texts, tax codes, operating procedures, and internal guidelines, administrations can adapt it to specific needs. The result is a dynamic system capable of understanding and producing content that both civil servants and taxpayers can interact with.

Transforming the State-Society Relationship

While AI tools already in use often enhance efficiency, they have not fundamentally changed the way revenue authorities work or engage with citizens. They mostly replaced manual tasks or systems for econometric or statistical modelling.

With GenAI, there are more profound implications. Internally, it can help tax and customs officials to focus on analytical and judgment-based roles, allowing them to become oversight specialists and increasing their productivity.

Externally, it can reduce the knowledge gap between administrations and taxpayers, aiding in the interpretation of complex provisions, navigating laws, identifying deductions, and even auto-filling forms.

For low-income countries, GenAI offers the opportunity to drive organizational reforms and leapfrog into the most modern systems. For example, in Madagascar, the customs authority wants to use GenAI to improve risk management, combat fraud and increase revenue, using data accumulated over 10 years to train its system.

The human-like interactions offered by AI chat tools can personalize the process, as shown in Singapore and Korea, where users can ask questions and receive plain language replies. Citizens’ organizations, academics, and political parties can also use GenAI to examine proposed reforms, compare scenarios, and engage in deeper policy debates.

This two-way transformation could increase overall trust, making taxation feel less like a frustrating obligation and more like a shared responsibility of both taxpayers and governments.

Preconditions for success

Despite its potential, GenAI also comes with challenges. Issues related to data quality, ethics, privacy concerns and hallucinations (i.e., incorrect results) must be addressed to reinforce and not erode trust. For instance, Korea’s approach—directing particularly sensitive queries to human agents—reflects the need for careful oversight of confidential matters. Results must be explainable and perceived as fair in all cases.

Effective knowledge management is another requirement. Revenue authorities have extensive laws, regulations, case records, and operational manuals. However, scattered archives and incomplete digitization can hamper efforts to train AI systems effectively. A human must determine which documents are accurate, relevant, and suitable for inclusion in the training material.

As GenAI becomes integrated into various aspects of revenue administration, employees will need to be trained to interpret, correct, and complement its outputs. Policymakers must ensure that errors are reported and addressed promptly.

By providing human-like capabilities to support taxpayers and tax authorities, GenAI can act as both taxman and taxpayer assistant, automating routine tasks, clarifying complex issues, and fostering a more transparent and collaborative relationship.

This technology can lower administrative hurdles, demystify tax obligations, and invite broader participation in policy debates. However, shaping it properly requires strong leadership, ethical policy frameworks, and vigilant oversight of data quality, privacy, and accuracy.

Thomas Cantens is head of research and policy unit at the World Customs Organization; Herve Tourpe is Chief of Digital Advisory Unit, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Downtown traffic in Mexico City. The electrification of transportation is a challenge in this Latin American country, where over 58 million vehicles are in circulation. Credit: Emilio Godoy / IPS

By Emilio Godoy
MEXICO, Feb 26 2025 (IPS)

Mexico has seen several attempts at assembling electric vehicles (EVs), powered by rechargeable batteries, which have faced challenges related to industrial scale, supply chains, and competitiveness

These issues also complicate the new state production plan for the Taruk bus (meaning “roadrunner” in Yaqui) and the lightweight Olinia car (meaning “movement” in Nahuatl), based on the country’s long automotive experience and a growing market. The plan was formally announced in January by President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Experts consulted by IPS praised the initiative but warned of significant technological, regulatory, and infrastructure challenges in a country where transportation generates nearly a third of all polluting emissions. Cleaning up this sector would benefit urban health.“Asians, especially the Chinese, have developed very advanced technology; they are 15 years ahead of us. There’s no comparison. Government support is minimal and doesn’t meet the huge demand of the automotive sector. If Mexico wants to compete with those who have taken over the electric market, it has to invest,” Gustavo Jiménez

“Asians, especially the Chinese, have developed very advanced technology; they are 15 years ahead of us. There is no comparison. Government support is extremely minimal and does not meet the significant demands of the automotive sector,” said Gustavo Jiménez, director of the private Grupo E-mobilitas, which specializes in electromobility consulting.

During his dialogue with IPS, he emphasized that “if Mexico wants to compete with those who have taken over the electric market, it has to invest.”

Information reviewed by IPS shows that the development of the Taruk bus is more advanced, while the Olinia car still lacks a defined strategy. This comes at a challenging time for the sector due to threats of extraordinary tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on vehicles assembled in Mexico.

Additionally, the installation of EV plants by U.S.-based Tesla  and China’s Build Your Dreams (BYD) has been temporarily halted. BYD faces tariffs imposed by the U.S. government on Asian products entering its market.

In fact, prototypes of a Mexican electric bus were designed in 2024 as part of the project “Development of a Mexican Electric Public Transport Bus and Study for the Implementation of Electromobility in Cities to Boost the Country’s Lithium Value Chain.”

The electromobility project is being carried out by the new Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technologies, and Innovation (Secihti) and private Mexican companies Dina and MegaFlux, which already manufacture electric buses and trucks.

The initiative for electric buses, launched in 2023 with a budget of around US$900,000, aims to accelerate the introduction of Mexican-made units with indigenous technology, strengthen the national EV industry, and support the growth of this segment, given the urgent need to clean up transportation.

The Taruk model will be assembled in the state of Hidalgo, near Mexico City, and benefits from an existing production platform. Its projected weight is 12.5 tons, with a battery discharge rate of around 90% and a range of 180 to 361 kilometers, making it ideal for urban environments.

In comparison, the 50 buses introduced by the capital’s government in October 2024, imported from the Chinese brand Yutong, have a range of 300 kilometers.

In January, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the state production of the Olinia electric car, designed for short trips. However, the project faces significant technological, economic, and commercial challenges. Credit: Government of Mexico

Competition

The Olinia cars, whose plant will operate in the state of Puebla, bordering Mexico City, has a budget of 1.22 million dollars. They are designed for short trips, with prices ranging from US$ 4,383 to 7,300 and are expected to hit the market by 2026. In comparison, Tesla had planned to invest $5 billion in an assembly plant set to begin operations in 2025.

The Secihti, along with the National Polytechnic Institute and the Mexican Institute of Technology, still lack detailed development plans for the three Olinia models, including a small van.

Currently, automotive companies in Mexico, the world’s seventh-largest producer of light vehicles and third-largest exporter, do not receive subsidies to accelerate the introduction of electric vehicles.

Leticia Pineda, regional leader for Mexico and Canada at the non-governmental  International Council on Clean Transportation, based in Washington, believes the government understands the opportunity to integrate into a valuable supply chain and build economies of scale.

“This is a great opportunity for Mexico to transform its automotive industry, develop manufacturing capabilities to produce vehicles with higher national content. This value addition is a great opportunity to integrate further into this supply chain,” she told IPS.

In 2021, Mexico joined the Glasgow Pact on Electromobility during the climate summit in the Scottish city, which sets a voluntary target of 50% of light vehicle sales being electric and plug-in hybrid by 2030 and 100% by 2040—goals that are difficult to achieve under current conditions.

A prototype of the Taruk electric bus (meaning “roadrunner” in the Yaqui language), designed by the Mexican government and private companies for urban environments in this Latin American country. Credit: Dina

For independent consultant Víctor Alvarado, the intersection of mobility and electricity generation, dominated by fossil fuels in Mexico, must be considered.

“What’s announced but not fully realized is electromobility, and what’s happening is the electrification of heavy and light transportation. Given the composition of the energy matrix, transportation will continue to generate emissions if we don’t commit to electric vehicles,” he told IPS.

The new bus and car ventures will face an increasingly competitive domestic market dominated by U.S., European, and Chinese brands, which have reported significant expansion since 2023.

In recent years, sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electric batteries, have grown in this country of 129 million people, where over 58 million vehicles, mostly cars, are in circulation.

In 2024, EV sales increased by 71%, from 14,172 units in 2023 to 24,283 the following year. The hybrid segment saw the most growth, with sales jumping from 60,146 to 100,020 between the two years, a 66% increase.

The same trend was seen in passenger vehicles, where fossil fuel-powered units, mainly diesel, still dominate. Hybrid model sales surged from just two in 2023 to 670 last year, while electric vehicle sales grew by 16%, from 252 to 294.

However, electric vehicle projects are happening in a legal vacuum. The national strategy, which outlined specific actions and goals, was ready in 2023 but has not been published. While the 2022 General Law on Mobility and Road Safety promotes sustainable transportation, it does not address electric mobility.

Initially, electric mobility in Mexico has the advantage of lithium deposits in rocks and clays, a key element for rechargeable batteries, especially in the northern state of Sonora.

However, environmentalists argue that these deposits are potentially unviable environmentally, economically, and technologically due to water consumption in extraction and high processing costs.

Sales of hybrid and electric vehicles have been growing in recent years in Mexico, though at a slower pace than needed to transition to low-emission transportation. Graph: Amia

Background

The cases of the Mexican private corporation Zacua and Bolivia’s Quantum Motors, whose partner in Mexico is Megaflux, are also illustrative.

The former, located in Puebla, has sold a few dozen units since 2019, with a cost per unit of around $25,000, practically the same as other foreign brands.

Meanwhile, Quantum has sold over 500 cars in Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru since 2019, with their models priced between US$ 6,000 and 8,000, a range similar to what is expected for Olinia’s vehicles.

Mexico has at least 39 automotive plants, including three EV assemblers. Of these, 22 manufacture vehicles and are located in central and northern Mexico, attracted by access to the U.S. market, the main export destination, under the free trade agreement shared with Canada.

Since 2018, Mexico City, with nearly nine million inhabitants and about 24 million in the metropolitan area, has made progress in electrifying public transportation, with units in the Metrobus system and bus routes.

Additionally, cities like Guadalajara, the capital of the western state of Jalisco, and Mérida, the capital of the southeastern state of Yucatán, have promoted similar projects.

The National Strategy for Industrialization and Shared Prosperity, also known as Plan Mexico and announced in January, includes 10 electromobility projects in public transportation across 10 states, with an undefined budget.

Experts consulted by IPS agreed on the importance of comprehensive regulation covering energy sources, infrastructure deployment, vehicle safety, and consumer rights.

For Jiménez, public-private partnerships with Mexican companies and a focus on public transportation are advisable.

“There needs to be significant production capacity to leverage technological advantages and drive industrial development. Electromobility is positioned as a potential solution to health problems, but we must think about public transportation to optimize time, modernize fleets, and reduce environmental impact,” he stated.

Pineda also agreed that delays in the process could result in high costs.

“There’s a lack of joint effort and government support for this transition. These are long-term transformations that require government commitment to provide certainty for investments and the entire supply chain, ensuring progress in electromobility. There needs to be an ecosystem that provides clarity on the direction, so projects don’t remain pilot initiatives,” he emphasized.

The former President of the United States Joe Biden addresses the 79th Session of General Assembly debate in September 2024. Credit: UN Photo/Laura Jarriel

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 2025 (IPS)

On February 24, the human rights organization Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate former U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, among other U.S. government officials, for aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes that deliberately infringed on human rights in the Gaza Strip. This poses significant implications for the future of U.S. foreign policy and the role of impunity in world conflicts.

“There are solid grounds to investigate Joe Biden, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin for complicity in Israel’s crimes. The bombs dropped on Palestinian hospitals, schools and homes are American bombs, the campaign of murder and persecution has been carried out with American support. US officials have been aware of exactly what Israel is doing, and yet their support never stopped,” said Reed Brody, a human rights lawyer and DAWN board member.

This recent action marks the first time that a U.S. organization has submitted a referral for members of the U.S. government for alleged complicity in war crimes. According to DAWN’s communication to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on January 19, U.S. officials have contributed over 17.9 billion dollars in funding the transfer of weapons, intelligence, and the diplomatic protection of Israel, despite being aware of the possibility of Israel using these funds to facilitate abuse in Gaza.

“Not only did Biden, Blinken and Secretary Austin ignore and justify the overwhelming evidence of Israel’s grotesque and deliberate crimes, overruling their own staff recommendations to halt weapons transfers to Israel, they doubled down by providing Israel with unconditional military and political support to ensure it could carry out its atrocities. They provided Israel with not only essential military support but equally essential political support by vetoing multiple ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council to ensure Israel could continue its crimes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director of DAWN.

Figures from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) show that Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since 1948, receiving approximately 310 billion dollars in funding, the majority of which has been allocated for Israel’s military. Prior to the eruption of the Israel-Hamas War in 2023, the U.S. has supplied Israel with roughly 3.9 billion in military assistance. This number has skyrocketed to 12.5 billion dollars in 2024. However, funding for Israel’s economic sector has gradually decreased since 2008, falling to 453.9 thousand dollars in 2024.

Additionally, the U.S. has provided diplomatic support for Israeli officials. According to a spokesperson for DAWN, the U.S. government vetoed seven United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions that would have issued sanctions on Israeli conduct in the Gaza Strip. The U.S.’s public support of Israel has also generated worldwide sympathy for Israeli war crimes, including indiscriminate bombardment and blockages of essential humanitarian aid.

Leahy Law is a U.S. statutory provision on the Departments of State and Defense that prohibits the U.S. from supplying security assistance to nations that are likely to commit serious war crimes. Despite this, Israel has never been denied funding. “What the (U.S.) state department is asking the world to believe is that no Israeli unit has ever committed a gross violation of human rights. This flies in the face of mountains of human rights reports and journalistic investigations. It flies in the face of the state department’s own human rights reports,” said Whitson in December 2024.

DAWN’s call for an ICC investigation comes after President Donald Trump’s signing of an executive order that would prosecute ICC officials for investigating Israel’s actions in Gaza. Though the U.S. is not a member of the ICC, Palestine falls under ICC jurisdiction and perpetrators can be prosecuted regardless of nationality.

DAWN is claiming that this order constitutes obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute and could entail Trump being held criminally accountable. Trump’s proposed plans to evacuate the Gaza Strip and forcibly displace 2.2 million Palestinians could also cause Trump to be charged with orchestrating war crimes and crimes of aggression under Article 8 of the Rome Salute.

“Trump isn’t just obstructing justice; he’s trying to burn down the courthouse to prevent anyone from holding Israeli criminals accountable. His plan to forcibly displace all Palestinians from Gaza should also merit ICC investigation—not just for aiding and abetting Israeli crimes but for ordering forcible transfer, a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute,” said Raed Jarrar, DAWN’s advocacy director.

The measures to investigate high ranking U.S. officials has been described as “historical” by DAWN and sets a new precedent surrounding accountability and U.S. foreign policy. Whitson told an IPS correspondent that “government officials at all levels around the world should be on notice that they too can be prosecuted by the court for aiding and abetting odious crimes. No one should be above the law, least of all officials from the powerful governments of the world who think they can get away with anything”.

Whitson adds that DAWN’s call for an investigation has significant implications for the ICC. If the ICC fails to ensure accountability for war crimes in Gaza, it stands to lose legitimacy and trust from the international community. Additionally, an end to impunity for U.S. crimes can prevent further suffering in Gaza and discourage other world leaders, particularly Trump, from committing violations.

“While our referral to the ICC focuses on President Biden and his top officials, we hope that the Trump administration sees this as a wake-up call that they, too, may face individual criminal liability for their role in aiding and abetting Israel’s crimes in Gaza. The pursuit of justice does not end with one administration—any U.S. official who has contributed to these atrocities must be held accountable under international law,” said Jarrar.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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A new era of crisis for children, as global conflicts intensify and inequality worsens. Credit: UNICEF/Diego Ibarra Sánchez
 
A five-year-old walks amongst the ruins of houses in southern Lebanon. An increasingly turbulent geopolitical and financial landscape mean systems for protecting children must be stronger than ever.

By Jasmina Byrne
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 25 2025 (IPS)

In 2025, the world is facing a new and intensifying era of crisis for children. Climate change, economic instability, and conflict are hitting harder and more often, intersecting in ways that make the challenges of addressing them even more severe.

These developments reflect a world of rising geopolitical tensions and competition among nations that is delaying global action we desperately need.

For children, the stakes couldn’t be higher. To uphold children’s rights and well-being, we need to rethink how to strengthen the very systems that provide key services for children. These systems must be equipped to meet immediate needs, withstand growing pressures, and adapt to the uncertainties of the future.

Resilience has to be built into every part of these systems, ensuring they can protect children at scale, no matter the crisis.

When it comes to geopolitics, conflicts and war will continue to be among the most serious threat to children’s lives and wellbeing. Over 473 million children – more than one in six globally – now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II.

In these settings, systems for protecting children must be stronger than ever. Clear rules of engagement for military forces, measures to address violations by non-state actors, and effective monitoring and reporting systems are all crucial to safeguarding children’s lives and rights in conflict zones.

Squeezed from all sides

The economic landscape is no less alarming. Right now, governments’ coffers are being hit by a mix of weak tax revenues, declining aid and rising debt. Rising debt, in particular, is creating unprecedented budget pressures. Nearly 400 million children live in countries facing debt distress, where the financial squeeze is cutting into investments in education, healthcare, and safety nets.

In 2025, we face crucial decisions about reforms to the framework of institutions, policies, rules and practices that govern the global financial system – decisions that could reshape the financial landscape to prioritize sustainable development, intergenerational equity and investment in children.

Climate change, of course, is a crisis that touches every aspect of children’s lives. From extreme weather destroying schools to diseases spreading in its wake, children are disproportionately affected.

In 2025, we must focus on ensuring that climate governance and accountability mechanisms work for children – from incorporation of child rights into national mitigation and adaptation policies to providing necessary finance to implement these plans. Strengthening legally backed climate reporting and monitoring are key to effective climate action for children.

Securing the digital future

When it comes to technological trends, we see clear benefits but also potential risks for children – a reality of the past several years that will continue in 2025. Rapid adoption of digital public infrastructure is one of the trends that can enable systemic changes and fundamentally shift how governments engage with citizens.

But what is digital public infrastructure (DPI)? Sometimes compared to physical infrastructure, digital infrastructure can allow citizens to access digital public services and take part in digital economy through use of digital IDs, data sharing and digital payment systems.

DPI can play a crucial role in advancing children’s well-being by ensuring equitable access to essential services such as education, health care and social protection.

However, DPI it is not inherently inclusive, and too often children in lower income settings are left behind. So, we must prioritize children’s rights and enable seamless, safe and secure data exchange between health, education, and social services to create a holistic support system for child development.

In 2025 and beyond, progress for children demands stronger alignment between global and national priorities. Strengthening national systems and ensuring they are aligned vertically (from global to local) and nationally (across sectors) is critical to achieving our shared goals in health, education, safety, poverty eradication and climate adaptation.

Getting it right creates a foundation of resilience. After all, children and young people are looking to us to ensure their futures today.

Jasmina Byrne is Chief, Foresight & Policy, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight.

Source: UNICEF

IPS UN Bureau

 

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By Jomo Kwame Sundaram
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Feb 25 2025 (IPS)

Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) appeal captured US mass discontent against globalisation. In recent decades, variations of America First have reflected growing ethnonationalism in the world’s presumptive hegemon.

Jomo Kwame Sundaram

Deglobalisation?
Trade liberalisation probably peaked at the end of the 20th century with the creation of the multilateral World Trade Organization (WTO), which the West kept outside the UN system.

With deindustrialisation in the North blamed on globalisation, their governments gradually abandoned trade liberalisation, especially after the 2008 global financial crisis.

Free trade mahaguru Jagdish Bhagwati has long complained of the weak commitment to multilateral trade liberalisation. Most recent supposed free trade agreements (FTAs) have been plurilateral or bilateral, undermining multilateralism while promoting non-trade measures.

The new geoeconomics and geopolitics have undermined the rules and norms supporting multilateralism. This has undermined confidence in the rules of the game, encouraging individualistic opportunism and subverting collective action.

Policymaking has become more problematic as it can no longer count on agreed-shared rules and norms, undermining sustained international cooperation. Biased and often inappropriate economic policies and institutions have only made things worse.

Successive Washington administrations’ unilateral changes in policies, rules and conventions have also undermined confidence in US-dominated international economic arrangements, including the Bretton Woods institutions.

Deliberate contraction
Although recent inflation has been mainly due to supply-side disruptions, Western central banks have imposed contractionary demand-side macroeconomic policies by raising interest rates and pursuing fiscal austerity.

US Federal Reserve interest rate hikes from early 2022 have been unnecessary and inappropriate. Squeezing consumption and investment demand with higher interest rates cannot and does not address supply-side disruptions and contractions.

After earlier ‘quantitative easing’ encouraged much more commercial borrowing, higher Western central bank interest rates were contractionary and regressive. Hence, much of world economic stagnation now is due to Western policies.

Developing countries have long known that international economic institutions and arrangements are biased against them. Believing they have no opportunity for wide-ranging reform, most authorities are resigned to only using available macroeconomic policy space.

Nevertheless, national authorities have become more willing to undertake previously unacceptable measures. For example, several conservative central banks deployed ‘monetary financing’ of government spending to cope with the pandemic, lending directly to government treasuries without market intermediation.

More recently, central banks in Japan, China, and some Southeast Asian countries refused to raise interest rates in concert with the West. Instead, they sought and found new policy space, helping to mitigate contractionary international economic pressures.

Nonetheless, many economists piously urged central banks worldwide to raise interest rates until mid-2024. Meanwhile, policy pressures for fiscal austerity continue, worsening conditions for billions.

Neoliberal?
To secure support for neoliberal reforms from the late 20th century, the Global North promised developing countries greater market access and export opportunities.

However, trade liberalisation has slowly reversed since the World Trade Organization (WTO) creation in 1995. Policy reversals have become more blatant since the 2008 global financial crisis with geopolitically driven sanctions and weaponisation of trade.

But ‘neoliberal’ globalisation was a misnomer, as there was little liberal about it beyond selective trade liberalisation. Instead, FTAs have mainly strengthened and extended property and contract rights, i.e., selectively interpreting and enforcing international law.

Trade liberalisation undermined earlier selective protectionism, which promoted food security and industrialisation in developing countries. Tariffs have also been crucial revenue sources, especially for the poorest countries.

Intellectual property
Strengthening the rule of law has rarely fostered liberal markets. Even 19th-century economic liberals recognise the inevitable wealth concentration due to selective and partial neoliberalism.

Property rights invariably strengthen monopoly privileges under various pretexts. Global North governments now believe control of technology is key to world dominance. The WTO’s trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) have greatly strengthened IP enforcement.

With IP more lucrative, corporations have less incentive to share or transfer technology. With TRIPS enforced from 1995, technology transfer to developing countries has declined, further undermining development prospects.

The 2001 public health exception to TRIPS could not overcome IP obstacles to ensure affordable COVID-19 tests, protective equipment, vaccines and therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic, even triggering criticisms of ‘vaccine apartheid’.

Weaponising economics
The West has increasingly deployed economic sanctions, which are illegal without UN Security Council mandates. Meanwhile, access to trade, investment, finance and technology has become increasingly weaponised.

Foreign direct investment was supposed to sustain growth in developing countries. Intensifying Obama-initiated efforts to undermine China, then-President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo urged ‘reshoring’, i.e., investing in investors’ own countries instead.

Initial attempts to invest in their own economies instead of China largely failed. However, later efforts to undermine China have been more successful, notably ‘friend-shoring’, which urges companies to invest in politically allied or friendly countries instead.

With more economic stagnation, geopolitical strategic considerations and weaponisation of economic policies, cooperation and institutions, fewer resources are available for growth, equity and sustainability. Thus, the new geopolitics has jeopardised prospects for sustainable development.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Ibrahim Basheer, diving for mussels at Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPS

By Bharath Thampi
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Feb 25 2025 (IPS)

Ibrahim Basheer plunges into the sea and disappears. He remains gone for a couple of minutes before resurfacing for a deep breath of air, repeating this for the next half an hour. When he finally climbs aboard his boat, the net sack around his neck is filled with mussels—his catch for that diving trip. He rests for a short while before diving into the sea again—needing one more such trip to fill the basket he has brought along.

An expert swimmer and a diver, Ibrahim has also been in the lifeguard service in Thiruvananthapuram for the last 17 years. Hailing from a fishing family, he started diving for mussels 28 years ago, when he was barely 18. But Ibrahim is also one of the hundreds of fishers in Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district of Kerala, who face the impending threat of losing their livelihood.

The Vizhinjam International Seaport Project, a joint venture by the Government of Kerala and the Adani Group, has been under the lens for the negative impact it’s causing on the marine habitats and ecosystems in the regions around the port. According to the mussel divers of these regions, there has been a significant downfall to the species’ habitat in the last decade or so.

The mussel size in fishing villages around Vizhinjam has reduced considerably. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPS

 

Ibrahim Basheer has been diving for mussels for more than 28 years. Credit: Bharath Thampi /IPS

Ibrahim runs his fingers through the mussels in his basket: “Before (the port construction), we used to collect 2-4 baskets of large mussels in this same time. A day’s diving would easily earn us between Rs.3000 and Rs.5000 (between USD 30 and USD 58). Now, the mussels have become smaller. Their presence has plummeted. We barely make a third of what we used to in a day.”

Ibrahim says that the association of the mussel divers had reached an agreement not to pick the small mussels, allowing them to grow bigger naturally. But in the last few years, he says with dismay, the mussels in these regions don’t seem to be reaching their full size.

In 2023, a comprehensive study report, prepared by a team consisting of oceanographers, scientists, social scientists and other authoritative voices, was released by the renowned historian Ramachandra Guha. The report, titled ‘Our Beaches, Our Sea,’ speaks extensively of the potential loss of biodiversity in the regions in and around Vizhinjam due to the port project. The report lists 225 different species of Mollusca as part of the species biodiversity of Vizhinjam.

The report highlights the fact that fishers from more than 27 fishing villages in Thiruvananthapuram use the Vizhinjam fishing harbor, and any damage to the biodiversity of the region can seriously harm their livelihood.

Source: https://icsf.net/resources/our-beaches-our-sea-heritage-of-fishing-communities-usufruct-of-all-citizens/

Patrick Anthony, a fisher from the Valiyathura village, has been diving for mussels near the Valiyathura bridge for almost a decade now. The region around the bridge, which had a rich fish habitat all these years, has faced a drastic change in its ecosystem in recent years. The bridge, which had stood solid for nearly 70 years and symbolized the culture and history of Thiruvananthapuram’s fishing communities, had broken into two last year. The local communities, as well as scientific experts, have pinned the collapse of the bridge, as well as the loss of habitat around it, on the construction of the Vizhinjam port and the coastal erosion caused by it.

“I can barely collect around two baskets these days,” Patrick echoes Ibrahim’s sentiments. “While the rate for mussels has gone up in the market in the past few years, we fishers still sell it for the old rates. It has been a significant loss to our livelihood for some time now.”

Anil Kumar, a Deputy Director at the Fisheries Department of Kerala, attests to the fact that the construction of the port and the dredging activities related to it have certainly affected the habitat of mussels. He points out that adequate compensation had been given by the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL)—a Government of Kerala undertaking incorporated to implement the Vizhinjam International Seaport Project—to the mussel divers in Thiruvananthapuram, who were directly impacted by the construction of the Vizhinjam port.

“We understand that in regions like Mulloor and Adimalathura, which lie close to the Vizhinjam port, the mussel ecosystem has been severely disturbed. It’s foreseeing the long-term impact of livelihood loss for the communities involved in mussel diving that we have provided compensation,” he adds.

According to Anil Kumar, the compensation package offered for fishers who relied on regular mussel fishing was Rs. 12.5 lakhs (about USD 14,400). This sum was offered to more than 50 fishers. Similarly, over 150 fishers who were seasonal mussel divers were offered a package of Rs. 2 lakhs (about USD 2,306). While the compensation was paid through VISL, the Fisheries Department conducted the survey to determine the eligibility of the fishers.

Source: Official website of VISL (https://vizhinjamport.in/)

But Anil Kumar rejects the claims of the fishers that the breeding and growth cycle of mussels in these regions has been affected due to the construction of the Vizhinjam port.

“No, there is no scientific proof behind that,” he says, adding, “Earlier, there was plenty of catch for these fishers. Now, since that has reduced, they have begun to catch the smaller/younger mussels, which in turn affects their normal growth. They may claim the opposite, but that’s the ground reality.”

Dr. Appukuttannair Biju Kumar, the head of the Dept. of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at the University of Kerala, leans towards the narrative offered by the fishers, though. He grew up close to Mulloor, which was once a thriving center for the mussel ecosystem. The size of the mussels you get in this region has reduced considerably from what it was before the introduction of the port, he reckons.

“Mussels are filter feeders. When there is sedimentation and siltation, owing to dredging and other construction activities of the port, the feeding as well as the growth cycles of the mussel get adversely affected.” There have also been studies that prove the presence of poisonous plankton in the seawater in these regions, Biju Kumar notes.

These microscopic organisms, regionally termed Kadalkkara, are toxic algae that have thrived on the lack of oxygen in these waters. They not only impact the growth of mussels but also can cause adverse effects on the divers. Several mussel divers IPS spoke to had complained of itching and other skin infections they suffered while diving in the last 5 – 7 years. Biju Kumar does feel that there is a rationale behind their experience, citing the aforementioned phenomenon.

The port construction in the area has been blamed for affecting the size and availability of mussels. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPS

As the port becomes operational in the future, the mussel ecosystem loss will only worsen, Biju Kumar suggests. Vizhinjam was once rich in biodiversity and clean water, with the mussel habitat playing a crucial role in the same. That is certainly a story of the past, he muses.

Ibrahim reaches back ashore at the lighthouse beach at Kovalam, where he often serves his duty as a lifeguard. As he places the basket on the beach, a couple of old women, who sell fish at the nearby market, come to inspect his catch. After a brief conversation, he seals the deal with one of the women for a price of Rs. 500 (about USD 5.77) for the whole of it. He turns towards me, shrugs, and says knowingly, “I told you I won’t get much for it. That’s the price of nearly two hours of work.”

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Civil society organisations and community leaders at the Finance in Common Summit 2023. Credit: Sebastian Barros/Forus

By Lorena Cotza
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb 24 2025 (IPS)

As public development banks gather for the Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) in Cape Town, South Africa, civil society and community activists from across the world are demanding a shift to a community-led, equitable, and human rights-based development approach, that prioritise people and planet over profit, and a reform of the global financial architecture.

“With more than 10 % global investment flowing through them each year, public development banks hold immense responsibility—not only to fund infrastructure and development but to do so in a way that is just, inclusive, and sustainable. Development that does not listen to the voices of the people it affects is not true development; it deepens inequalities, harms ecosystems, and leaves communities behind. True development is not done for communities, but with them”, says Mavalow Christelle Kalhoule, Chair at Forus.

Since its first edition in 2020, civil society has been playing a critical role at FiCS in ensuring public development banks are accountable to the people they serve, and in amplifying the voices – too often ignored – of communities in the Global South who are most directly affected by development projects.

“Over the next few days, the world’s public development banks will be patting themselves on the back for all the good they’re doing around the world. But all that glitters is not gold. Way too often these institutions are replicating a neocolonial and neoliberal approach, dividing the world between those to be sacrificed and those to benefit from the sacrifices”, says Ony Soa Ratsifandrihamanana, Africa Regional Coordinator at the Coalition for Human Rights in Development.

Civil society organisations and community leaders at the Finance in Common Summit 2023. Credit: Sebastian Barros/Forus

Amidst rising inequality, debt crises, and the climate emergency, public development banks must move beyond rhetoric and commit to concrete, transformative actions. This is why over 300 civil society groups have joined forces to bring their demands at FiCS, calling on development banks to champion a new era of development finance, placing human rights, community leadership, and environmental sustainability at the core of all financing decisions.

“The world is passing through the most critical and testing times of its history and once again the solutions are being imposed without the consent, participation and engagement of citizens at large and representative civil society in particular. This is the time to think, reflect and act out of the box, and this opportunity of coming together at FiCS should not be considered business as usual,” says Zia ur Rehman, Secretary General and Director at the Asia Development Alliance.

In a context of shrinking civic space and increasing attacks against the human rights movement, development banks should also play a more decisive role to make sure people can actively and safely participate in decision-making processes and consultations.

“While development banks acknowledge the importance of civil society engagement, their frameworks often fall short in implementation, resulting in limited access to information, tokenistic public participation, and a lack of accountability for reprisals against activists,” says Manana Kochladze, Strategic Area Leader – Democratization and Human Rights at CEE Bankwatch Network. “There is a pressing need for development banks to collaboratively develop a unified and proactive approach to safeguarding and expanding civic space”.

More than 60 civil society organizations and community activists will also join the Summit in-person, to share their first-hand testimonies on the actual impact of development projects. From renewables in Kenya to green hydrogen projects in Chile, too often projects presented as sustainable are displacing local communities, polluting the environment, and failing to ensure that the benefits trickle down to those most in need.

Civil society organisations and community leaders at the Finance in Common Summit 2023. Credit: Sebastian Barros/Forus

“When decisions are made without the input of local voices, finance becomes an instrument of exclusion, perpetuating inequality and undermining true progress. We demand a comprehensive overhaul of global financial structures that prioritizes community rights. A shift to people-led finance will enable genuine economic transformation, lifting up every individual and fostering resilient, inclusive growth that benefits society as a whole,” says Ndeye Fatou Sy, Programs Manager at Lumière Synergie pour le Développement (Senegal).

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project, for instance, provides water to South Africa in exchange for royalties and generation of hydropower for Lesotho, but has led to devastating socio-economic and environmental impacts. Hundreds of families have been involuntarily resettled and more than 30,000 people lost their cropland and grazing land, with a particular impact on women.

“As we gather at the Finance in Common Summit, we remind public development banks that front-line communities should not bear the cost of development. Public development banks must create and use independent accountability mechanisms to hear directly from local communities and ensure that their land, livelihoods, and environment are protected,” says Robi Chacha Mosenda, Senior Associate at Accountability Counsel.

Civil society and community representatives participating at the Summit will also present viable and alternative solutions, such as small-scale and renewable energy solutions that are led by Indigenous communities themselves.

“Any form of financing by multilateral development banks should start with support to community-led planning initiatives that ascertain that decisions on energy alternatives centre the rights of affected persons and communities”, says Mwebe John, Africa Finance Campaigner at Recourse. “Multilateral development banks are investing more money than ever into renewable energy, but the scale and kind of projects matters if these investments are going to truly power people and protect the planet. Community-led projects are popping up everywhere – from rooftop solar in India, to micro hydropower in Indonesia, and rural mini grids in Rwanda and Tanzania. These are the types of projects to be supported,” adds Federico Sibaja, IMF Campaign Manager at Recourse.

These stories show that it is key for development banks to use FiCS as an opportunity to step out from their echo chamber, listen to those who are bearing the brunt of their investments, and strengthen the dialogue with civil society.

Lorena Cotza is Communications Lead, Coalition for Human Rights in Development

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Dr Velma Pollard at her Kingston home. Credit:AM/SWAN

By SWAN
KINGSTON, Feb 24 2025 (IPS)

Jamaican writer Velma Pollard provided a special kind of sunlight in the Caribbean literary space. Known across the region for her warm personality and welcoming nature, she also defied simple classification as she shone beyond genre. The work she has left behind encompasses short stories, poetry, academic writing, and novellas. She was also a keen naturalist photographer.

An early poem, “A Case for Pause”, reflects on the interconnections between all the forms she used: “Arrest the sense / and let the fancy flow / Without design / collecting cloud and air / petal and leaf … Rein in the fancy now / unleash the sense … constructs and theories not yet pursued / rush in perfected, whole,” she wrote.

Her sudden death earlier this month, on Feb. 1, has created a huge gap in the lives of those who loved and admired her as a person and poet and who must now draw solace from reading or revisiting her work. Her generosity to other writers, scholars, and artists was legendary in the Caribbean and internationally. In the days and weeks before her passing, and despite her incapacity from a fall and subsequent operation, she took pains to read and comment on work that young writers sent her, carefully and unsparingly collating her responses.

As fellow Jamaican author and academic Earl McKenzie said after her funeral service on Feb. 21: Dr Pollard “was a friend and supporter of her fellow writers, and we all miss her”. Her long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Wilson, added that the service was “an outpouring of love”.

Born in 1937, in the parish of St. Mary on the north-eastern Jamaican coast, Dr Pollard spent her early years in a rural setting along with siblings that include her equally renowned sister Erna Brodber.

She later attended Excelsior High School in the capital Kingston, where she won several elocution contests, and she gained a scholarship to continue her studies at the University College of the West Indies, focusing on languages.

Afterward, she earned a Master’s degree in English at New York’s Columbia University, and another Master’s – in education – from McGill in Canada, followed by a PhD in language education at the University of the West Indies (UWI). She would go on to become dean of the education faculty at UWI, inspiring numerous students, while also raising her three children – one of whom has said she was the strongest woman he knew, with the largest circle of faithful friends.

Dr Pollard lent her presence and expertise to important scholarly and literary conferences around the world, often writing about her experiences. She once joked that a self-important critic had remarked that every time she attended a conference, she “just had to write a poem”. But that talent for acute observation and for recording the places she visited and the people she met forms part of the richness of her work. In the poem “Bridgetown”, she writes for instance: Because the sea / walks here / this city / hands you heaven.

She addressed myriad issues in her work: family relationships, gender, colonialism (and its legacies), history, love, injustice. Many of her poems are tributes to the everyday struggles of ordinary women, the unlettered makers of “hot lunches and hot clothes / cooking and stitching miracles / with equal hand”.

Her landmark scholarly publication Dread Talk: The Language of Rastafari remains a must-read for linguists and others, while her distinctive fiction – including Considering Woman I & II – places her among the Caribbean’s best short story writers. In 1992, she won the Casa de las Americas Prize for Karl and Other Stories (which is being relaunched this year as a Caribbean Modern Classic by a British-based publisher); and, with Jean D’Costa, she also edited anthologies for young readers, including the essential Over Our Way.

Her poetry stands out for its imagery, symbolism and use of Jamaican Creole, or nation language, with collections such as Crown Point and Other Poems, Shame Trees Don’t Grow Here, The Best Philosophers I Know Can’t Read and Write, and Leaving Traces.

Her work has likewise appeared in a range of international anthologies, including Give the Ball to the Poet, which sought to “represent the past, the present and the future of Caribbean poetry”, as Morag Styles, Professor of Children’s Poetry at Cambridge University and one of the editors of the anthology, said when it was published in 2014.

Years before that, Dr Pollard’s writing was included in the ground-breaking 1989 collection Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women’s Writing from the Caribbean, edited by Wilson and her sister Pamela Mordecai, and including other acclaimed authors such as Maryse Condé and Merle Hodge.

Then in 2018, one of her stories was translated into Chinese and included in the compilation Queen’s Case: A Collection of Contemporary Jamaican Short Stories / 女王案 当代牙买加短篇小说集, among the first such publications in China.
Dr Pollard was perhaps foremost a poet, but she was equally a scholar, editor, educator… an overall literary star. When she contracted meningitis several years ago, messages flowed in from all over the globe (as tributes are now doing upon her passing).

Following her recovery from that bout with meningitis, she told friends she felt the need to do “something worthwhile every day”, as a way of giving thanks for her survival. Part of this naturally included writing, but it also involved taking care of her extended family and being there for her friends and community.

As her sister Erna said at the farewell service, Dr Pollard got “10 out of 10 out of 10 out of 10” for following the commandment: love thy neighbour as thyself. The work she has left behind may be considered a testament of that love, and light, too – A. McKenzie and S. Scafe